Manos family
Manos is a Greek noble family which was one of the important Phanariot families of Constantinople.
Manos comes from Kastoria, Macedonia, and descended from the founder of the family, Emmanuel (Manos) Philippou (1610 - 1699). His grandson Manolaki (born circa 1655) settled, the first of the family, in Constantinople becoming a powerful fur trader and later Megas logothetes of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Much of the family later settled in the independent Greek Kingdom. Further prominence for the family ensued from the controversial marriage of Aspasia Manos to King Alexander I of Greece.
Very many members of the Manos family on account of a long-standing tradition in exceptional education, stretching from law to medicine, held for a succession of generations the highest administrative positions in the Empire to the unquestionable benefit of the Patriarchate. This was accompanied by recognition, prestige and of course very considerable influence. The administration of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which was an institution providing the essential equilibrium for the efficient running of the affairs of the Ottoman feudal lords over their submitted Christian vassals, was by common consent conferred almost traditionally for reasons mentioned, to a member of the Manos family. It is on account of this, together with the Manos family’s understanding that empires differ from states in that the nations comprising any Empire have unique and varying characteristics in language, religion, vision, folklore-traditions. So educated members of the Phanariot community, in which there was always Manos-family presence, persuaded their Ottoman overlords to the absolute necessity of preserving these. It followed that Manos family members were assigned to key positions in the conglomeration of states called Empire, so with guile, discretion and always in mind the long-term interests of their own people they carried out their assigned tasks. The performance and effects of some assignments frequently provoked displeasure and anger to the Ottoman overlords which almost always had a capital cost, a whole family was decapitated on spurious charges.
The Manos family were a force in the events of the Phanar and indeed the Ottoman Empire, and their contribution to the preservation and subsequent realisation of the Hellenic dream was major.
Its members include:
- Konstantinos Manos (1869–1913), politician and writer, resided in Chania, Crete
- Petros Manos (1871–1918), colonel, younger brother of Konstantinos; father of Aspasia (below) who became the king's wife
- Aspasia Manos (1896–1972), daughter of Petros (above), wife of King Alexander of Greece, mother of Alexandra, Queen of Yugoslavia and grandmother of Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia
- Ileana Manos (b. 1971), great-granddaughter of Konstantinos (above); current Duchess of Chartres as wife of Prince Charles Louis, Duke of Chartres
- John B. Manos (b. 1971), great-grandson of Petros (above); currently a U.S. attorney; apparently baptized Roman Catholic. Graduate of the inaugural class of Ave Maria School of Law.
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