Anna of Moscow
Encyclopedia
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 the Byzantine Empire
.
. Her maternal grandparents were Vytautas the Great
and his first wife Anna.
and Helena Dragaš
. John was named Despotes
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 of bubonic plague
. Following the Black Death
this plague continued to strike parts of Europe
sporadically until the 17th century, each time with reduced intensity and fatality, suggesting an increased resistance due to genetic selection.
John VIII Palaiologos
John VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus , was the penultimate reigning Byzantine Emperor, ruling from 1425 to 1448.-Life:John VIII Palaiologos was the eldest son of Manuel II Palaiologos and Helena Dragaš, the daughter of the Serbian prince Constantine Dragaš...
. She died while her husband was still the junior co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
.
Family
She was a daughter of Vasily I of Moscow and Sophia of LithuaniaSophia of Lithuania
Sophia was the only daughter of Vytautas the Great of Lithuania and his first wife Anna. On January 21, 1391, while her father was engaged in the Lithuanian Civil War, she married Vasili I of Russia. She was the longest serving consort of Russia.After his death in 1425 she became regent for their...
. Her maternal grandparents were Vytautas the Great
Vytautas the Great
Vytautas ; styled "the Great" from the 15th century onwards; c. 1350 October 27, 1430) was one of the most famous rulers of medieval Lithuania. Vytautas was the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which chiefly encompassed the Lithuanians and Ruthenians...
and his first wife Anna.
Marriage
She married John VIII 1414. Her husband was the eldest surviving son of Manuel II PalaiologosManuel II Palaiologos
Manuel II Palaiologos or Palaeologus was Byzantine Emperor from 1391 to 1425.-Life:...
and Helena Dragaš
Helena Dragaš
Helena Dragaš Helena was born to Constantine Dragaš of the noble House of Dejanović. Constantine was a Serbian provincial lord, ruling one of the principalities that emerged after the breakup of the Serbian Empire, centered at Velbăžd . Her mother was Constantine's unnamed first wife...
. John was named 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...
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
Doukas
Doukas, latinized as Ducas , from the Latin tile dux , is the name of a Byzantine Greek noble family, whose branches provided several notable generals and rulers to the Byzantine Empire...
records her dying of the "plague" in 1417. She is thought to be a victim of bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
. Following the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
this plague continued to strike parts of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
sporadically until the 17th century, each time with reduced intensity and fatality, suggesting an increased resistance due to genetic selection.