- Anna of Moscow
Anna Vasilievna of Moscow (1393 - August, 1417) was the first wife of
John VIII Palaiologos . She died while her husband was still the junior co-emperor of theByzantine Empire .Family
She was a daughter of
Vasily I of Moscow andSophia of Lithuania . Her maternal grandparents wereVytautas the Great and his first wife Anna.Marriage
She maried John VIII c. 1411. Her husband was the eldest surviving son of
Manuel II Palaiologos andHelena Dragaš . John was namedDespotes in 1416 and seems to have assumed the position of co-emperor shortly thereafter.Anna was second in status only to her mother-in-law among the women of the Byzantine court. The history of
Doukas records her dying of the "plague" in 1417. She is thought to be a victim ofbubonic plague . Following theBlack Death this plague continued to strike parts ofEurope sporadically until the 17th century, each time with reduced intensity and fatality, suggesting an increased resistance due to genetic selection.s-ttl|title=Byzantine Empress consort|years=1416–1417
regent1=Helena Dragaš |years1=1416–1417External links
* [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/BYZANTIUM%2012611453.htm#IoannesVIIIdied1448 Her listing, along with her husband, in "Medieval lands" by Charles Cawley.]
* [http://nauplion.net/CP-JOHN-MORE.html Wedding Portrait}
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