John I Doukas
Encyclopedia
John I Doukas (Greek
: Ιωάννης Α' Δούκας, Iōannēs I Doukas) (c. 1240 – 1289) was ruler of Thessaly from c. 1268 to his death in 1289.
John Doukas was the illegitimate son of Michael II Komnenos Doukas
of the Despotate of Epirus
by his mistress Gangrene. He was probably older than his father's other children, and he participated as a military commander in the events that led up to the Battle of Pelagonia
in 1259. Married to the daughter of the Thessalian Vlach Taronas, John relied on a force composed largely of Vlachs
. John's desertion from the coalition composed by his father, Prince William II Villehardouin of Achaea
, and King Manfred of Sicily
, contributed to the defeat of the allies by John Palaiologos, the brother of Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos
. Soon afterwards, however, John Doukas repented of his actions and rejoined his father.
When his father died in c. 1268, John succeeded to his possessions in Thessaly
and Central Greece
, reigning from Neopatras. A new attempt at alliance with the Byzantine Empire
followed, and John received the title of sebastokratōr
from Michael VIII when the latter married his nephew to John's daughter in 1272. Nevertheless, John remained opposed to the Byzantines and defeated
a huge army sent to subdue him in 1275 with the support of the Duke of Athens
. By this time he had joined the coalition of powers (including Epirus
, Serbia
, and Bulgaria
) that supported the plans of Charles of Anjou, the King of Naples and Sicily, for the restoration of the Latin Empire
. When Michael VIII tried to counter the alliance by attempting a Union of the Churches at the Council of Lyons, John convoked a synod in Thessaly attended by anti-Unionists exiled from Byzantium, which excommunicated the Byzantine Emperor and Patriarch John XI Bekkos
in 1277.
A new Byzantine invasion of Thessaly occurred in 1277, but was repelled at Pharsalos
by John. The Byzantines' Mongol allies belonging to the horde of Nogai Khan
met with some more success, plundering Thessaly shortly afterwards. Michael VIII died in 1282 while preparing to invade Thessaly again. The triumph of the anti-Unionists with the accession of Andronikos II Palaiologos
created the potential for improving relations, but this possibility was ruined by John's half-brother, Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas
of Epirus. In 1283 or 1284 Nikephoros and his wife Anna Kantakouzene (the niece of Michael VIII) invited John's son Michael to Epirus to marry their daughter and become the heir to their state. When Michael took the bait, he was arrested and shipped off to Constantinople
, where he died in prison in 1307. John took his revenge by invading Epirus and seizing several coastal fortresses. He died in or shortly before 1289.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: Ιωάννης Α' Δούκας, Iōannēs I Doukas) (c. 1240 – 1289) was ruler of Thessaly from c. 1268 to his death in 1289.
John Doukas was the illegitimate son of Michael II Komnenos Doukas
Michael II Komnenos Doukas
Michael II Komnenos Doukas or Comnenus Ducas , often called Michael Angelos in narrative sources, was the ruler of Epirus from 1230 until his death in 1266/68.-Life:...
of the Despotate of Epirus
Despotate of Epirus
The Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond...
by his mistress Gangrene. He was probably older than his father's other children, and he participated as a military commander in the events that led up to the Battle of Pelagonia
Battle of Pelagonia
The Battle of Pelagonia took place in September of 1259, between the Empire of Nicaea and the Despotate of Epirus, Sicily and the Principality of Achaea...
in 1259. Married to the daughter of the Thessalian Vlach Taronas, John relied on a force composed largely of Vlachs
Vlachs
Vlach is a blanket term covering several modern Latin peoples descending from the Latinised population in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. English variations on the name include: Walla, Wlachs, Wallachs, Vlahs, Olahs or Ulahs...
. John's desertion from the coalition composed by his father, Prince William II Villehardouin of Achaea
Principality of Achaea
The Principality of Achaea or of the Morea was one of the three vassal states of the Latin Empire which replaced the Byzantine Empire after the capture of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. It became a vassal of the Kingdom of Thessalonica, along with the Duchy of Athens, until Thessalonica...
, and King Manfred of Sicily
Manfred of Sicily
Manfred was the King of Sicily from 1258 to 1266. He was a natural son of the emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen but his mother, Bianca Lancia , is reported by Matthew of Paris to have been married to the emperor while on her deathbed.-Background:Manfred was born in Venosa...
, contributed to the defeat of the allies by John Palaiologos, the brother of Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos
Michael VIII Palaiologos
Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus reigned as Byzantine Emperor 1259–1282. Michael VIII was the founder of the Palaiologan dynasty that would rule the Byzantine Empire until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453...
. Soon afterwards, however, John Doukas repented of his actions and rejoined his father.
When his father died in c. 1268, John succeeded to his possessions in Thessaly
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
and Central Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, reigning from Neopatras. A new attempt at alliance with 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...
followed, and John received the title of 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...
from Michael VIII when the latter married his nephew to John's daughter in 1272. Nevertheless, John remained opposed to the Byzantines and defeated
Battle of Neopatras
The Battle of Neopatras was fought in the early 1270s between a Byzantine army besieging the city of Neopatras and the forces of John I Doukas, ruler of Thessaly. The battle was a rout for the Byzantine army, which was caught by surprise and defeated by a much smaller but more disciplined...
a huge army sent to subdue him in 1275 with the support of the Duke of Athens
Duchy of Athens
The Duchy of Athens was one of the Crusader States set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade, encompassing the regions of Attica and Boeotia, and surviving until its conquest by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century....
. By this time he had joined the coalition of powers (including Epirus
Despotate of Epirus
The Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond...
, 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...
, and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
) that supported the plans of Charles of Anjou, the King of Naples and Sicily, for the restoration of the Latin Empire
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
. When Michael VIII tried to counter the alliance by attempting a Union of the Churches at the Council of Lyons, John convoked a synod in Thessaly attended by anti-Unionists exiled from Byzantium, which excommunicated the Byzantine Emperor and Patriarch John XI Bekkos
Patriarch John XI of Constantinople
John XI Bekkos was Patriarch of Constantinople from June 2, 1275 to December 26, 1282, and the chief Greek advocate, in Byzantine times, of the reunion of the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches...
in 1277.
A new Byzantine invasion of Thessaly occurred in 1277, but was repelled at Pharsalos
Battle of Pharsalus (1277)
The Battle of Pharsalus was fought in late 1277 at the plain of Pharsalus in Thessaly between an invading Byzantine army led by the megas stratopedarches John Synadenos and megas konostaulos Michael Kaballarios, and the forces of John I Doukas, ruler of Thessaly...
by John. The Byzantines' Mongol allies belonging to the horde of Nogai Khan
Nogai Khan
Nogai , also called Isa Nogai, was a general and de facto ruler of the Golden Horde and a great-great-grandson of Genghis Khan. His grandfather was Baul/Teval Khan, the 7th son of Jochi...
met with some more success, plundering Thessaly shortly afterwards. Michael VIII died in 1282 while preparing to invade Thessaly again. The triumph of the anti-Unionists with the accession of 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...
created the potential for improving relations, but this possibility was ruined by John's half-brother, Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas
Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas
Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas, Latinized as Nicephorus I Comnenus Ducas , was ruler of Epirus from 1267/8 to c. 1297.-Life:Nikephoros was the eldest son of Michael II Komnenos Doukas and Theodora Petraliphaina...
of Epirus. In 1283 or 1284 Nikephoros and his wife Anna Kantakouzene (the niece of Michael VIII) invited John's son Michael to Epirus to marry their daughter and become the heir to their state. When Michael took the bait, he was arrested and shipped off to Constantinople
Constantinople
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:...
, where he died in prison in 1307. John took his revenge by invading Epirus and seizing several coastal fortresses. He died in or shortly before 1289.
Family
By his wife, whose monastic name was Hypomone ("Patience"), John had several children, including:- Michael Komnenos, who died as prisoner in Constantinople in 1307.
- ConstantineConstantine Doukas of ThessalyConstantine Doukas was ruler of Thessaly from 1289 to his death in 1303.-Life:Constantine Doukas was the second son of John I Doukas of Thessaly by his wife, whose monastic name was Hypomone . He succeeded to his father's lands because his older brother Michael Komnenos had been abducted and...
, who succeeded as ruler of Thessaly. - Theodore Angelos, who assisted Constantine in governing Thessaly.
- Helena Komnene, who married firstly William I de la RocheWilliam I de la RocheWilliam I de la Roche succeeded his brother, John I, as Duke of Athens in 1280. He was the first official "duke" of Athens; previous dukes had actually been "lords."...
, Duke of Athens, and secondly Hugues de Brienne, Count of Lecce. - unidentified daughter, who married Andronikos Tarchaneiotes, a nephew of Emperor Michael VIII PalaiologosMichael VIII PalaiologosMichael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus reigned as Byzantine Emperor 1259–1282. Michael VIII was the founder of the Palaiologan dynasty that would rule the Byzantine Empire until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453...
. - Helena Doukaina, who married King Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia.
- unidentified daughter, betrothed to the future Emperor Theodore Svetoslav of BulgariaTheodore Svetoslav of BulgariaTheodore Svetoslav ruled as emperor of Bulgaria from 1300 to 1322. The date of his birth is unknown. He was a wise and capable ruler who brought stability and relative prosperity to the Bulgarian Empire after two decades of constant Mongol intervention in the internal issues of the Empire...
.