[2] Like his relative, Constantine too had earned distinction during Manuel I Komnenos' campaign against the Hungarians in 1167.
The historian John Kinnamos records that he held the rank of sebastos.
[3] He is next recorded as being active in 1190/1, during the Byzantine efforts to suppress the Bulgarian–Vlach rebellion of the brothers Peter and Ivan Asen.
The historian Niketas Choniates records that, in an effort to sustain the troops and bolster their morale, Aspietes decided to distribute to them their delayed annual salaries.
This act, however, enraged Emperor Isaac II Angelos, who saw it as almost an attempt to bribe the army to support Aspietes in overthrowing him.