Theodora Doukaina Vatatzina
Encyclopedia
Theodora Doukaina Vatatzaina (c. 1240 – 4 March 1303) was the Empress consort of Michael VIII Palaiologos
.
Her paternal grandparents were sebastokrator
Isaakios Doukas Vatatzes (died 1261) and his unnamed wife. Isaakios was an older brother of John III Doukas Vatatzes
who reigned in the Empire of Nicaea
from 1221 to 1254.
Her maternal grandparents were protostrator
John Komnenos Angelos and his unnamed wife. His name indicates him being a member of the Angelos
family. However his exact relations to the reigning members of the family are not known.
John III and Isaac were probably sons of domestikos
Basil Vatatzes, killed in battle against forces of Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria
in 1193. Their mother was an unnamed cousin of the Emperors Isaac II Angelos
and Alexios III Angelos
.
Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten (1978) by Detlev Schwennicke suggests the wife of Basil to be a daughter of Isaac Angelos, strategos
of Cilicia
in 1170.
The elder Isaac is given by the same book as a son of Konstantinos Angelos, Admiral
of Sicily
(c. 1085 – aft. July 1166) and his wife Theodora Komnene. Theodora was the youngest daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos
and Irene Doukaina
.
In 1253, John III arranged the marriage of Theodora to Michael Palaiologos. Her husband was a great-grandson of Alexios III Angelos
and Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamaterina. He was steadily rising in distinction due to a combination of familial connections and personal abilities.
John III died on 3 November 1254. He was succeeded by his only son Theodore II Laskaris
. Theodore was a first cousin to John Doukas Vatatzes, father of Theodora. Thus Theodora and Michael remained closely related to the new emperor. However Theodore's administration relied on bureaucrats from the middle classes instead of members of the great aristocratic families.
This caused considerable opposition by the nobility to the emperor and his chief minister, megas domestikos George Mouzalon
. Michael became one of the leaders of the aristocratic faction. In 1256, Michael was accused of consprining with representatives of Kaykaus II
, Sultan of Rûm. He went into exile or self-exile to the court of Kaykaus in Iconium
. Whether Theodora followed her husband to Iconium or remained with her cousin in Nicaea
is uncertain.
In 1258, Theodore recalled Michael from exile, giving assurances for his safety and position. Michael was restored to his former position of megas kontostaulos, chief of the Frankish
mercenaries
. Theodore suffered from epilepsy
and died during a seizure on 18 August 1258.
Theodore was succeeded by his only son John IV Laskaris
, second cousin of Theodora. His regent
and guardian was originally George Mouzalon. Arsenius Autoreianus, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in exile was associate guardian. The regency of Mouzalon proved short-lived and ended with his assassination. Michael replaced him as regent and guardian. Arsenius remained associate guardian in name but took refuge in the monastery of Paschasius and had no contact with his charge. Theodora was married to the de facto
ruler of the Empire.
in late Summer, 1258 and Despotes
in November. On 1 January 1259, Michael was proclaimed co-emperor at Nymphaion. He was still supported by members of his old aristocratic faction and also by a new ally, the Republic of Genoa
. Theodora was the only empress at the time.
On 25 July 1261, Alexios Strategopoulos
captured Constantinople
, capital of the Latin Empire
. Most troops of the rival Empire were in campaign and would never return to their capital. Latin Emperor Baldwin II of Courtenay escaped in a Venetian
galley to Negropont and would remain in exile for the rest of his life.
Michael took advantage of the success of his general. He entered Constantinople on 15 August, 1261 and was soon followed by Theodora and their children. In September, Michael was crowned Emperor, Theodora an Augusta and their eldest surviving son Andronikos
a co-emperor.
John IV was left behind in Nicaea. He was deposed and blinded on 25 December 1261, his eleventh birthday. He spent the rest of his life as a monk and died c. 1305.
Theodora remained Empress consort until the death of her husband on 11 December 1282. She survived him by almost twenty-one years. His mistress Diplovatatzina was probably related to Theodora but Pachymeres does not state the exact relation of the two women. "Diplo" is Greek
for "double".
Michael VIII Palaiologos
Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus reigned as Byzantine Emperor 1259–1282. Michael VIII was the founder of the Palaiologan dynasty that would rule the Byzantine Empire until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453...
.
Family
Theodora was a daughter of Ioannes Doukas Vatatzes (born 1215) and wife Eudokia Angelina. The names of her parents were recorded by George Acropolites.Her paternal grandparents were sebastokrator
Sebastokrator
Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers whose states bordered the Empire or were within its sphere of influence. The word is a compound of "sebastos" Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used...
Isaakios Doukas Vatatzes (died 1261) and his unnamed wife. Isaakios was an older brother of John III Doukas Vatatzes
John III Doukas Vatatzes
John III Doukas Vatatzes, Latinized as Ducas Vatatzes |Nymphaion]]) was emperor of Nicaea 1221–1254.-Life:John Doukas Vatatzes was probably the son of the general Basileios Vatatzes, Duke of Thrace, who died in 1193, and his wife, an unnamed daughter of Isaakios Angelos and cousin of the Emperors...
who reigned in the Empire of Nicaea
Empire of Nicaea
The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek successor states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the Fourth Crusade...
from 1221 to 1254.
Her maternal grandparents were protostrator
Protostrator
Prōtostratōr was a Byzantine court office, originating as the imperial stable master, which in the last centuries of the Empire evolved into one of the senior military offices...
John Komnenos Angelos and his unnamed wife. His name indicates him being a member of the Angelos
Angelos
The Angelos family , feminine form Angelina , plural Angeloi , was a noble Byzantine lineage which gave rise to three Byzantine emperors from 1185 to 1204...
family. However his exact relations to the reigning members of the family are not known.
John III and Isaac were probably sons of domestikos
Domestikos
Domestikos , in English sometimes [the] Domestic, was a civil, ecclesiastic and military office in the late Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire.-Military usage:...
Basil Vatatzes, killed in battle against forces of Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria
Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria
Ivan Asen I ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1189–1196. The year of his birth is unknown.-Life:...
in 1193. Their mother was an unnamed cousin of the Emperors Isaac II Angelos
Isaac II Angelos
Isaac II Angelos was Byzantine emperor from 1185 to 1195, and again from 1203 to 1204....
and Alexios III Angelos
Alexios III Angelos
Alexios III Angelos was Byzantine Emperor from 1195 to 1203.- Early life:Alexios III Angelos was the second son of Andronikos Angelos and Euphrosyne Kastamonitissa. Andronicus was himself a son of Theodora Komnene, the youngest daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Irene Doukaina. Thus...
.
Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten (1978) by Detlev Schwennicke suggests the wife of Basil to be a daughter of Isaac Angelos, 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...
of Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
in 1170.
The elder Isaac is given by the same book as a son of Konstantinos Angelos, Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
(c. 1085 – aft. July 1166) and his wife Theodora Komnene. Theodora was the youngest daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus , was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and although he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. The title 'Nobilissimus' was given to senior army commanders,...
and Irene Doukaina
Irene Doukaina
Irene Doukaina or Ducaena was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos, and the mother of the emperor John II Komnenos and of the historian Anna Komnene.-Succession of Alexios and Irene:...
.
Marriage
Acropolites mentions that the father of Theodora died in young manhood. Her mother died in the early 1250s. Leaving Theodora to be raised by her great-uncle John III who was said to have "loved her like a daughter".In 1253, John III arranged the marriage of Theodora to Michael Palaiologos. Her husband was a great-grandson of Alexios III Angelos
Alexios III Angelos
Alexios III Angelos was Byzantine Emperor from 1195 to 1203.- Early life:Alexios III Angelos was the second son of Andronikos Angelos and Euphrosyne Kastamonitissa. Andronicus was himself a son of Theodora Komnene, the youngest daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Irene Doukaina. Thus...
and Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamaterina. He was steadily rising in distinction due to a combination of familial connections and personal abilities.
John III died on 3 November 1254. He was succeeded by his only son Theodore II Laskaris
Theodore II Laskaris
Theodore II Doukas Laskaris or Ducas Lascaris was emperor of Nicaea, 1254–1258.-Life:Theodore II Doukas Laskaris was the only son of Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes and Eirene Laskarina, the daughter of Emperor Theodore I Laskaris and Anna Angelina, a daughter of Emperor Alexios III Angelos and...
. Theodore was a first cousin to John Doukas Vatatzes, father of Theodora. Thus Theodora and Michael remained closely related to the new emperor. However Theodore's administration relied on bureaucrats from the middle classes instead of members of the great aristocratic families.
This caused considerable opposition by the nobility to the emperor and his chief minister, megas domestikos George Mouzalon
George Mouzalon
George Mouzalon was a high official of the Empire of Nicaea under Theodore II Laskaris . Of humble origin, he became Theodore's companion in childhood and was raised to high state office upon the latter's assumption of power. This caused great resentment from the aristocracy, which had monopolized...
. Michael became one of the leaders of the aristocratic faction. In 1256, Michael was accused of consprining with representatives of Kaykaus II
Kaykaus II
Kaykaus II or Kayka'us II was the eldest of three sons of Kaykhusraw II. He was a youth at the time of his father’s death in 1246 and could do little to prevent the Mongol subjugation of Anatolia. For most of his tenure as the Seljuq Sultan of Rûm, he shared the throne with one or both of his...
, Sultan of Rûm. He went into exile or self-exile to the court of Kaykaus in Iconium
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
. Whether Theodora followed her husband to Iconium or remained with her cousin in Nicaea
Iznik
İznik is a city in Turkey which is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Church, the Nicene Creed, and as the capital city of the Empire of Nicaea...
is uncertain.
In 1258, Theodore recalled Michael from exile, giving assurances for his safety and position. Michael was restored to his former position of megas kontostaulos, chief of the Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
mercenaries
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
. Theodore suffered from epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
and died during a seizure on 18 August 1258.
Theodore was succeeded by his only son John IV Laskaris
John IV Laskaris
John IV Doukas Laskaris was emperor of Nicaea from August 18, 1258 to December 25, 1261...
, second cousin of Theodora. His regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
and guardian was originally George Mouzalon. Arsenius Autoreianus, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in exile was associate guardian. The regency of Mouzalon proved short-lived and ended with his assassination. Michael replaced him as regent and guardian. Arsenius remained associate guardian in name but took refuge in the monastery of Paschasius and had no contact with his charge. Theodora was married to the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
ruler of the Empire.
Empress
As regent, Michael was self-appointed Megas DouxMegas Doux
The megas doux was one of the highest positions in the hierarchy of the later Byzantine Empire, denoting the commander-in-chief of the Byzantine navy. It is sometimes also given by the half-Latinizations megaduke or megadux...
in late Summer, 1258 and Despotes
Despotes
Despot , was a senior Byzantine court title that was bestowed on the sons or sons-in-law of reigning emperors, and initially denoted the heir-apparent...
in November. On 1 January 1259, Michael was proclaimed co-emperor at Nymphaion. He was still supported by members of his old aristocratic faction and also by a new ally, the Republic of Genoa
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
. Theodora was the only empress at the time.
On 25 July 1261, Alexios Strategopoulos
Alexios Strategopoulos
Alexios Strategopoulos was a Byzantine general during the reign of Michael VIII Palaiologos, rising to the rank of megas domestikos and Caesar. He is most notable for leading the reconquest of Constantinople from the Latins in 1261.- Early life :...
captured Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, capital of the Latin Empire
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
. Most troops of the rival Empire were in campaign and would never return to their capital. Latin Emperor Baldwin II of Courtenay escaped in a Venetian
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
galley to Negropont and would remain in exile for the rest of his life.
Michael took advantage of the success of his general. He entered Constantinople on 15 August, 1261 and was soon followed by Theodora and their children. In September, Michael was crowned Emperor, Theodora an Augusta and their eldest surviving son Andronikos
Andronikos II Palaiologos
Andronikos II Palaiologos , Latinized as Andronicus II Palaeologus, was Byzantine emperor from 1282 to 1328. He was the eldest surviving son of Michael VIII Palaiologos and Theodora Doukaina Vatatzina, grandniece of John III Doukas Vatatzes...
a co-emperor.
John IV was left behind in Nicaea. He was deposed and blinded on 25 December 1261, his eleventh birthday. He spent the rest of his life as a monk and died c. 1305.
Theodora remained Empress consort until the death of her husband on 11 December 1282. She survived him by almost twenty-one years. His mistress Diplovatatzina was probably related to Theodora but Pachymeres does not state the exact relation of the two women. "Diplo" is Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
for "double".
Children
Theodora and Michael VIII had seven children:- Manuel Palaiologos (c. 1254–1259)
- Andronikos II PalaiologosAndronikos II PalaiologosAndronikos II Palaiologos , Latinized as Andronicus II Palaeologus, was Byzantine emperor from 1282 to 1328. He was the eldest surviving son of Michael VIII Palaiologos and Theodora Doukaina Vatatzina, grandniece of John III Doukas Vatatzes...
(1259–1332) - Constantine Palaiologos (1261–1306)
- Irene Palaiologina, who married emperor Ivan Asen III of BulgariaIvan Asen III of BulgariaIvan Asen III , ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1279–1280. Ivan Asen III was the son of Mitso Asen of Bulgaria and Maria of Bulgaria, a daughter of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria and Irene of Thessalonica...
- Anna Palaiologina, who married Demetrios Angelos. Demetrios was a son of Michael II Komnenos DoukasMichael II Komnenos DoukasMichael II Komnenos Doukas or Comnenus Ducas , often called Michael Angelos in narrative sources, was the ruler of Epirus from 1230 until his death in 1266/68.-Life:...
and Theodora Petraliphaina. - Eudokia PalaiologinaEudokia PalaiologinaEudokia Palaiologina or was the third daughter of Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos and his wife, Theodora Doukaina Vatatzaina, a grandniece of Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes of Nicaea....
, who married Emperor John II of TrebizondJohn II of TrebizondJohn II Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from 1280 to 1297. He was the youngest son of Emperor Manuel I and his third wife, Irene Syrikaina, a Trapezuntine noblewoman... - Theodora Palaiologina, who married King David VI NarinDavid VI NarinDavid VI Narin , from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia in 1245–1293. From 1259 to 1293, he ruled the kingdom of Imereti under the name David I as a vassal state of Georgia.-Life:...
of GeorgiaGeorgia (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...
and ImeretiImeretiImereti is a province in Georgia situated along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni river. It consists of the following Georgian administrative-territorial units:#Kutaisi #Baghdati region#Vani region#Zestafoni region...