Irene Palaiologina
Encyclopedia
Irene Palaiologina was the Empress consort of Matthew Kantakouzenos
.
Demetrios Palaiologos and his wife Theodora. Her paternal grandparents were Andronikos II Palaiologos
and his second wife Irene of Montferrat.
The paternal uncles of Irene included Michael IX Palaiologos
and Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat
. Her maternal aunts included Simonida
.
records the marriage of Irene to Matthew Kantakouzenos in 1340. Matthew was a son of John VI and Irene Asanina
.
The couple had at least five children:
. His rival John V Palaiologos
reigned from Constantinople. The civil war between them lasted until 1347. On 3 February 1347, the two sides reached an agreement. John VI was accepted as senior emperor with John V as his junior co-ruler.
On 15 April 1353, Matthew was declared co-emperor. The conflict between John V and John VI had been raging again. John VI was attempting to secure his succession. Irene was the third Empress consort with her mother-in-law Irene Asanina (wife of John VI) and sister-in-law Helena Kantakouzene
(wife of John V).
On 4 December 1354, John VI abdicated. He and Asanina retired to separate monasteries while John V secured control of Constantinople. Matthew kept his title and part of Thrace
as his own dominion.
Matthew and Irene were captured by Serbia
n forces in February, 1356. They remained in captivity until delivered to John V in December, 1357. Matthew was forced to abdicate and Irene ceased being considered an Empress. There is no report for her time of death.
Matthew Kantakouzenos
Matthew Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzenus was Byzantine Emperor from 1353 to 1357.-Life:...
.
Family
Irene was a daughter of despotēsDespotes
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...
Demetrios Palaiologos and his wife Theodora. Her paternal grandparents were Andronikos II Palaiologos
Andronikos II Palaiologos
Andronikos II Palaiologos , Latinized as Andronicus II Palaeologus, was Byzantine emperor from 1282 to 1328. He was the eldest surviving son of Michael VIII Palaiologos and Theodora Doukaina Vatatzina, grandniece of John III Doukas Vatatzes...
and his second wife Irene of Montferrat.
The paternal uncles of Irene included Michael IX Palaiologos
Michael IX Palaiologos
Michael IX Palaiologos or Palaeologus , , reigned as Byzantine co-emperor with full imperial style 1294/1295–1320...
and Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat
Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat
Theodore I Palaiologos or Palaeologus was Marquess of Montferrat from 1306 until his death.He was a son of Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos and Irene of Montferrat...
. Her maternal aunts included Simonida
Simonida
Simonida Nemanjić , born Simonis Palaiologina , was a Byzantine princess and queen consort of Serbia as the fourth wife of Serbian king Milutin . She was a daughter of Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos and Irene of Montferrat.- Life :Simonida was born in Constantinople ca. 1294...
.
Marriage
The History of John VI KantakouzenosJohn 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...
records the marriage of Irene to Matthew Kantakouzenos in 1340. Matthew was a son of John VI and Irene Asanina
Irene Asanina
Irene Asanina was the Empress consort of John VI Kantakouzenos of the Byzantine Empire.-Family:Asanina was a daughter of Andronikos Asen and his wife Tarchanaiotissa.Her paternal grandparents were Ivan Asen III of Bulgaria and Irene Palaiologina...
.
The couple had at least five children:
- John Kantakouzenos (c. 1342 – after 1361), despotēs.
- Demetrios I Kantakouzenos (c. 1343 – 1383), sebastokratōrSebastokratorSebastokratōr 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...
. Briefly ruled the Despotate of MoreaDespotate of MoreaThe Despotate of the Morea or Despotate of Mystras was a province of the Byzantine Empire which existed between the mid-14th and mid-15th centuries. Its territory varied in size during its 100 years of existence but eventually grew to take in almost all the southern Greek peninsula, the...
. - Theodora Kantakouzene. Eldest daughter. The History records her being educated by her paternal grandmother Irene Asanina, under the monastic name Eugenia. Presumed to have become a nun herself.
- Helena Kantakouzene. Married Count Luis Fadrique of Salona. Her husband was a son of Alfonso FadriqueAlfonso FadriqueDon Alfonso Fadrique was the eldest and illegitimate son of Frederick II of Sicily. He served as vicar general of the Duchy of Athens from 1317 to 1330....
. She served as Regent of Salona from 1382 to 1394. - Maria Kantakouzene. Married John Laskaris Kalopheros, a man of senatorial rank from the Kingdom of CyprusKingdom of CyprusThe Kingdom of Cyprus was a Crusader kingdom on the island of Cyprus in the high and late Middle Ages, between 1192 and 1489. It was ruled by the French House of Lusignan.-History:...
.
Empress
On 26 October 1341, her father-in-law John VI was crowned emperor at DidymoteichoDidymoteicho
Didymóteicho is a town located in the eastern part of the Evros peripheral unit of Thrace, Greece. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name. The town sits on a plain and located south east of Svilengrad, south of Edirne, Turkey and Orestiada, west of Uzunköprü, about 20 km north...
. His rival John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos was a Byzantine emperor, who succeeded his father in 1341, at age nine.-Biography:...
reigned from Constantinople. The civil war between them lasted until 1347. On 3 February 1347, the two sides reached an agreement. John VI was accepted as senior emperor with John V as his junior co-ruler.
On 15 April 1353, Matthew was declared co-emperor. The conflict between John V and John VI had been raging again. John VI was attempting to secure his succession. Irene was the third Empress consort with her mother-in-law Irene Asanina (wife of John VI) and sister-in-law Helena Kantakouzene
Helena Kantakouzene
Helena Kantakouzene was the Empress consort of John V Palaiologos in the Byzantine Empire.-Family:She was a daughter of John VI Kantakouzenos and Irene Asanina.She was a sister of Matthew Kantakouzenos and Manuel Kantakouzenos...
(wife of John V).
On 4 December 1354, John VI abdicated. He and Asanina retired to separate monasteries while John V secured control of Constantinople. Matthew kept his title and part of Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
as his own dominion.
Matthew and Irene were captured by Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , 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 forces in February, 1356. They remained in captivity until delivered to John V in December, 1357. Matthew was forced to abdicate and Irene ceased being considered an Empress. There is no report for her time of death.
External links
- Her listing in "Medieval lands" by Charles Cawley. The project "involves extracting and analysing detailed information from primary sources, including contemporary chronicles, cartularies, necrologies and testaments."