John (Janja) Kantakouzenos

Janja Kantakouzenos was a nobleman from the mine town of Novo Brdo in the Serbian Despotate who maintained business dealings with the Ottoman Empire after the fall of the Serbian Empire.

John Kantakouzenos, whose name is mentioned in documents of Ragusa of 1461 and 1462 as “lord of Novo Brdo” and “Jagno Catacusini de Novo Brdo”, belonged to the Kantakouzenoi who settled in Serbia after 1414 following the marriage of Irene Kantakouzena to George Branković. His father was a customs officer (gabelotto) at Novo Brdo, and John himself had business dealings with the Ottomans. In 1468 he was appointed one of the tax farmers of mines in the region of Serbia (Vilk and Laz), and in 1474 of the silver and gold mines of upper Serbia, for the sum of 14 million akce. Later he also rented the silver mines of Novo Brdo.

His profitable business with the Ottomans was interrupted in 1477 when John and his entire family was executed in Istanbul for unknown reasons.