Hello all,
<http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/APhocas>
I do know that this family is connected to two Byzantine emperors, Emperor
Phocas (602-610), and Emperor Nicephorus II Phocas (963-969). I also believe
that there had been a marriage with the Habsburg family in the 16 C.
However, I know next to nothing about this coat.
Any help would be much appreciated!
I have replied privately but might add that while the coat in quarters 2
& 3 has a strong Germanic/Hungarian feel to it (where many coats have
arms with swords and some with stars) it also looks a little like the
augmentation granted in England in 1575 by William Flower to Sir Piers
Legh of Lyme only that the sword is a standard there. So one can guess
that , if genuine, it represents some military adventure of the first
holder.
As to the Phokas family, the noble family of Phokas-Kavalierakis live in
Karyoupoli, Mani, Greece and claim descent though this is unprovable.
Their castle at Karyoupoli (formerly called Miniakova) carries the
double eagle over one of the main doors though the plaque and its recess
do not fit each other (see Yanis Saitas: "Mani" in the Greek traditional
architecture series, Melissa, Athens 1990).
The Phokas family of Byzantium were a noble lineage of Anatolia but most
of their territory was illegally obtained and was confiscated by Basil
the Young in 996. In any case I am not aware of any direct descendants
of the Phokas emperors. So even had heraldry been in existence at that
date (which it was not) the later symbol of the Byzantine emperors would
not have descended in the family. The double headed eagle does not
appear in early Byzantine art but was seen commonly as the symbol of the
Palaeologi from the 13th century on. Before that simple eagles are
occasionally found but Emperors were usually identified pictorially by
their names or monograms above their figures and often haloed in
pictures also. (Byzantine and Post Byzantine Art, Byzantine Museum,
Athens 1985). Though as I have mentioned here before some have
identified an Athenian inscription of a double eagle under a crown as
4th century (Norman Davies "A history of Europe, p.1228, Oxford, 1996).
However the pre-Frankish emperors did not bear a personal mark
themselves and their shields were not identified by bearings (Alexiad).
The shield you refer to appear to be a modern painting (judging by
letter style and the leafy side bits). If the arms have been used for a
while they may reflect belief in an imperial descent or pretentions to
one. I know of many Greek surnames acquired or changed in the 18th-19th
centuries and there are countless families called Palaeologos with
almost certainly no genealogical male line link to the imperial family.
Derek Howard
I can also provide you with Phokas coat of Arms in Karyoupoli, if you are still interested. Can you please send me the latest one (European)?