Alexios III of Trebizond
Encyclopedia
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
of Trebizond
Empire of Trebizond
The Empire of Trebizond, founded in April 1204, was one of three Byzantine successor states of the Byzantine Empire. However, the creation of the Empire of Trebizond was not directly related to the capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, rather it had broken away from the Byzantine Empire...
from December 1349 until his death. He was the son of Emperor Basil of Trebizond
Basil of Trebizond
Basil Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from August 1332 to his death in 1340. Basil was a younger son of Emperor Alexios II of Trebizond and his wife Djiadjak Jaqeli...
and his second (and bigamous) wife, Irene of Trebizond
Irene of Trebizond
Irene Palaiologina , was Empress of Trebizond from April 6, 1340 to July 17, 1341...
. Alexios III was originally named John (Ιωάννης, Iōannēs), and took the name Alexios either in memory of his older brother who had died prematurely or of his paternal grandfather, Emperor Alexios II of Trebizond
Alexios II of Trebizond
Alexios II Megas Komnenos or Alexius II , was Emperor of Trebizond from 1297 to 1330. He was the elder son of John II and Eudokia Palaiologina, and also used the name Palaiologos.- Life :...
.
Early life and reign
When Basil died on April 6, 1340 and his first wife Irene Palaiologina succeeded him, she sent all the children of her dead husband to ConstantinopleConstantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
together with their mother. Alexios was raised at the Byzantine court. When he was eleven years old, he was sent to Trebizond by Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos
John VI Kantakouzenos
John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzenus was the Byzantine emperor from 1347 to 1354.-Early life:Born in Constantinople, John Kantakouzenos was the son of a Michael Kantakouzenos, governor of the Morea. Through his mother Theodora Palaiologina Angelina, he was a descendant of the reigning house of...
to replace his deposed great-uncle Michael
Michael of Trebizond
Michael Megas Komnenos , , Emperor of Trebizond for one day, July 30, 1341 and from May 3, 1344 to December 13, 1349. He was a younger son of Emperor John II of Trebizond and Eudokia Palaiologina...
, who had been an instrument of the regency Kantakouzenos had displaced. Alexios arrived in Trebizond on December 22, 1349 and was accepted as emperor by the nobility headed by Grand Duke
Megas Doux
The megas doux was one of the highest positions in the hierarchy of the later Byzantine Empire, denoting the commander-in-chief of the Byzantine navy. It is sometimes also given by the half-Latinizations megaduke or megadux...
Niketas without opposition. It was at this point that he adopted the name Alexios, and he was crowned on January 21, 1350 in the company of his mother Irene and of John Lazaropoulos, who later became Metropolitan of Trebizond. Alexios' position was safeguarded by the consignment of the deposed Emperor Michael to a monastery.
In 1351 the connection to John VI Kantakouzenos was strengthened by further diplomatic initiatives. The deposed Emperor Michael was exiled to Constantinople, and on September 20, 1351, Alexios III married Theodora Kantakouzene
Theodora Kantakouzene
Theodora Kantakouzene was the Empress consort of Alexios III of Trebizond.- Family :Theodora is considered a daughter of Nikephoros Kantakouzenos, sebastokratōr...
, a relative of the Byzantine Emperor, in the newly rebuilt Church of St. Eugenios. For the time being, Alexios was accepted as emperor because of his youth, which proved acceptable to the nobles of the realm who sought to use the young ruler's minority for their own purposes. While the aristocrats squabbled with each other, Alexios despaired of security in his capital and retired to the coastal castle of Tripolis.
The young emperor was supported by his mother and some loyal generals and courtiers, including Michael Panaretos
Michael Panaretos
Michael Panaretos wrote a chronicle of the Trapezuntine empire of Alexios I Komnenos and his successors from 1204 to 1426. Panaretos was a protosebastos and protonotarios in the service of Alexios III Komnenos...
, whose laconic chronicle is the principal source on the political history of the Empire of Trebizond
Empire of Trebizond
The Empire of Trebizond, founded in April 1204, was one of three Byzantine successor states of the Byzantine Empire. However, the creation of the Empire of Trebizond was not directly related to the capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, rather it had broken away from the Byzantine Empire...
. Insubordinate nobles had to be overwhelmed one by one by the emperor's forces. Alexios and his court strengthened their position by fostering peaceful relations with the Turkmen
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
, cemented by marriage alliances such as that between the emperor's sister Maria and Fahreddin Kutlubeg of Aq Qoyunlu.
As Alexios' position improved, it became less necessary to rely on the kingmaker Niketas. The Grand Duke was forced to flee to Kerasous in June 1354 and attempted an attack on Trebizond in March 1355. The rebels realized that they would be unable to win and abandoned their expedition. Alexios sailed to Kerasous with a small fleet in the company of his mother and the metropolitan, and conquered the town in the absence of Niketas. The emperor's cavalry besieged the last fortress loyal to the Grand Duke, Kenchrina, and obtained its surrender. Niketas and his aristocratic supporters were taken captive and brought to Trebizond, where he died in 1360. The fall of Kenchrina in 1355 marked the end of the fifteen years of civil unrest.
External affairs
Alexios III now turned his attention to strengthening the frontier against the Turkmen. In this he was less successful, and suffered a major defeat in battle in 1355. Alexios and Panaretos were barely able to escape with their lives. An invasion by Hajji 'Umar, the emir of Chalybia, was neutralized by diplomacy, and he was married to Alexios' sister Theodora in 1358. This policy of seeking diplomatic alliances with the neighboring Muslim princes was continued later in Alexios' reign, in the marriages of four of the emperor's daughters.A new attempt by the nobility on Alexios III failed in 1363. The Metropolitan Niphon was deposed for his complicity in the plot and replaced with the emperor's supporter John Lazaropoulos (under the monastic name Joseph). In spite of his victories over the nobles, Alexios showed restraint and willingness to compromise by granting charters to noble families confirming them in possession of their lands.
Alexios was also unable to displace the Genoese
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
and Venetians
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
from their dominant position in Trebizond's commerce. The position of Venice had declined from the concession of Leontokastron to the Genoese in 1349, and in 1360 Alexios attempted to restore commercial relations with Venice to offset the power of the Genoese. In 1364 he confirmed to the Venetians their old privileges and assigned them a depot. But the Venetians were not content with their gains and jealously quarreled with the Genoese. Another concession to Venice followed in 1367, and gradually lowered some of the dues levied on Venetian commerce.
Nevertheless, Alexios' attempt to exploit the commerce of the Italian republics resulted in considerable resentment. In 1376–1377 the Venetians conspired with the despotes
Despotes
Despot , was a senior Byzantine court title that was bestowed on the sons or sons-in-law of reigning emperors, and initially denoted the heir-apparent...
Dobrotitsa
Dobrotitsa
Dobrotitsa was a Bulgarian noble, ruler of the de facto independent Principality of Karvuna and the Kaliakra fortress from 1354 to 1379–1386....
of Dobruja
Dobruja
Dobruja is a historical region shared by Bulgaria and Romania, located between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, including the Danube Delta, Romanian coast and the northernmost part of the Bulgarian coast...
(an enemy of the Genoese) to impose his son-in-law Michael Palaiologos, a son of Emperor John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos was a Byzantine emperor, who succeeded his father in 1341, at age nine.-Biography:...
on the throne of Trebizond. The expedition failed, as Michael was murdered by his Bulgarian brother-in-law. Relations with Venice were patched up, but although Alexios further reduced the dues he collected from the Venetians in 1381, its volume continued to decline.
During his long reign, Alexios III had repaired the physical damage to the capital, gave rich endowments to several monasteries, especially Soumela Monastery
Sumela Monastery
The Sümela Monastery , , i.e. monastery of the Panaghia at Melá mountain) is a Greek Orthodox monastery, standing at the foot of a steep cliff facing the Altındere valley, in the region of Maçka in Trabzon Province, modern Turkey...
, and founded the Dionysiou monastery
Dionysiou monastery
Dionysiou monastery is an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece in southwest part of Athos peninsula. The monastery ranks fifth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries...
at Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
. The typikon
Typikon
The Typikon, or Typicon; plural Typika is a liturgical book which contains instructions about the order of the various Eastern Orthodox Christian church services and ceremonies, in the form of a perpetual calendar...
of the Dionysiou is an object of artistic merit and beauty. When Alexios III died on March 20, 1390, he was succeeded by his son Manuel III.
Issue
By his wife Theodora KantakouzeneTheodora Kantakouzene
Theodora Kantakouzene was the Empress consort of Alexios III of Trebizond.- Family :Theodora is considered a daughter of Nikephoros Kantakouzenos, sebastokratōr...
, Alexios III had six children:
- AnnaAnna of Trebizond, Queen of GeorgiaAnna Megale Komnene , , was a Trapezuntine Queen consort of Georgia as the second wife of King Bagrat V...
(1357 - after 1406), who married King Bagrat V of GeorgiaBagrat V of GeorgiaBagrat V, “the Great” was the son of the Georgian king Davit IX with whom he was co-ruler from 1355, and became king after the death of his father in 1360.... - Basil (1358–1377)
- Manuel IIIManuel III of TrebizondManuel III Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from March 20, 1390 to his death in 1417. He was the son of Emperor Alexios III of Trebizond by Theodora Kantakouzene.Manuel became the heir of his father in 1377, after the death of his elder brother Basil...
(1364–1417), Emperor 1390–1416. Married Gulkhan-Eudokia of GeorgiaGulkhan-Eudokia of GeorgiaGulkhan-Eudokia of Georgia was the first Empress consort of Manuel III of Trebizond. Her original name was Gulkhan Khatun. Eudokia was her Christian baptismal name.-Family:...
. - Eudokia, who married first Tajeddin, Emir of Limnia and then the SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n prince Constantine DragašConstantine DragasConstantine Dragaš Dejanović was a Serbian magnate that ruled the area around Kyustendil from 1378, during the fall of the Serbian Empire, until his death on May 17, 1395 at the battle of Rovine... - Maria, who married Suleyman Beg, Emir of Chalybia,
- Unnamed daughter, who married Mutahharten, Emir of Erzincan
By an unnamed mistress, Alexios also had at least two illegitimate sons:
- Andronikos (1355–1376), who married Gulkhan-Eudokia, daughter of King David IX of GeorgiaDavid IX of GeorgiaDavid IX of Georgia , from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia from 1346 until his death.-Family:David was the only known son of George V of Georgia. The identity of his mother is not known. The "Georgian Chronicle" of the 18th century reports George V marrying a daughter of "the Greek...
, but was murdered shortly after and Eudokia married his brother, Manuel III - John