- Helena Dragaš
Helena Dragases (Serbian: Јелена Драгаш / "Jelena Dragaš") (c. 1372 –
23 May ,1450 ) was the Empress consort ofManuel II Palaiologos /Family
She was a daughter of
Constantine Dragaš , a regional semi-independent lord in the fragmentingSerbia n realm centered at Velbăžd (Kyustendil ).Her mother was his unnamed first wife, not his second wife
Eudokia Megaskomnene . Her stepmother was a daughter ofAlexios III of Trebizond andTheodora Kantakouzene .Her father died in 1395 at the batlle of Rovine. Constantine Dragaš was killed while fighting for his overlord Sultan
Bayezid I of theOttoman Empire against the rebelMircea I of Wallachia .Marriage
On
10 February ,1392 , Helena marriedManuel II Palaiologos ,Byzantine Emperor . They had several children. The list follows the orders of births given byGeorge Sphrantzes :*A daughter. Mentioned as the eldest daughter but not named. Possibly confused with Isabella Palaiologina, an illegitimate daughter of Manuel II known to have married Ilario
Doria .
*Constantine Palaiologos. Died young.
*John VIII Palaiologos (18 December ,1392 -31 October ,1448 ). Byzantine emperor 1425-1448.
*Andronikos Palaiologos, Lord of Thessalonike (d. 1429).
*A second daughter. Also not named in the text.
*Theodore II Palaiologos, Lord of Morea (d. 1448).
*Michael Palaiologos. Died young.
*Constantine XI (8 February ,1405 -29 May ,1453 ). Byzantine emperor 1448-1453.
*Demetrios Palaiologos (c. 1407 - 1470). "Despotēs" in Morea.
*Thomas Palaiologos (c. 1409 -12 May ,1465 ). "Despotēs" in Morea.Manuel II died on
21 July ,1425 . Helena survived him by almost twenty five years. She retired to a monastery under the monastic name Hypomone (Patience). Helena died onMay 23 1450 inConstantinople .Her children included the last two Byzantine emperors. Constantine XI renamed himself after her maiden name Dragaš (in Greek, Dragasēs), adding it to his own.
s-ttl|title=Byzantine Empress consort|years=1392–1425
regent1=Irene Gattilusio |years1=1399–1408
regent2=Anna of Moscow |years2=1416–1417External links
* [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SERBIA.htm#JelenaDragasdied1450 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."
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
