Theodor I (Morea)

Theodor I. Palaiologos ( Greek : Θεόδωρος Α Παλαιολόγος, Theodōros I. Palaiologos ) (* 1355 ; † June 24, 1407 in Constantinople ) was the Byzantine despot of Morea from 1383 to 1407. He was the fourth son of the Byzantine Palaiologist John V and his wife Helena Kantakouzena. His maternal grandfather was the former Emperor John VI. Kantakuzenos . His older brothers were Emperors Andronikos IV and Manuel II.

Life

In 1376 Theodor I Palaiologos, who already bore the title despotēs , was commissioned by his father to take power in Thessaloniki. Before he could take office, however, he was arrested and taken by his eldest brother, along with his father and brother Manuel, to the Tower of Anemas at the Blachernen Palace . This captivity lasted for the entire reign of Andronikos from 1376 to 1379. Soon after the return of John V to the throne in Constantinople, Manuel reassigned him to the government in Thessaloniki, and Theodore traveled to Morea.

The Morea was also after the abdication of Emperor John VI. in 1354 at the hands of Manuel Cantacuzenus remained, his younger son. Manuel Kantakuzenos died in 1380. His successor was his older brother, the former co-emperor Matthaios Kantakuzenos , who died in 1383 or went into retirement. At that time Theodor was appointed despot of the Morea, but Matthew had succeeded shortly before to appoint his son Demetrios I. Kantakuzenos as despot. Theodor I. Palaiologos arrived in the Morea in 1383 and took possession of the province.

The young despot soon began to wage wars for the territorial expansion of his domain. His military campaigns were arguably the most successful Byzantine military operations since the annexation of large parts of Thessaly and Epirus by his paternal grandfather Andronikos III. Palaiologos in the 14th century. To increase the combat power of his army Theodor promoted from 1398 to 1404 the settlement of Albanian ethnic groups in the Morea, and recruited them as mercenaries ( Stratioten ) in the fight against local landowners that bordered against the Latin areas of his province, and progressive against the Conquest by the Ottoman Empire .

Theodor's first successes came in 1388, soon followed by his conquest of Argos . However, the Republic of Venice intervened and regained control of Argos, but also offered Patras their protection. The situation was defused in 1394 with the signing of a military alliance between the despotate Morea and Venice. Bayezid I the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire had begun to extend his control over the Balkan Peninsula and the two rivals for control of the Peloponnese had to prepare against a possible invasion by the Ottomans. The new alliance was accompanied by the decision to build a fortification wall over the Isthmus of Corinth .

The military genius of Theodor I Palaiologos soon became apparent. He repulsed the invading Ottoman troops, carried out successful counterattacks and conquered Corinth (1395) and Athens (1396). His victories caught the attention of Bayezid I and he began to regard Theodore as a dangerous opponent. Bayezid personally led a major military invasion against the Morea.

In contrast to his older brother Manuel II, Theodor did not try to negotiate and continued to fight until the end. When he was no longer able to prevent Mystras and Corinth from coming under Ottoman control, Theodor offered both cities (Corinth 1397, Mystras 1400) to the Order of Malta in Rhodes . This ensured continued resistance against the Ottomans, albeit not under his own control.

In the end, his strategy works. Bayezid I declared the Peloponnese an Ottoman province, but failed to establish complete control of the area before abandoning his campaign and returning to his capital Edirne . Theodore soon managed to regain control of the Morea and most of his earlier conquests. When their help was no longer needed in 1404, the Knights of Malta returned Mystras and Corinth to him.

In 1400 Bayezid I turned his attention back to Constantinople and besieged the city. Manuel II, along with most of the members of the imperial family, managed to escape from his capital. He traveled to Western Europe to ask for help. Meanwhile, he left his family under the protection of Theodor. Theodore gave his relatives a safe refuge in his new provincial capital, Monemvasia .

Theodor had married Bartolomea Acciaiuoli in 1384, a daughter of Duke Nerio I Acciaiuoli of Athens . It is not known whether the couple had any offspring. Shortly before his death, Theodor entered an order of monks under the name "Theodoret". He died on June 24, 1407. The problem of his succession was resolved by Manuel II naming his own underage son Theodor II Palaiologos as the new despotēs of Morea.

Some sources mention a daughter of Theodor as the wife of Süleyman Çelebi, the sultan of Edirne Sultan during the Ottoman Interregnum .

See also

• Paleologists

literature

• Edward Gibbon : The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , London, 1. Volume 1776, 2./3. Volume 1781, 4th - 6th Volume 1788
• Ferdinand Gregorovius History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages . 1859-1872. New edition, 2nd edition, 4 volumes. Beck, Munich 1988. ISBN 3-406-07107-4
• Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall : History of the Ottoman Empire . Pest 1827–33, 10 volumes
• Georgios Sphrantzes ; Marios Philippides (transl.): The Fall of the Byzantine Empire: a chronicle. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1980.
• Erwin Fenster: Palaiologos, Theodoros I. , in: Biographisches Lexikon zur Geschichte Südosteuropas . Vol. 4. Munich 1981, p. 301
• Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium . Oxford University Press, 1991.

Web links

• Laiou, Angeliki E. (Ed.): The Economic History of Byzantium: From the Seventh through the Fifteenth Century. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collections, Washington DC 2002.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Innocenzo Mazziotti: Immigrazioni albanesi in Calabria nel secolo XV e la colonia di San Demetrio Corone (1471-1815) . Il Coscile Editore, Castrovillari 2004, ISBN 88-87482-61-6 , p. 20 (Italian).

predecessor	Office	successor
Demetrios I. Kantakuzenos	Despot of Morea 1383 - 1407	Theodoros II