Simeon Uroš Palaiologos

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Simeon Uroš on a fresco in the Visoki Dečani monastery

Simeon Uroš Palaiologos or Simeon Siniša ( Gr. Συμεών Ούρεσης Παλαιολόγος ) († 1370 or 1371) was a half-brother of the Serbian emperor Stefan Dušan and from 1356 to 1371 ruler of Thessaly and from 1359 to 1366 ruler of Epirus .

He was the son of Stefan Uroš III. and his second wife, the Byzantine princess Maria from the house of the palaeologists , daughter of the despot Johannes Palaiologos . Because of his family relationship on his mother's side, Simeon is said to have seen himself more as a Byzantine than a Serb. According to rumors, the reason for the conflict between his older half-brother Stefan Dušan and their father Stefan Uroš, which ultimately led to the overthrow of his father and his brother's seizure of power, was the intention to declare Simeon, who was also the Byzantine prince, heir to the throne in Serbia. When Stefan Dušan died in 1355, Simeon saw the opportunity to claim the throne for himself. It is possible that he himself had spread the rumor that he was unable to succeed to the throne in order to confirm his claims to the imperial crown. He gathered a powerful following and marched with Byzantine support against his nephew Stefan Uroš V , but was defeated in 1356 and retired to Thessaly and Epirus, where he ruled with the title of Emperor of the Romans and Serbs (with the Romans were Byzantines, i.e. Greeks , meant). He initially shared control of Epirus with his brother-in-law Nikephorus II. Orsini , the Byzantine despot of Epirus , before it was conquered by Stefan Dušan around 1348. Nikephoros returned to Epirus after the death of Stefan Dušan and took power there again with Simeon's tolerance. He died in 1359 on a campaign against local Albanian princes, after which Simeon became the sole ruler of Thessaly and Epirus. In 1366 his son-in-law Thomas Preljubović, who was married to his daughter Maria , went into business for himself in Epirus .

Simeon died in 1370 or 1371. He was married to Thomais, a sister of Nikephorus II Orsini. His successor as ruler in Thessaly was his son Jovan Uroš . During his time in Thessaly, Simeon developed a special affection for the Meteora monasteries, which he and his son supported financially.