The Sgouros (Medieval Greek: Σγουρός), also known as Sgouropoulos (Σγουρόπουλος), Sgouromallaios (Σγουρομαλλαίος), Sgouranos (Σγουρανός), Sgouris (Σγουρής), Sgourismenos (Σγουρισμένος), Sgouritzis (Σγουρίτζης), and Sgourogiannis (Σγουρογιάννης), was a Byzantine Greek noble family – composed of multiple branches – that originated from Nafplio.[1]

Name

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The name of the family derives from the Greek adjective sgourós (σγουρός), which is indicative of wavy hair.[1][2] According to linguist and philologist Georgios Babiniotis, the adjective sgourós derives either from Ancient Greek gurós (γυρός) 'curved, round' with the introduction of the prefix σ-, or from the noun svoúros (σβούρος), which might have been detached from svouró-mallos (σβουρό-μαλλος).[3]

History

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The Sgouros family was a rich and powerful family, which first appeared in the middle of the 11th c. in Nafplio. From the very beginning right until the 15th c., it was part of the Byzantine provincial middle class. Members of the family appear to hold both political and ecclesiastical positions, and they were also distinguished as scholars, scribes, orators, etc.[1] The Byzantinist Alexander Kazhdan, who was a notable scholar of mid-Byzantine and late Byzantine society, identified twelve representatives of the family during the reign of Alexios I Komnenos (1081-1118). With the appearance of the most prominent Sgouroi at the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th centuries (Theodoros and Leon), the family arranged marriages with the noble family of Angeloi.[4]

Although many Sgouroi were distinguished in public administrative positions from the time of Alexios I Komnenos, they never seem to have been members of the aristocratic court in Constantinople. Some of the most important positions held by the recorded members – mainly from 1086/1088 AD and thereafter – were those of the protospatharios, sebastos, chartoularios, proedros, domestikos, protostrator, logothetis, megas hetaireiarches, protonotarios, prokathimenos, protallagator, and sebastohypertatos (by Leon Sgouros).[5]

Members

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There have been about 90 recorded members of the family and its branches between the 11th and 15th centuries. Of those, only four were women. Furthermore, 37 belonged to the branch of Sgourópouloi (one related through marriage to the Doukas family), 16 to Sgoúroi (one related through marriage to the Doukas family), 14 to Sgouroí, four to Sgouromállides (two related through marriage to the Palaiologoi family), two Sgourítzes, and one Sgouranós, Sgourogiánnis, and Sgourothomás respectively.[6][7] The following table lists them chronologically.

Names Dates Notes
Mihaíl Sgourós 11th c. protospatharios
N. Sgourós 1086 proedros and accountant
Léon Sgourós 1088 chartoularios tou sekretou
Mihaíl Sgourós 1192, 1197 grammarian
Ioánnis Sgourós fl. 1195–1203 notable grammarian and notary
Nikítas Sgourópoulos 1193 scribe
Theódoros Sgourós 1180/1189 – c. 1200 father of Leon Sgouros and archon of Nafplio
Léon Sgourós c. 1200 – c. 1208 despot of Argolid and Corinthia, sebastohypertatos
Evdokía Aggelína–Sgoúrena fl. 1204–1208 wife of Leon Sgouros
Gavriíl Sgourós fl. 1200/1208–1211/1212 brother of Leon Sgouros and garrison commander of Nafplio
Konstantínos Sgourítzis before 1264 reader or lector, husband of Sevastía (landholder of Cephalonia)
Vasílios Sgourós 1279 from Constantinople
Loscuro (Lo Sguro) 1277 prison guard in Licolourafo (maybe Salamis)
N. Sgoúros c. 1277–1278 follower of bishop from New Heraclea (western Minor Asia)
N. Sgoúros fl. 1282–1298 clergyman of the diocese of Varavlonia (Avlona)
Xénos Sgourítzis 1283 priest in Smyrna
Simeón Sgourópoulos c. 1283–1289 employee (?) of Gregory II of Constantinople
N. Sgourós c. 1283–1289 treasurer of Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
Manouíl Sgourópoulos fl. 1286–1293 domestikos of eastern themata, landowner of Lembiotissa Monastery (near Smyrna), slave of Andronikos II Palaiologos, pansebastos sebastos
Geórgios Sgouromállis (Sguro-mally) c. 1293 protostrator, protallagator of Morea
Dimítrios Sgourópoulos 1297 – c. 1299 imperial envoy (correspondence with Maximus Planudes)
Manouíl Sgourópoulos 1298 and after landowner (?)
Ioánnis Sgourós 13th c. hymnographer (?)
Manouíl Sgourópoulos beginning of 14th c. wheat trader in Constantinople
N. Sgoúros c. 1300 paroikos in Vrasta, Chalkidiki
Geórgios Sgoúros fl.c. 1300–1321 paroikos in Selas, Chalkidiki
Kónstas Sgoúros 1304 paroikos in Lemnos
Manouíl Sgourópoulos c. 1307–1308 correspondence with Michael Gabras
Mihaíl Sgouranós c. 1313–1316 deacon and lector in Mamouderta, Bithynia
Nikólaos Sgourópoulos 1314 priest in the suburb of Mina, Constantinople
Christóforos Sgourópoulos 1314 cleric in Thessalonica
Aléxios Sgourópoulos 1315 dignitary (correspondence with Michael Gabras)
N. Sgouromállis c. 1316 sebastos in Laconia
Bezános Sgoúros fl. 1316–1341 paroikos in Rodolivos, Serres
N. Sgourópoulos before 1318 landowner in Psalida, Chalkidiki
N. Sgourópoulos before 1319 founder of St George's Monastery in Artaki (Cyzicus)
Sgoúrena N. 1319 paroikos in Malouka, Strymon
Manouíl Sgourópoulos 1320 paroikos in Melitziani, Strymon
Theódoros Sgoúros before 1321 resident in Pteleon, Chalkidiki
Mihaíl Sgoúros 1320/1321 witness of sale deed by Archistratigos' Monastery of Zichni
Ioánnis Sgoúros 1321 paroikos in Lorotos, Chalkidiki
N. Sgoúros 1321 sebastos, primate of Ioannina (in chrysobull by Andronikos II Palaiologos)
Nikólaos Sgourós 1322 from Thessalonica (?)
Iákovos Sgourópoulos c. 1323 – c. 1340 clerk of Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
Dimítrios Sgoúros 1327 archon of Thessalonica
N. Sgourópoulos 1330 brother-in-law of Ioannis Laskaris and Georgios Padiatis (?)
Ioánnis Sgourogiánnis 1331/1332 donor of the Theotokos' Monastery in Kakodiki, Chania
N. Sgourogiannoú 1331/1332 donoress of the Theotokos' Monastery in Kakodiki, Chania
N. Sgourós 1331/1332 donor of the Theotokos' Monastery in Kakodiki, Chania
N. Sgourós 1334 landowner in Katroula, Constantinople
N. Sgourópoulos before 1338 sebastos (?)
Dimítrios Sgourópoulos 1341/1342 servant of John VI Kantakouzenos
N. Sgourópoulos fl.c. 1342 broker in Constantinople, landowner of Great Lavra's Monastery, Mount Athos
N. Sgourópoulos first half of 14th c. correspondent (correspondence with Georgios Oinaiotis)
N. Sgourópoulos c. 1353 – c. 1354 merchant in Constantinople, originating from Piges, Mysia
Andréas Sgourópoulos 1357 priest in Constantinople
Geórgios Sgourópoulos 1357 priest in Constantinople
Mihaíl Sgourópoulos 1357 priest and taboularios in Constantinople
Mihaíl Sgoúros 1357 priest in Constantinople
Damiano Sgurothoma (Damianós Sgourothomás) fl. 1360–1370 cowherd in Nafplio
N. Sgourópoulos 1361–1364 judge (?)
N. Sgourópoulos Doúkas fl. 1362 and prior scribe (?)
N. Sgoúros 1362, 1377 and prior judge of military camp in Rafalion, Chalkidiki
N. Sgourópoulos 1364 donor of Kolyva, Constantinople; could be the same individual as N. Sgourópoulos(c. 1353 – c. 1354)
Ioánnis Sgourópoulos 1373–1376 cleric and editor of documents in Thessalonica
Manouíl Sgourópoulos fl. 1372–1375 interpreter in Constantinople (correspondence with Demetrios Kydones)
N. Sgoúros c. 1381–1382 soldier (travelled from Thessalonica to Constantinople)
N. Sgourópoulos 1387 priest and lawyer in Chrysoupoli, Strymon
Manouíl Sgourópoulos fl. 1387 deacon of Hagia Sophia, Constantinople
Mihaíl Sgourópoulos fl. 1390–1400 cleric and owner of house in Constantinople
Ioánnis Sgourópoulos second half of 14th c. scribe (?)
Stéphanos Sgourópoulos second half of 14th c. – beginning of 15th c. protonotarios at the court of Komnenoi in Trebizond, lyricist
N. Sgouropoulína 1400 landowner in Constantinople
Iákovos Sgourópoulos 1400 employee of Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
Kóstas Sgourís 1409 paroikos in Pinsona, Chalkidiki
Theódoros Sgourís 1415 worker in the salt pans of Thessalonica
Dimítrios Sgourópoulos 1415 worker in the salt pans of Thessalonica
N. Sgourós 1419 cleric, chartoularios of Hagios Demetrios' Monastery in Thessalonica
N. Sgourós 1422 landowner in Meteora
Matthéos Paleológos Sgouromállis 1426 native of Sparta, Peloponnese
Geórgios Sgourópoulos 1430 domestikos and composer
Dimítrios Sgourópoulos fl. 1443–1447, d. 1491 or later scribe of Bessarion
Manouíl Sgourópoulos 1446 from Chios (?)
Ioánnis Sgourópoulos first half of 15th c. archon of the churches, deacon, composer, domestikos of Hagia Sophia, Constantinople
Petrus Sguro (Pétros Sgourós) c. 1452–1453 military captain in Heraklion, Crete
Sgouromállis Paleológos c. 1460 archon of Karytaina
Andrónikos Doúkas Sgoúros 15th c. orator and writer (against Latins)
Dimítrios Sgourópoulos middle of 15th c. (?) reader or lector (?)

Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b c Vlachopoulou 2001, p. 17
  2. ^ Georgakas 1937, pp. 37–52
  3. ^ Babiniotis 2010, p. 1252
  4. ^ Vlachopoulou 2001, pp. 17–18
  5. ^ Vlachopoulou 2001, p. 18
  6. ^ Vlachopoulou 2001, pp. 98–102
  7. ^ PLP10 1990, pp. 195–203

References

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  • Vlachopoulou, Fotini (2001). Ο βίος και η πολιτεία του Λέοντος Σγουρού: Βυζαντινού άρχοντα της βορειοανατολικής Πελοποννήσου στις αρχές του 13ου αιώνα [The life and times of Leon Sgouros: Byzantine lord of northeastern Peloponnese in the early 13th century] (in Greek). University of Johannesburg.
  • Trapp, Erich; Beyer, Hans-Veit; Kaplaneres, Sokrates; Leontiades, Johannes G., eds. (1990). Prosopographisches Lexikon der Palaiologenzeit [Prosopographical Lexicon of the Palaiologan era] (in German). Vol. 10 (1st ed.). Austrian Academy of Sciences Press. ISBN 978-3-7001-1775-9.
  • Georgakas, Demetrios (1937). "Περί της λέξεως σγουρός και των συγγενών". Αθηνά. No. 47. Η εν Αθήναις Επιστημονική Εταιρεία. ISSN 1011-1557.
  • Babiniotis, Georgios (2010) [2009]. Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας Ελληνικής γλώσσας (in Greek). Lexicology Center Ltd. ISBN 978-960-89751-8-7.