Eudokia Komnene
Encyclopedia
Eudokia Komnene (c. 1150 or 1152 – c. 1203) was a niece of Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos
, and wife of William VIII of Montpellier
.
Eudokia was a daughter of the sebastokratōr
Isaac Komnenos
by his second wife, Irene Synadene. Her father was a son of Emperor John II Komnenos
and Piroska of Hungary
, the daughter of King Ladislaus I of Hungary. Her sister Theodora Komnene
married King Baldwin III of Jerusalem
and was afterwards the lover of Andronikos I Komnenos
. Her older half-sister Maria Komnene married King Stephen IV of Hungary
.
Eudokia Komnene was sent to Provence
by Manuel in 1174 to be betrothed to King Alfonso II of Aragon
, but, on her arrival, she found that he had just married Sancha of Castile. As the troubadour
Peire Vidal
put it, he had preferred a poor Castilian maid to the emperor Manuel's golden camel. After much indecision she married William VIII of Montpellier
in 1179, having made it a condition (to which all male citizens of Montpellier were required to swear) that their firstborn child, boy or girl, would succeed him in the lordship of Montpellier.
Eudokia was sometimes described by contemporaries, including the troubadours Folquet de Marselha
and Guiraut de Bornelh, as an empress (Occitan emperairitz) and was commonly said to be a daughter of the emperor Manuel, which has led to some confusion among modern authors about her family links. Other sources, such as Guillaume de Puylaurens
, correctly identify her as Manuel's niece.
William and Eudokia had one daughter, Marie of Montpellier
, born in 1181 or 1182. In 1187 William divorced her (because she encouraged the advances of Folquet de Marselha, according to the Biographies des Troubadours; because William wanted a male heir, according to documents likely to be more reliable). Eudokia was thereafter held at the monastery of Aniane
. She died about 1203, shortly before her daughter's third marriage to King Peter II of Aragon
.
Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos was a Byzantine Emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of Byzantium and the Mediterranean....
, and wife of William VIII of Montpellier
William VIII of Montpellier
William VIII of Montpellier was Lord of Montpellier, the son of William VII.He married Eudoxie or Eudokia Komnene, grand-niece of the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos. A condition of the marriage was that the firstborn child, boy or girl, would succeed to the lordship of Montpellier on...
.
Eudokia was a daughter of the sebastokratōr
Sebastokrator
Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers whose states bordered the Empire or were within its sphere of influence. The word is a compound of "sebastos" Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used...
Isaac Komnenos
Isaac Komnenos (d. 1154)
Isaac Komnenos or Comnenus , was the third son of Byzantine Emperor John II Komnenos by Piroska of Hungary.-Life:Shortly before his death in 1143, John II Komnenos designated his fourth son Manuel as his heir, although the third son, Isaac, was still alive...
by his second wife, Irene Synadene. Her father was a son of Emperor John II Komnenos
John II Komnenos
John II Komnenos was Byzantine Emperor from 1118 to 1143. Also known as Kaloïōannēs , he was the eldest son of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Irene Doukaina...
and Piroska of Hungary
Piroska of Hungary
Saint Irene of Hungary, born Piroska, was a daughter of Ladislaus I of Hungary and Adelaide of Swabia. Her maternal grandparents were Rudolf of Rheinfeld and his second wife Adelheid of Savoy. Adelheid was a daughter of Otto of Savoy and Adelaide of Turin. She was the mother of the future emperor...
, the daughter of King Ladislaus I of Hungary. Her sister Theodora Komnene
Theodora Komnene
Theodora Komnene or Comnena was a niece of Byzantine emperor Manuel I Comnenus, and wife of King Baldwin III of Jerusalem.-Family:Theodora was a daughter of the sebastokratōr Isaac Komnenos by his second wife, Eirene Synadene...
married King Baldwin III of Jerusalem
Baldwin III of Jerusalem
Baldwin III was king of Jerusalem from 1143 to 1163. He was the eldest son of Melisende and Fulk of Jerusalem, and the grandson of Baldwin II of Jerusalem.-Succession:...
and was afterwards the lover of Andronikos I Komnenos
Andronikos I Komnenos
Andronikos I Komnenos was Byzantine Emperor from 1183 to 1185). He was the son of Isaac Komnenos and grandson of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.-Early years:...
. Her older half-sister Maria Komnene married King Stephen IV of Hungary
Stephen IV of Hungary
Stephen IV , King of Hungary . In his youth, he rebelled against his brother, King Géza II of Hungary and had to flee to the Court of the Byzantine Emperor, Manuel I Komnenos...
.
Eudokia Komnene was sent to Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
by Manuel in 1174 to be betrothed to King Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II or Alfons I ; Huesca, 1-25 March 1157 – 25 April 1196), called the Chaste or the Troubadour, was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1164 until his death. He was the son of Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon and the first King of Aragon who was...
, but, on her arrival, she found that he had just married Sancha of Castile. As the troubadour
Troubadour
A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages . Since the word "troubadour" is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz....
Peire Vidal
Peire Vidal
Peire Vidal was a troubadour. According to his biography, he was born in Toulouse, the son of a furrier, and the greatest of singers....
put it, he had preferred a poor Castilian maid to the emperor Manuel's golden camel. After much indecision she married William VIII of Montpellier
William VIII of Montpellier
William VIII of Montpellier was Lord of Montpellier, the son of William VII.He married Eudoxie or Eudokia Komnene, grand-niece of the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos. A condition of the marriage was that the firstborn child, boy or girl, would succeed to the lordship of Montpellier on...
in 1179, having made it a condition (to which all male citizens of Montpellier were required to swear) that their firstborn child, boy or girl, would succeed him in the lordship of Montpellier.
Eudokia was sometimes described by contemporaries, including the troubadours Folquet de Marselha
Folquet de Marselha
Folquet de Marselha, alternatively Folquet de Marseille, Foulques de Toulouse, Fulk of Toulouse came from a Genoese merchant family who lived in Marseille...
and Guiraut de Bornelh, as an empress (Occitan emperairitz) and was commonly said to be a daughter of the emperor Manuel, which has led to some confusion among modern authors about her family links. Other sources, such as Guillaume de Puylaurens
Guillaume de Puylaurens
Guillaume de Puylaurens is a 13th century Latin chronicler, author of a history of Catharism and of the Albigensian Crusade....
, correctly identify her as Manuel's niece.
William and Eudokia had one daughter, Marie of Montpellier
Marie of Montpellier
Marie of Montpellier , was by birth heiress and later Sovereign Lady of Montpellier and by her three marriages Viscountess of Marseille, Countess of Comminges and Queen of Aragon....
, born in 1181 or 1182. In 1187 William divorced her (because she encouraged the advances of Folquet de Marselha, according to the Biographies des Troubadours; because William wanted a male heir, according to documents likely to be more reliable). Eudokia was thereafter held at the monastery of Aniane
Aniane
Aniane is a commune in the Hérault department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France.-Population:-See also:* Benedict of Aniane* Pont du Diable, Hérault* Mas de Daumas Gassac*Communes of the Hérault department...
. She died about 1203, shortly before her daughter's third marriage to King Peter II of Aragon
Peter II of Aragon
Peter II the Catholic was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1196 to 1213.He was the son of Alfonso II of Aragon and Sancha of Castile...
.
Sources
- Biographies des troubadours ed. J. Boutière, A.-H. Schutz (Paris: Nizet, 1964) pp. 476–481.
- Stanislaw Stronski, (Krakow: Académie des Sciences, 1910) pp. 156–158.
- Ruth V. Sharman. The Cansos and Sirventes of the Troubadour Giraut de Borneil. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989. ISBN 0-521-25635-6, p. 59., pp. 62–63.