List of empresses of the Byzantine successor states explained

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)
PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame EmpressCeased to be EmpressDeathSpouse
Anna AngelinaAlexios III
(Angeloi)		c. 1176 1199 or early 1200 1204 death of brother-in-law
1205 husband proclaimed as emperor		1212Theodore I
Philippa of ArmeniaRuben III of Armenia
(Rubenid)		1183 24 November 12141216 before 1219
Marie de CourtenayPeter, Latin Emperor
(Courtenay)		c. 1204 1219November 1221 September 1228
Irene Laskarina
(Ειρήνη Λασκαρίνα)		Theodore I
(Laskaris)		?1212December 12211239 John III
Anna of HohenstaufenFrederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
(Hohenstaufen)		1230 12443 November 1254April 1307
Elena Asenina of BulgariaIvan II of Bulgaria
(Asen)		?12354 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 PalaiologinaJohn Doukas Vatatzes
(Vatatzes)		c. 1240 12531 January 1259 as co-empress
18 August 1258 as sole-empress consort		25 July 12614 March 1303Michael VIII
PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame EmpressCeased to be EmpressDeathSpouse

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)
PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame EmpressCeased to be EmpressDeathSpouse
Theodora AxuchinaJohn Komnenos Axouchos[1]
(Axouchoi)		?? around April 12041 February 1222?Alexios I
KomneneAlexios I
(Komnenoi)		?c. 1222?1 February 12221235?Andronikos I
Mother of Ioannikes???12351238?John I
Anna Xylaloe??12351238 1240s Manuel I
David VI of Georgia or David VII of Georgia
(Bagratids)		?1240s1250s or early 1260s
Irene Syrikaina?? 1250s or early 1260sMarch 1263?
Eudokia Palaiologina
(Ευδοκία Παλαιολογίνα)		Michael VIII Palaiologos
(Palaiologoi)		c. 1265 128216 August 1297[2] 1302John II
Jiajak Jaqeli[3] Beka I Jaqeli
(Jaqeli)		?c. 13003 May 1330?Alexios II
Irene Palaiologina
(Ειρήνη Παλαιολογίνα)		Andronikos III Palaiologos
(Palaiologoi)		c. 1315 13351339 after 1341Basilios
Irene
(Ειρήνη η μεγάλη Κομνηνή)		??1339 [4] 6 April 1340 after 1382
AcropolitissaConstantine Acropolites
(Acropolites)		?1297–134130 July 1341 1st reign[5]
3 May 1344 2nd reign		13 December 1349?Michael
Theodora KantakouzeneNikephoros Kantakouzenosc. 134028 September 135120 March 1390?Alexios III
Eudokia of GeorgiaDavid IX of Georgia
(Bagratids)		?6 September 137720 March 13902 May 1395Manuel III
Anna PhilanthropeneManuel Angelos Philanthropenos?c. 13955 March 1417?
Theodora KantakouzeneTheodore Palaiologos Kantakouzenos
(Kantakouzenoi)		c. 138213951395 as co-empress consort
5 March 1417 as sole-empress consort 		12 November 1426Alexios IV
Maria Gattilusio
as Co-Empress of Trebizond		Dorino of Lesbos
(Gattilusi)		???October 1429?Alexander, Co-Emperor
Unnamed Georgian princessAlexander I of Georgia
(Bagratids)		c. 1415c. 1426before 28 October 14291438John IV
Unnamed Turkish ladyDawlat Berdi???before April 22, 1459 ?
Maria of Gothia[6] Alexios of Theodoro
(Gabras)		?????/before 1447David
Helena Kantakouzene?
(Kantakouzenoi)		??before 22 April 1459 15 August 14611463
PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame EmpressCeased to be EmpressDeathSpouse

Consorts in Epirus

Angelos-Komnenos-Doukas dynasty
(1205–1318)
PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame consortCeased to be consortDeathSpouse
Unknown(Melissenos)?????Michael I
Unknownan Epirote magnate
(Melissenos)		?????
Maria Petraliphaina?
(Petraliphas)		?c. 1216c. 1216
1224 as Empress in Thessalonica		1230?Theodore
Theodora PetraliphainaJohn Petraliphas
(Petraliphas)		1225 about 1231 1268?Michael II
Maria Doukaina LaskarinaTheodore II Laskaris
(Laskaris)		?1256 as Despoina within the Nicaean empire, never in Epirus1258Nikephoros I
Anna Palaiologina Kantakouzene?
(Palaiologos or Kantakouzenos)		?1264 12681297??
Anna PalaiologinaMichael IX Palaiologos
(Palaiologos)		?ca. 130713181320Thomas I
Orsini dynasty
(1318–1359)
Anna PalaiologinaMichael IX Palaiologos
(Palaiologos)		?1318
2nd time		1320Nicholas
Anna PalaiologinaAndronikos Palaiologos Angelos[7]
(Palaiologos or Komnenos Doukas)		?after 1324 1335?John
Maria Kantakouzene John VI Kantakouzenos
(Kantakouzenos)		-after 13391347 as Despoina within the Byzantine empire
1355 as Despoina in Epirus		1356/1359 after 1359 Nikephoros II
Nemanjić and Buondelmonti dynasties
(1359–1411)
Thomais OrsiniJohn
(Orsini)		?after 134813591366?Simeon
Maria Angelina Doukaina Palaiologina[8]
(Μαρία Αγγελίνα Δούκαινα Παλαιολογίνα)		Simeon
(Nemanjić)		?1359–1360136623 December 138428 December 1394Thomas II
February 138528 December 1394Esau
Irene Bova ShpataJohn Bova Shpata?January 1396??
Eudokia Balšić?
(Balšić)		??6 February 1411after 1411
Tocco dynasty
(1411–1479)
Francesca AcciaioliNerio I Acciaioli
(Acciaioli)		??1411?1429??Carlo I Tocco
Ramondina of Ventimiglia???1429?1448??Carlo II Tocco
Milica of SerbiaLazar Branković
(Branković)		?1 May 14631464Leonardo III Tocco
Francesca MarzanoMariano Marzano, Prince of Rossano
(Marzano)		?14771479??
PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame consortCeased to be consortDeathSpouse

Consorts in the Morea

Kantakouzenoi dynasty
(1347–1383)
Maria de Lusignan Constantine II, King of Armenia
(Lusignan)		c. or after 1333c. 1347 25 October 134910 April 13801382–1387Manuel Kantakouzenos
Palaiologan dynasty
(1383–1460)
Bartolomea AcciaioliNerio I Acciaioli
(Acciaioli)		??1383?1407? ?Theodore I Palaiologos
Cleofa MalatestaMalatesta I, Count of Pesaro
(Malatesta)		?21 January 1421 or sometime in 14221433Theodore II Palaiologos
Theodora ToccoLeonardo II Tocco
(Tocco)		?1 July 1428 c. 1428 as Despoina in MoreaNovember 1429 Constantine XI Palaiologos
Caterina GattilusioDorino of Lesbos
(Gattilusio)		?27 July 1441 as Despoina in MoreaJuly/August 1442
Paul Asanes
(Asanes)		?before 1443 before 1443 as a Despoina in Morea
29 May 1453 as Byzantine co-empress consort[9] 		1460?Demetrios Palaiologos
Centurione II Zaccaria
(Zaccaria)		around 1392January 1430before 1432 as a Despoina in Morea
29 May 1453 as Byzantine co-empress consort		1460 16 August 1462Thomas Palaiologos
PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame ConsortCeased to be ConsortDeathSpouse

See also

Notes and References

  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. It isn't known if she died before this date

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