Rita of Armenia

Rita of Armenia (10 January/11 January, 1278 – July, 1333) was a daughter of King Levon II of Armenia and Queen Keran.

Marriage and children

A chronicle attributed to Hetoum II of Armenia is included to the collection known as "Recueil des Historiens des Croisades". According to a passage recording her birth, Rita was twin sister to Princess Theophane of Armenia.

The history of George Pachymeres records that Andronikos II Palaiologos started negotiations with Levon while seeking a potential wife for his son and junior co-ruler Michael IX Palaiologos. Levon offered Rita. The marriage occurred on 16 January, 1294. The bride was sixteen years old and the groom seventeen.

Rita assumed the name "Maria" while in court. They would have four children:

* Andronikos III Palaiologos (25 March, 1297 - 15 June, 1341).
* Manuel Palaiologos, "despotes" (d. 1319).
* Anna Palaiologina (d. 1321), who married Thomas I Komnenos Doukas and then Nicholas Orsini.
* Theodora Palaiologina (d. after 1330), who married Theodore Svetoslav of Bulgaria and then Michael Asen III of Bulgaria.

Empress

Rita was the junior Empress consort from 1294 to 1317. The senior was Eirene of Montferrat, second wife of Andronikos II and stepmother to Michael IX. Since 1303, Andronikos II and Eirene held separate courts. The senior emperor resided in Constantinople and the senior Augusta in Thessaloniki. Rita became the only Empress when Eirene died in 1317.

She remained so for three years. In 1319, however the death of her second son resulted in tragedy. Prince Andronikos maintained a mistress but suspected her of infidelity. He assigned retainers of his to wait by her house and attack whoever tries to enter. The one who approached was Manuel during night time and the retainers failed to recognize him. The second prince died by order of his older brother.

The affair seriously affected the health of Michael IX who died on 12 October, 1320. Both deaths strained the relationship between Anronikos II and Andronikos III. Grandfather and grandson started a civil war that would last until the victory of the younger man in 1328. Meanwhile the widowed Rita retired to a monastery. She would die there five years following the end of the war.

s-ttl|title=Byzantine Empress consort|years=1294–1320
regent1=Eirene of Montferrat|years1=1294–1317

External links

* [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ARMENIA.htm#RitaMMikhaelCoEmpByzantiumdied1320 Her listing in "Medieval lands" by Charles Cawley.] The project "involves extracting and analysing detailed information from primary sources, including contemporary chronicles, cartularies, necrologies and testaments."