Gulkhan-Eudokia of Georgia
Encyclopedia
Gulkhan-Eudokia of Georgia (died 2 May 1395) was the first Empress consort of Manuel III of Trebizond
. Her original name was Gulkhan Khatun
. Eudokia
was her Christian baptismal name.
and his wife Sindukhtar Jaqeli. She was also a sister of Bagrat V of Georgia
.
Her paternal grandfather was George V of Georgia
. The identity of his wife is not known. The "Georgian Chronicle" of the 18th century reports him marrying a daughter of "the Greek Emperor, Lord Michael Komnenos
". However the reigning dynasty of the Byzantine Empire
in the 14th century were the Palaiologoi
, not the Komnenoi. The marriage of a daughter of Michael IX Palaiologos
and his wife Rita of Armenia
to a Georgian ruler is not recorded in Byzantine sources. Neither is the existence of any illegitimate daughters of Michael IX. The Komnenoi did rule however in the Empire of Trebizond
. A Michael Komnenos
was Emperor from 1344 to 1349. His wife was Acropolitissa
. Their only child recorded in primary sources was John III of Trebizond
. Whether John III had siblings is unknown.
Her maternal grandfather was Qvarqvare II Jaqeli, Prince of Samtskhe. The Jaqelis held the Georgian
feudal office of Eristavi
. An Eristavi could be "governor of a region" or an "army-commander" , roughly equivalent to the Byzantine
strategos
and normally translated into English
as "duke
".
. On 14 March 1376, Andronikos was assassinated. The Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten (1978) by Detlev Schwennicke reports him killed by being thrown out of a tower.
On 6 September 1377, Gulkhan married Manuel III of Trebizond
. He was a younger, paternal half-brother of Andronikos. Manuel was the eldest surviving son of Alexios III and his wife Theodora Kantakouzene
. Their only known son would reign as Alexios IV of Trebizond
.
Manuel III of Trebizond
Manuel III Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from March 20, 1390 to his death in 1417. He was the son of Emperor Alexios III of Trebizond by Theodora Kantakouzene.Manuel became the heir of his father in 1377, after the death of his elder brother Basil...
. Her original name was Gulkhan Khatun
Khatun
Khatun is a female title of nobility and alternative to male "khan" prominently used in the First Turkic Empire and in the subsequent Mongol Empire...
. Eudokia
Eudoxia
Eudoxia, or Eudokia is the English language transliteration of the Greek feminine personal name Ευδοκία...
was her Christian baptismal name.
Family
Gulkhan was a daughter of David IX of GeorgiaDavid IX of Georgia
David IX of Georgia , from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia from 1346 until his death.-Family:David was the only known son of George V of Georgia. The identity of his mother is not known. The "Georgian Chronicle" of the 18th century reports George V marrying a daughter of "the Greek...
and his wife Sindukhtar Jaqeli. She was also a sister of Bagrat V of Georgia
Bagrat V of Georgia
Bagrat V, “the Great” was the son of the Georgian king Davit IX with whom he was co-ruler from 1355, and became king after the death of his father in 1360....
.
Her paternal grandfather was George V of Georgia
George V of Georgia
George V, the "Brilliant" was King of Georgia from 1299 to 1302 and again from 1314 until his death. A flexible and far-sighted politician, he recovered Georgia from a century-long Mongol domination, restoring the country’s previous strength and Christian culture.-Reign:George was born to King...
. The identity of his wife is not known. The "Georgian Chronicle" of the 18th century reports him marrying a daughter of "the Greek Emperor, Lord Michael Komnenos
Komnenos
Komnenós or Comnenus was the name of a ruling family of the Eastern Roman Empire , who halted the political decline of the Empire from c.1081 to c.1185.-Origins:...
". However the reigning dynasty of the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
in the 14th century were the Palaiologoi
Palaiologos
Palaiologos , often latinized as Palaeologus, was a Byzantine Greek noble family, which produced the last ruling dynasty of the Byzantine Empire. After the Fourth Crusade, members of the family fled to the neighboring Empire of Nicaea, where Michael VIII Palaiologos became co-emperor in 1259,...
, not the Komnenoi. The marriage of a daughter of Michael IX Palaiologos
Michael IX Palaiologos
Michael IX Palaiologos or Palaeologus , , reigned as Byzantine co-emperor with full imperial style 1294/1295–1320...
and his wife Rita of Armenia
Rita of Armenia
Rita of Armenia was a daughter of King Levon II of Armenia and Queen Keran. She was the wife of Byzantine co-emperor Michael IX Palaiologos, making her a junior empress-consort of the Byzantine Empire. In 1317, she became the only empress upon the death of the senior empress, Irene of Montferrat...
to a Georgian ruler is not recorded in Byzantine sources. Neither is the existence of any illegitimate daughters of Michael IX. The Komnenoi did rule however in the Empire of Trebizond
Empire of Trebizond
The Empire of Trebizond, founded in April 1204, was one of three Byzantine successor states of the Byzantine Empire. However, the creation of the Empire of Trebizond was not directly related to the capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, rather it had broken away from the Byzantine Empire...
. A Michael Komnenos
Michael of Trebizond
Michael Megas Komnenos , , Emperor of Trebizond for one day, July 30, 1341 and from May 3, 1344 to December 13, 1349. He was a younger son of Emperor John II of Trebizond and Eudokia Palaiologina...
was Emperor from 1344 to 1349. His wife was Acropolitissa
Acropolitissa, wife of Michael of Trebizond
- Family :Her father was Constantine Acropolites. According to his entry in "Porphyrogenita:Essays on the History and Literature of Byzantium and the Latin East" Constantine was married to Maria Komnene Tornikina. Constantine was a scholar in the courts of Michael VIII Palaiologos and Andronikos...
. Their only child recorded in primary sources was John III of Trebizond
John III of Trebizond
John III Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from September 4, 1342 to May 3, 1344...
. Whether John III had siblings is unknown.
Her maternal grandfather was Qvarqvare II Jaqeli, Prince of Samtskhe. The Jaqelis held the Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
feudal office of Eristavi
Eristavi
Eristavi was a Georgian feudal office, roughly equivalent to the Byzantine strategos and normally translated into English as "duke". In the Georgian aristocratic hierarchy, it was the title of the third rank of prince and governor of a large province...
. An Eristavi could be "governor of a region" or an "army-commander" , roughly equivalent to the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
strategos
Strategos
Strategos, plural strategoi, is used in Greek to mean "general". In the Hellenistic and Byzantine Empires the term was also used to describe a military governor...
and normally translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as "duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
".
Marriage
Gulkhan was first betrothed or married to Andronikos of Trebizond, an illegitimate son of Alexios III of TrebizondAlexios III of Trebizond
Alexios III Megas Komnenos or Alexius III , Emperor of Trebizond from December 1349 until his death. He was the son of Emperor Basil of Trebizond and his second wife, Irene of Trebizond...
. On 14 March 1376, Andronikos was assassinated. The Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten (1978) by Detlev Schwennicke reports him killed by being thrown out of a tower.
On 6 September 1377, Gulkhan married Manuel III of Trebizond
Manuel III of Trebizond
Manuel III Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from March 20, 1390 to his death in 1417. He was the son of Emperor Alexios III of Trebizond by Theodora Kantakouzene.Manuel became the heir of his father in 1377, after the death of his elder brother Basil...
. He was a younger, paternal half-brother of Andronikos. Manuel was the eldest surviving son of Alexios III and his wife Theodora Kantakouzene
Theodora Kantakouzene
Theodora Kantakouzene was the Empress consort of Alexios III of Trebizond.- Family :Theodora is considered a daughter of Nikephoros Kantakouzenos, sebastokratōr...
. Their only known son would reign as Alexios IV of Trebizond
Alexios IV of Trebizond
Alexios IV Megas Komnenos or Alexius IV , , Emperor of Trebizond from March 5, 1417 to October 1429. He was the son of Emperor Manuel III and Gulkhan-Eudokia of Georgia.- Reign :...
.