Daimonoioannes

Daimonoioannes (Greek: Δαιμονοϊωάννης) or Eudaimonoioannes (Εὺδαιμονοϊωάννης) is the name of a Byzantine aristocratic family and one of Theodore II Laskaris' New Men. They are usually considered part of the Western military aristocracy, holding estates in Greece and the Peloponnese and serving under the Western army. The feminine form of the name is Daimonoioannina.
==History==
The family was established by one Nikolaos Daimonoioannes, a notable resident of the fortress town of Monemvasia who reportedly served as governor of the island of Kythera in the late 12th century. The first member of the family to rise to prominence was the Byzantine general Michael Daimonoioannes in the mid 13th century. Michael, a grandson of Nikolaos, came under emperor Theodore II's favor during the latter's stay at Monemvasia in the prelude to his proclamation as emperor, in 1245. Recruited into the elite Athanatoi cavalry regiment, he was dubbed the "Demon of the Morea" by Latin Crusaders for his military prowess. Michael Daimonoiannes was one of Theodore II's most important generals in the civil war and rose quickly through the ranks, eventually becoming governor of Thessalonica and Macedonia and briefly serving as Domestic of the West. 
Manuel Daimonoioannes, Michael's eldest son, married Theodore II's illegitimate daughter Helena Laskarina and was a notable general and military governor in the Western army, also serving as governor of Thessalonica.
Category:Byzantine families