Maria Angelina Doukaina Palaiologina
Encyclopedia
Maria Angelina Doukaina Palaiologina (died December 28, 1394) was ruler of Epirus
from 1385 to 1386. She took the title of Basilissa of Epirus or Empress/Queen of Epirus.
Maria was the daughter of Emperor Simeon Uroš
Palaiologos and Thomais Orsini. Her maternal grandparents were John Orsini
of Epirus and Anna Palaiologina Angelina. In 1360 or 1366, Maria married Thomas II Preljubović
, who was appointed governor of Epirus in Ioannina
by her father. Popular with her subjects, she was apparently mistreated by her husband and connived in his murder on December 23, 1384.
. She summoned her brother John Uroš
Doukas Palaiologos (now monk under the name Joasaph) to advise her in the affairs of state. John Uroš suggested that Maria marry Esau de' Buondelmonti
, one of the Latin noblemen captured by Thomas in 1379. There is an allegation, that Maria was already enamored of the captive before the murder of her husband, and that this affair had resulted in the assassination
of Thomas.
Maria married Esau in February 1385, and survived for a further decade, dying on December 28, 1394. The Chronicle of Ioannina, so hostile towards Thomas, describes Maria in very flattering terms; the Byzantine historian Laonikos Chalkokondyles suggest that she was an unfaithful wife of questionable morality. Both accounts may be biased. Maria does not appear to have had surviving children from either marriage.
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...
from 1385 to 1386. She took the title of Basilissa of Epirus or Empress/Queen of Epirus.
Maria was the daughter of Emperor Simeon Uroš
Simeon Uroš
Simeon Uroš Nemanjić, nicknamed Siniša , also known in Greek as Symeōn Ouresēs Palaiologos , was the Despot of Epirus from 1359 to 1366, and of Thessaly from 1359 until his death in 1370. He governed Epirus and Acarnania under his half-brother Emperor Dušan the Mighty Simeon Uroš Nemanjić,...
Palaiologos and Thomais Orsini. Her maternal grandparents were John Orsini
John II Orsini
John II Orsini, also John Komnenos Doukas or Comnenus Ducas , was count palatine of Cephalonia from 1323 to 1324 and Despot of Epirus from 1323 to 1335....
of Epirus and Anna Palaiologina Angelina. In 1360 or 1366, Maria married Thomas II Preljubović
Thomas II Preljubovic
Thomas II Preljubović or Komnenos Palaiologos , was ruler of Epirus in Ioannina from 1366 to his death on December 23, 1384. He also held the title of Albanian-slayer .-Family:...
, who was appointed governor of Epirus in Ioannina
Ioannina
Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...
by her father. Popular with her subjects, she was apparently mistreated by her husband and connived in his murder on December 23, 1384.
Family
The population of Ioannina acclaimed Maria as ruler. She used the title of basilissa, female form of basileusBasileus
Basileus is a Greek term and title that has signified various types of monarchs in history. It is perhaps best known in English as a title used by the Byzantine Emperors, but also has a longer history of use for persons of authority and sovereigns in ancient Greece, as well as for the kings of...
. She summoned her brother John Uroš
John Uroš
Jovan Uroš or John Ouresis Doukas Palaiologos was the ruler of Thessaly from c. 1370 to c. 1373, died 1422/3.John Uroš was the son of Emperor Simeon Uroš Palaiologos by Thomais Orsini. His maternal grandparents were John II Orsini and Anna Palaiologina Angelina.Between 1369 and 1372 he succeeded...
Doukas Palaiologos (now monk under the name Joasaph) to advise her in the affairs of state. John Uroš suggested that Maria marry Esau de' Buondelmonti
Esau de' Buondelmonti
Esau de' Buondelmonti, ruler of Epirus in Ioannina from 1385 to his death in 1411.Esau was the son of the Florentine nobleman Manente Buondelmonti and Lapa Acciaiuoli, sister of Niccolò Acciaiuoli of Corinth and the grandson of the great Χρηστόφορxοςστασία XXIV...
, one of the Latin noblemen captured by Thomas in 1379. There is an allegation, that Maria was already enamored of the captive before the murder of her husband, and that this affair had resulted in the assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of Thomas.
Maria married Esau in February 1385, and survived for a further decade, dying on December 28, 1394. The Chronicle of Ioannina, so hostile towards Thomas, describes Maria in very flattering terms; the Byzantine historian Laonikos Chalkokondyles suggest that she was an unfaithful wife of questionable morality. Both accounts may be biased. Maria does not appear to have had surviving children from either marriage.