List of consorts of the Byzantine successor states

For the uncontested Empresses of the Eastern Roman Empire, see, List of Roman and Byzantine Empresses.
For the consorts of the Latin emperors, see, List of Latin Empresses.

This is a list of the consorts of the four main Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire following the Fourth Crusade in 1204 and up to their conquest by the Ottoman Empire in the middle of the 15th century. These states were Nicaea, Trebizond, Epirus, and the Morea. The last two never actually claimed the imperial title, except briefly under Theodore Komnenos Doukas in the late 1220s, who began as ruler of Epirus but crowned himself emperor in Thessalonica.

Empress of Nicaea

Laskarid dynasty
(1204-1261)
Picture Name Father Birth Marriage Became Empress Ceased to be Empress Death Spouse
Anna Angelina Alexios III
(Angeloi)
c. 1176 1199 or early 1200 1204 death of brother-in-law
1205 husband proclaimed as emperor
1212 Theodore I
Philippa of Armenia Ruben III of Armenia
(Rubenid)
1183 24 November 1214 1216 before 1219
Marie de Courtenay Peter, Latin Emperor
(Courtenay)
c. 1204 1219 November 1221 September 1228
Irene Lascarina
(Ειρήνη Λασκαρίνα)
Theodore I
(Laskaris)
? 1212 December 1221 1239 John III
Anna of Hohenstaufen Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
(Hohenstaufen)
1230 1244 3 November 1254 April 1307
Elena Asenina of Bulgaria Ivan II of Bulgaria
(Asen)
? 1235 4 November 1254 husband proclaimed as emperor
1255 husband crowned as emperor
1 January 1259 as co-empress
18 August 1258 ? Theodore II
Palaiologan dynasty
(1259–1261)
Theodora Doukaina Vatatzaina Ioannes Doukas Vatatzes
(Doukai)
c. 1240 1253 1 January 1259 as co-empress
18 August 1258 as sole-empress consort
25 July 1261 4 March 1303 Michael VIII
Picture Name Father Birth Marriage Became Empress Ceased to be Empress Death Spouse

Empress of Trebizond

The consorts of rulers of Trebizond, like their counterparts in the other two Byzantine successor states, the Empire of Nicaea and the Despotate of Epirus, initially claimed the traditional Byzantine title of Empress consort the Romans. However, after reaching an agreement with the restored Byzantine Empire in 1282, the official title of the consorts of Trebizond was changed to Empress consort of the entire East, of the Iberians and the Perateia and remained such until the Empire's end in 1461. The state is sometimes called the Komnenian or Megalokomnenian empire from its ruling dynasty. Trebizond had three reigning empresses, Theodora of Trebizond (1284–1285), Irene Palaiologina (1340–1341), and Anna of Trebizond (1341–1342).

Megalokomnenid dynasty
(1204-1461)
Picture Name Father Birth Marriage Became Empress Ceased to be Empress Death Spouse
Theodora Axuchina John Komnenos Axouchos[1]
(Axouchoi)
? ? around April 1204 1 February 1222 ? Alexios I
Komnene Alexios I
(Komnenoi)
? c. 1222? 1 February 1222 1235 ? Andronikos I
Mother of Ioannikes ? ? ? 1235 1238 ? John I
Anna Xylaloe ? ? 1235 1238 1240s Manuel I
Rusudan of Georgia David VI of Georgia or David VII of Georgia
(Bagratids)
? 1240s 1250s or early 1260s
Irene Syrikaina ? ? 1250s or early 1260s March 1263 ?
Eudokia Palaiologina
(Ευδοκία Παλαιολογίνα)
Michael VIII Palaiologos
(Palaiologoi)
c. 1265 1282 16 August 1297[2] 1302 John II
Jiajak Jaqeli[3] Beka I Jaqeli
(Jaqeli)
? c. 1300 3 May 1330 ? Alexios II
Irene Palaiologina
(Ειρήνη Παλαιολογίνα)
Andronikos III Palaiologos
(Palaiologoi)
c. 1315 1335 1339 after 1341 Basilios
Irene
(Ειρήνη η μεγάλη Κομνηνή)
? ? 1339 [4] 6 April 1340 after 1382
Acropolitissa Constantine Acropolites
(Acropolites)
? 1297-1341 30 July 1341 1st reign[5]
3 May 1344 2nd reign
13 December 1349 ? Michael
Theodora Kantakouzene Nikephoros Kantakouzenos c. 1340 28 September 1351 20 March 1390 ? Alexios III
Eudokia of Georgia David IX of Georgia
(Bagratids)
? 6 September 1377 20 March 1390 2 May 1395 Manuel III
Anna Philanthropene Manuel Angelos Philanthropenos ? c. 1395 5 March 1417 ?
Theodora Kantakouzene Theodore Palaiologos Kantakouzenos
(Kantakouzenoi)
c. 1382 1395 1395 as co-empress consort
5 March 1417 as sole-empress consort
12 November 1426 Alexios IV
Maria Gattilusio
as Co-Empress of Trebizond
Dorino of Lesbos
(Gattilusi)
? ? ? October 1429 ? Alexander, Co-Emperor
Unnamed Georgian princess Alexander I of Georgia
(Bagratids)
c. 1415 c. 1426 before 28 October 1429 1438 John IV
Unnamed Turkish lady Dawlat Berdi ? ? ? before April 22, 1459 ?
Maria of Gothia[6] Alexios of Theodoro
(Gabras)
? ? ? ? ?/before 1447 David
Helena Kantakouzene ?
(Kantakouzenoi)
? ? before 22 April 1459 15 August 1461 1463
Picture Name Father Birth Marriage Became Empress Ceased to be Empress Death Spouse

Consorts in Epirus

Angelos-Komnenos-Doukas dynasty
(1205-1318)
Picture Name Father Birth Marriage Became consort Ceased to be consort Death Spouse
Unknown (Melissenos) ? ? ? ? ? Michael I
Unknown an Epirote magnate
(Melissenos)
? ? ? ? ?
Maria Petraliphaina ?
(Petraliphas)
? c. 1216 c. 1216
1224 as Empress in Thessalonica
1230 ? Theodore
Theodora Petraliphaina John Petraliphas
(Petraliphas)
1225 about 1231 1268 ? Michael II
Maria Doukaina Laskarina Theodore II Laskaris
(Laskaris)
? 1256 as Despoina within the Nicaean empire,

never in Epirus

1258 Nikephoros I
Anna Palaiologina Kantakouzene ?
(Palaiologos or Kantakouzenos)
? 1264 1268 1297? ?
Anna Palaiologina Michael IX Palaiologos
(Palaiologos)
? ca. 1307 1318 1320 Thomas I
Orsini dynasty
(1318–1359)
Anna Palaiologina Michael IX Palaiologos
(Palaiologos)
? 1318
2nd time
1320 Nicholas
Anna Palaiologina Andronikos Palaiologos Angelos[7]
(Palaiologos or Komnenos Doukas)
? after 1324 1335 ? John
Maria Kantakouzene John VI Kantakouzenos
(Kantakouzenos)
- after 1339 1347 as Despoina within the Byzantine empire
1355 as Despoina in Epirus
1356/1359 after 1359 Nikephoros II
Nemanjić and Buondelmonti dynasties
(1359-1411)
Thomais Orsini John
(Orsini)
? after 1348 1359 1366 ? Simeon
Maria Angelina Doukaina Palaiologina[8]
(Μαρία Αγγελίνα Δούκαινα Παλαιολογίνα)
Simeon
(Nemanjić)
? 1359–1360 1366 23 December 1384 28 December 1394 Thomas II
February 1385 28 December 1394 Esau
Irene Bova Shpata John Bova Shpata ? January 1396 ? ?
Eudokia Balšić ?
(Balšić)
? ? 6 February 1411 after 1411
Tocco dynasty
(1411–1479)
Francesca Acciaioli Nerio I Acciaioli
(Acciaioli)
? ? 1411? 1429? ? Carlo I Tocco
Ramondina of Ventimiglia ? ? ? 1429? 1448? ? Carlo II Tocco
Milica of Serbia Lazar Branković
(Branković)
? 1 May 1463 1464 Leonardo III Tocco
Francesca Marzano Mariano Marzano, Prince of Rossano
(Marzano)
? 1477 1479? ?
Picture Name Father Birth Marriage Became consort Ceased to be consort Death Spouse

Consorts in the Morea

Kantakouzenoi dynasty
(1347–1383)
Maria de Lusignan Constantine II, King of Armenia
(Lusignan)
c. or after 1333 c. 1347 25 October 1349 10 April 1380 1382-1387 Manuel Kantakouzenos
Palaiologan dynasty
(1383–1460)
Bartolomea Acciaioli Nerio I Acciaioli
(Acciaioli)
? ? 1383? 1407? ? Theodore I Palaiologos
Cleofa Malatesta Malatesta I, Count of Pesaro
(Malatesta)
? 21 January 1421 or sometime in 1422 1433 Theodore II Palaiologos
Theodora Tocco Leonardo II Tocco
(Tocco)
? 1 July 1428 c. 1428 as Despoina in Morea November 1429 Constantine XI Palaiologos
Caterina Gattilusio Dorino of Lesbos
(Gattilusio)
? 27 July 1441 as Despoina in Morea July/August 1442
Theodora Asanina Paul Asanes
(Asanes)
? before 1443 before 1443 as a Despoina in Morea
29 May 1453 as Byzantine co-empress consort[9]
1460[9] ? Demetrios Palaiologos
Catherine Zaccaria Centurione II Zaccaria
(Zaccaria)
around 1392 January 1430 before 1432 as a Despoina in Morea
29 May 1453 as Byzantine co-empress consort
1460 16 August 1462 Thomas Palaiologos
Picture Name Father Birth Marriage Became Consort Ceased to be Consort Death Spouse

Byzantine Empresses in pretence after 1453

The Byzantine Empire fell in 1453. Three pretenders from the dynasty followed. The last Palaiologan pretender, Andreas Palaiologos, sold his right to the imperial succession to Charles VIII of France, but he also willed the imperial titles to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castille, and so in a sense either the French Spanish queens have been the titular Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire since the 15th century. Another Palaiologan, Manuel Palaiologos, sold his right of succession to Ottoman Sultan Bayazid II (the Ottoman sultans already claim to be the Kaizer-i Rum or Roman Emperor); but since there is no such thing as a sultaness, there are no Ottoman consorts. Not counting the Ottoman, the two successors of the Palaiologans were all Catholic instead of Orthodox.

Spouses of Byzantine Pretenders
(1453–1502)
Picture Name Father Birth Marriage Became Empress Ceased to be Empress Death Spouse
Theodora Asanina Paul Asanes
(Asanes)
? before 1443 29 May 1453 as co-empress consort[9] 1460[9] ? Demetrios Palaiologos
Catherine Zaccaria Centurione II Zaccaria
(Zaccaria)
around 1392 January 1430 before 1432 as a Despoina in Morea
29 May 1453 as Byzantine co-empress consort
16 August 1462 Thomas Palaiologos
A Roman prostitute ? Andreas Palaiologos

See also

Notes

  1. probable
  2. there was slight interruption of her husband's reign in 1284
  3. Alexios II may have had a second wife, Jidga Khatun, but this is highly disputed
  4. marriage recognize by local clergy, although not the Patriarch of Constantinople
  5. one-day reign
  6. probably never empress
  7. Granddaughter of Demetrios Komnenos Doukas, son of Michael II
  8. reigned briefly as Basilissa of Epirus or Empress of Epirus
  9. 1 2 3 4 It isn't known if she died before this date
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