Bagrationi, wife of John IV of Trebizond
Encyclopedia
Bagrationi was the first Empress consort of John IV of Trebizond
. Her first name is unknown.
and his second wife Tamar. Her maternal grandparent were Alexander I of Imereti
and Ana Orbeliani
.
Alexander of Imereti was a son of Bagrat I of Imereti and an unnamed daughter of Qvarqvare II Jakeli, atabeg
of Samtskhe. The Jaqelis held the Georgian
feudal office of Eristavi
. An Eristavi could be "governor of a region" or an "army-commander" , roughly equivalent to the Byzantine
strategos
and normally translated into English
as "duke
".
. He was a son of Emperor Alexios IV of Trebizond
and Theodora Kantakouzene
. According to Trebizond: The Last Greek Empire of the Byzantine Era (1926) by William Miller, earlier in that same year John had murdered a courtier who allegedly served as the lover of his mother. He had then attempted to assassinate both of his own parents but the palace staff defended the royal couple. John had gone into exile in Georgia. Their marriage was the result of an attempted alliance between John IV and Alexander I.
Failing to secure sufficient support from his father-in-law, John left Georgia in 1427. He headed to Caffa, a Genoese
colony in the Crimea
. By 1429, John was able to charter a large galley and its crew. He led them to an invasion of Trebizond. Alexios IV prepared to face his son in the battlefield. He was assassinated during the night by supporters of his son. John proceeded to succeed his father with Bagrationi as his Empress. He executed the assassins of his father in order to deny any connection with them.
Their daughter Theodora Komnene married Uzun Hassan
of Ak Koyunlu
. Her maternity has been questioned because of marrying a non-Christian monarch, a practice previously followed by illegitimate daughters of Emperors such as Maria Palaiologina. "Dell'Imperadori Constantinopolitani", a manuscript held in the Vatican Library
. The document is also known as the "Massarelli manuscript" because it was found in the papers of Angelo Massarelli
(1510–1566). Masarelli is better known as the general secretary of the Council of Trent
, who recorded the daily occurrings of the council.
An account by Caterino Zeno dated to 1574 names another daughter, Eudokia-Valenza of Trebizond. This Valenza was a reported wife of Niccolò Crispo, Lord of Syros
. However she is reported as having a daughter who married in 1429. John IV and Bagrationi are unlikely to have been the grandparents of a married woman only three years following their own marriage. Valenza is considered likely to have been a sister of John IV, instead of a daughter. Niccolò Crispo had eleven children. According to his own correspondence, Niccolò was also a son-in-law of Jacopo of Lesbos
. His children could be from either of his two marriages. They included (among others) Francesco II Crispo, Duke of the Archipelago
and Fiorenza Crispo, mother of Catherine Cornaro
.
. Dawlat rivaled Olugh Mokhammad of Kazan for leadership of the Golden Horde
from 1419 to 1422. Both were defeated and succeeded by Baraq
.
John IV of Trebizond
John IV Megas Komnenos , was Emperor of Trebizond from 1429 to 1459. He was a son of Emperor Alexios IV of Trebizond and Theodora Kantakouzene....
. Her first name is unknown.
Family
Bagrationi was a daughter of Alexander I of GeorgiaAlexander I of Georgia
Alexander I, “the Great” , of the Bagrationi house, was king of Georgia from 1412 to 1442. Despite his efforts to restore the country from the ruins left by the Turco-Mongol warlord Timur Leng’s invasions, Georgia never recovered and faced the inevitable fragmentation that was followed by a long...
and his second wife Tamar. Her maternal grandparent were Alexander I of Imereti
Alexander I of Imereti
Alexander I of Imereti had been Duke of Imereti in Georgia . He took advantage of military defeats suffered by King Bagrat V of Georgia to proclaim Imereti to be an independent kingdom in 1397....
and Ana Orbeliani
Orbelian Dynasty
The Orbelian lords of Syunik were a noble family, documented in inscriptions throughout Vayots Dzor and Syunik, and recorded by the family bishop Stepanos in his 1297 History of Syunik....
.
Alexander of Imereti was a son of Bagrat I of Imereti and an unnamed daughter of Qvarqvare II Jakeli, atabeg
Atabeg
Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince...
of Samtskhe. The Jaqelis held the Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
feudal office of Eristavi
Eristavi
Eristavi was a Georgian feudal office, roughly equivalent to the Byzantine strategos and normally translated into English as "duke". In the Georgian aristocratic hierarchy, it was the title of the third rank of prince and governor of a large province...
. An Eristavi could be "governor of a region" or an "army-commander" , roughly equivalent to the Byzantine
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...
strategos
Strategos
Strategos, plural strategoi, is used in Greek to mean "general". In the Hellenistic and Byzantine Empires the term was also used to describe a military governor...
and normally translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as "duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
".
Empress
In about 1426, Bagrationi married John IV of TrebizondJohn IV of Trebizond
John IV Megas Komnenos , was Emperor of Trebizond from 1429 to 1459. He was a son of Emperor Alexios IV of Trebizond and Theodora Kantakouzene....
. He was a son of Emperor Alexios IV of Trebizond
Alexios IV of Trebizond
Alexios IV Megas Komnenos or Alexius IV , , Emperor of Trebizond from March 5, 1417 to October 1429. He was the son of Emperor Manuel III and Gulkhan-Eudokia of Georgia.- Reign :...
and Theodora Kantakouzene
Theodora Kantakouzene, wife of Alexios IV of Trebizond
Theodora Kantakouzene was the Empress consort of Alexios IV of Trebizond.-Family:Theodora and her relations are named in Dell'Imperadori Constantinopolitani, a manuscript held in the Vatican Library. The document is also known as the "Massarelli manuscript" because it was found in the papers of...
. According to Trebizond: The Last Greek Empire of the Byzantine Era (1926) by William Miller, earlier in that same year John had murdered a courtier who allegedly served as the lover of his mother. He had then attempted to assassinate both of his own parents but the palace staff defended the royal couple. John had gone into exile in Georgia. Their marriage was the result of an attempted alliance between John IV and Alexander I.
Failing to secure sufficient support from his father-in-law, John left Georgia in 1427. He headed to Caffa, a 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....
colony in the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
. By 1429, John was able to charter a large galley and its crew. He led them to an invasion of Trebizond. Alexios IV prepared to face his son in the battlefield. He was assassinated during the night by supporters of his son. John proceeded to succeed his father with Bagrationi as his Empress. He executed the assassins of his father in order to deny any connection with them.
Their daughter Theodora Komnene married Uzun Hassan
Uzun Hassan
Uzun Hasan or Hassan , Sultan of the Aq Qoyunlu dynasty, or White Sheep Turkmen. Hassan ruled in parts of present-day western Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia between 1453 and 1478....
of Ak Koyunlu
Ak Koyunlu
The Aq Qoyunlu or Ak Koyunlu, also called the White Sheep Turkomans , was an Sunni Oghuz Turkic tribal federation that ruled parts of present-day Eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, northern Iraq, and Iran from 1378 to 1508.-History:According to chronicles from the Byzantine Empire, the Aq Qoyunlu...
. Her maternity has been questioned because of marrying a non-Christian monarch, a practice previously followed by illegitimate daughters of Emperors such as Maria Palaiologina. "Dell'Imperadori Constantinopolitani", a manuscript held in the Vatican Library
Vatican Library
The Vatican Library is the library of the Holy See, currently located in Vatican City. It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. Formally established in 1475, though in fact much older, it has 75,000 codices from...
. The document is also known as the "Massarelli manuscript" because it was found in the papers of Angelo Massarelli
Angelo Massarelli
Angelo Massarelli was a notable Roman bishop, notable for having kept the Acts of the Council of Trent, which were the minutes of the council, and published only 300 years after the council was held....
(1510–1566). Masarelli is better known as the general secretary of the Council of Trent
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent was the 16th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It is considered to be one of the Church's most important councils. It convened in Trent between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods...
, who recorded the daily occurrings of the council.
An account by Caterino Zeno dated to 1574 names another daughter, Eudokia-Valenza of Trebizond. This Valenza was a reported wife of Niccolò Crispo, Lord of Syros
Syros
Syros , or Siros or Syra is a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is located south-east of Athens. The area of the island is . The largest towns are Ermoupoli, Ano Syros, and Vari. Ermoupoli is the capital of the island and the Cyclades...
. However she is reported as having a daughter who married in 1429. John IV and Bagrationi are unlikely to have been the grandparents of a married woman only three years following their own marriage. Valenza is considered likely to have been a sister of John IV, instead of a daughter. Niccolò Crispo had eleven children. According to his own correspondence, Niccolò was also a son-in-law of Jacopo of Lesbos
Jacopo of Lesbos
Jacopo Gattilusio, Lord of Lesbos was the third ruler of an independent Lesbos from 1404 to 1428.He was the eldest son of Francesco II of Lesbos and Valentina Doria. He succeeded to his realm on 26 October 1404.-Marriage:...
. His children could be from either of his two marriages. They included (among others) Francesco II Crispo, Duke of the Archipelago
Duchy of the Archipelago
The Duchy of the Archipelago or also Duchy of Naxos or Duchy of the Aegean was a maritime state created by Venetian interests in the Cyclades archipelago in the Aegean Sea, in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade, centered on the islands of Naxos and Paros.-Background and establishment of the...
and Fiorenza Crispo, mother of Catherine Cornaro
Catherine Cornaro
Nobil Donna Catherine Cornaro was Queen of Cyprus from 1474 to 1489 and declared a "Daughter of Saint Mark" in order that Venice could claim control of Cyprus after the death of her husband, James II .-Family:She was born in Venice in 1454 and was the daughter of a well-known and powerful family of...
.
Death
According to the Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten (1978) by Detlev Schwennicke, Bagrationi was dead by 1438. John IV went on to marry an unnamed Turkish lady. The "Europäische Stammtafeln" considers this second wife to have been a daughter of Dawlat BerdiDawlat Berdi
Dawlat Berdi , also known as Devlet Berdi, was a Khan of the Golden Horde who reigned from 1419 to 1421, and again from 1428 to his death in 1432. He was the son of Jabbar Berdi and a descendant of Berke Khan....
. Dawlat rivaled Olugh Mokhammad of Kazan for leadership of the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
from 1419 to 1422. Both were defeated and succeeded by Baraq
Baraq (Khan of Golden Horde)
Baraq was Khan of the Golden Horde from 1422 to 1427. His father was Koirichak, grandson of Urus Khan who was also descendant of Genghis Khan. He took support from Ulugh Beg, the Timurid khan, and in 1422 he dethroned Kepek, Olugh Mokhammad as well as Dawlat Berdi, khans of the Golden Horde. And...
.