Theodora Kantakouzene, wife of Alexios IV of Trebizond

Theodora Kantakouzene (d. 12 November, 1426) was the Empress consort of Alexios IV of Trebizond.

Family

Theodora and her relations are named in "Dell'Imperadori Constantinopolitani", a manuscript held in the Vatican Library. The document is also known as the "Massarelli manuscript" because it was found in the papers of Angelo Massarelli (1510 - 1566). [ [http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Soc/soc.genealogy.medieval/2008-03/msg00384.html Tony Hoskins, "Anglocentric medieval genealogy"] ] Masarelli is better known as the general secretary of the Council of Trent, who recorded the daily occurings of the council. [ [http://asv.vatican.va/en/arch/council.htm "The Archives: the past & the present", section "The Council of Trent"] ]

Her parents were Theodore Kantakouzenos and Euphrosyne Palaiologina. The Massarelli manuscript names her brothers in order of birth as Demetrios, Manuel, George, Andronikos and Thomas. Andronikos in noted as father to a younger Theodore Kantakouzenos. This Theodore married Maria Notaraina, a daughter of Loukas Notaras and his wife Palaiologina. Theodore was executed along with his father-in-law by orders of Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire in 1453. Thomas is given as a son-in-law of a Holy Roman Emperor but the manuscript does not clarify which one. He is noted as dying in 1463. [ [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/BYZANTIUM%2012611453.htm#TheodorosKantadied1410B Profile of Theodore Kantakouzenos and his children in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley] ]

Theodora is given as the eldest daughter of her parents. Her younger sisters are given as Maria and Eirene Kantakouzene. Eirene was married to Đurađ Branković, Prince of Serbia. Theodore Spandounes, a 16th century historian, names another sister of Eirene as Helena Kantakouzene. He calls her wife of David of Trebizond, a son of Theodora. The marriage of an aunt to a nephew was within the prohibited degree of kinship as defined by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Spandounes was possibly confused on which Emperor of Trebizond was brother-in-law to Eirene. [ [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/BYZANTIUM%2012611453.htm#TheodorosKantadied1410B Profile of Theodore Kantakouzenos and his children in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley] ]

The manuscript is silent on which member of the Kantakouzenoi was the paternal grandfather of Theodora. Byzantine naming conventions named the eldest grandson of a couple by the name of a grandparent. Since in this case the eldest was named Demetrios, the paternal grandfather was likely also named Demetrios Kantakouzenos. Demetrios I Kantakouzenos has been suggested. [ [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/BYZANTIUM%2012611453.htm#TheodorosKantadied1410B Profile of Theodore Kantakouzenos and his children in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley] ] Later genealogies have depicted Demetrios I as the father of Eirene, ignoring the Massarelli manuscript. [ [http://genealogy.euweb.cz/byzant/byzant5.html Kantakuzenos family] ]

Marriage

The Masarelli manuscript names her as the wife of Alexios IV of Trebizond. She is also known as the founder of a convent. The marriage took place c. 1395. Alexios was still at the time the heir of his father Manuel III of Trebizond. They would have at least five children [ [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/TREBIZOND.htm#AlexiosIVTrebizondB Profile of Alexios IV and his children in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley] ] :

*John IV of Trebizond (c. 1403 - 1459).
*Maria of Trebizond (c. 1404 - 1439). Married John VIII Palaiologos.
*Alexander of Trebizond. Co-Emperor with his father. Married Maria Gattilusio, a daughter of Dorino of Lesbos.
*David of Trebizond (c. 1408 - 1463).
*A daughter. Married Jahan Shah.

Two further daughters have been attributed by later genealogies [ [http://genealogy.euweb.cz/byzant/byzant2.html#MMK Listing of the Megaloi Komnenoi of Trebizond] ] Both have also been attributed to John IV. [ [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/TREBIZOND.htm#AlexiosIVTrebizondB Profile of Alexios IV and his children in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley] ] . They are :
*Theodora of Trebizond, wife of Kara Yülük Osman
*Eudokia-Valenza of Trebizond, wife of Niccolò Crispo, Lord of Syros.

Empress

Manuel III died on 5 March, 1417. Alexios IV succeeded him with Theodora as his Empress consort. She remained Empress for nearly a decade to her own death.

References