Jiajak Jaqeli

Jiajak Jaqeli was the Empress consort of Alexios II of Trebizond.

Family

Jiajak was a daughter of Beka I, the Jaqeli atabeg of Samtskhe.^[1] The Jaqelis held the Georgian feudal office of Eristavi. An Eristavi could be "governor of a region" or an "army-commander",^[2] roughly equivalent to the Byzantine strategos and normally translated into English as "duke".

David Hughes, a modern genealogist, theorised her mother was "Sayaluna". He identifies this "Sayaluna" as the widow of Farrukhzad II, Shirvanshah^[3] from c. 1281 to 1317.^[4] He suggests "Sayaluna" was a daughter of Pervâne and Gürcü Hatun.^[3] This theory would make Sayaluna a younger, maternal half-sister to Kayqubad II.^[5] Hughes has also suggested a second theory, identifying the mother as Jigda Khanum, otherwise said to be the second wife of Alexios II.^[6]

Marriage

The marriage of Jiajak to Alexios II can be estimated to c. 1300.^[1] According to the "Trebizond: The Last Greek Empire of the Byzantine Era" (1926) by William Miller, Andronikos II Palaiologos, maternal uncle and guardian of the underage Alexios II, had planned to marry his ward to a daughter of Nikephoros Choumnos (1250–1327). According to the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, Choumnos was a statesman, philosopher and divine in the court of Andronikos II in Constantinople. He was also a personal friend and favourite of his emperor. Choumnos was the author of works on ecclesiastical, legal, philosophical, religious and rhetorical subjects.^[7] In 1303, Irene Choumnaina, daughter of the philosopher, married John Palaiologos. Her husband was the eldest son of Andronikos II and his second wife Irene of Montferrat. The marriage was reported by George Pachymeres and John VI Kantakouzenos. This bride was given the title basilissa, female form of basileus. John died childless in 1308. Irene survived him and retired to a monastery under the monastic name "Eulogia" (Blessing).^[8]

According to Miller, Andronikos had never conceded to the marriage of his nephew and was only informed after the fact. Andronikos attempted to have an annulment of the marriage declared by Patriarch John XII of Constantinople. Alexios however informed the Patriarch that the marriage had already been consummated and his wife pregnant. John XII consequently refused to dissolve the marriage. In 1301, Eudokia Palaiologina, sister of Andronikos II and mother of Alexios II, was sent from Constantinople to Trebizond with the mission to convince Alexios to dissolve his own marriage. Eudokia instead advised her son to keep Jiajak as his wife, in order to maintain his independence from the Byzantine Empire.

The duration of the marriage remains uncertain. Alexios died in 1330 but there is no report concerning Jiajak's time of death. The Dictionnaire historique et Généalogique des grandes familles de Grèce, d'Albanie et de Constantinople (1983) by Mihail-Dimitri Sturdza considers her to be only the first of two wives. The second one being Jidga Khatun. Jidga was the only daughter of Demetre II of Georgia and his second wife Solghar, a Mongol. Demetre II practiced polygamy and had three known wives at the same time. The existence of this daughter is reported in an 18th-century continuation of the "Georgian Chronicle". However the Chronicle does not mention her being married. However older works such as the Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten (1978) by Detlev Schwennicke do not mention any second marriage for Alexios II. As as a result Sturdza's theory is not universally accepted.^[9]

The theory of Sturdza has found its place in later genealogies. For example, David Hughes considers Jidga Khatun to be the second wife of Alexios II and identifies Solghar as a possible daughter of Abaqa Khan of the Ilkhanate. Hughes also favors the theory that her actual mother was not Solghar but Demetre's first wife, an unnamed daughter of Manuel I of Trebizond.^[3] The marriage of Demetre II to a daughter of an Emperor of Trebizond is recorded in the "Georgian Chronicle". This marriage occurred c. 1277 and the father-in-law is identified as Manuel I of Trebizond for chronological reasons. His daughters would have probably reached marriage age by that time.^[10] Hughes identifies the first wife of Demetre II with Theodora of Trebizond, the eldest daughter of Manuel I by his second wife Rusudan of Georgia.^[3] The main problem with this theory is that Manuel I was the paternal grandfather of Alexios II. Hughes' theory would make Jidga his first cousin, well within the prohibited degree of kinship as defined by the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Children

Jiajak and Alexios II had at least six children^[1]:

1. Andronikos III, Emperor of Trebizond 1330-1332.
2. Basil, Emperor of Trebizond 1332-1340.
3. Michael Anachoutlous, murdered by his brother Andronikos III in 1330.
4. George Achpougas, murdered by his brother Andronikos III in 1330.
5. Anna Anachoutlou, a nun, became Empress of Trebizond 1341-1342.
6. Eudokia, may have married Adil beg ibn Yakub Kandaride.

Royal titles
Preceded by Eudokia Palaiologina	Empress consort of Trebizond c. 1300 – 1330	Succeeded by Irene Palaiologina of Trebizond

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Profile of Alexios II and his wife/wives in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley
2. ^ Mariam Lordkiphanidze, "Georgia in the XI-XII centuries", Glossary
3. ^ ^{a b c d} David Hughes, "possible Seljuk connection"
4. ^ "Regnal Chronologies:The Caucasus", Azerbaijan section
5. ^ Profile of Gürcü Hatun and her first husband in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley
6. ^ David Hughes, "Possible Seljuk Connection", revised version
7. ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1849), pages 706-707, entry "Nicephorus Chumnus"
8. ^ Profile of Andronikos II and his children in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley
9. ^ Profile of Jidga Khanun in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley
10. ^ Profile of Komnene in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley

External links

• Profile of Alexios II and his wife/wives in "Medieval Lands" by Charles Cawley
• Profile of Nikephoros Choumnos in the "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology"

Persondata
Name	Jaqeli, Jiajak
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death