Theodor II (Montferrat)

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Theodor II Palaiologos ( Teodoro II Paleologo , * probably 1364; † April 16, 1418 ) was Margrave of Montferrat from 1381.

He was the third son of Margrave Johann II and Isabella of Mallorca . After the death of his brother Johann III. (1381) the regency fell to him. Montferrat found itself in a crisis after the death of his father (1372), after two young margraves took office in quick succession, both of whom could not muster the necessary authority to deal with the internal conditions in the margravate. In his youth and before he took office, Theodore II was under the tutelage of Gian Galeazzo Visconti , and it soon became clear that Theodore was also becoming a weak ruler. When he managed to get married to a daughter of Leonardo Malaspina , Margrave of Lunigiana , he had to cede Asti to Gian Galeazzo.

After the death of his first two wives, on February 17, 1403, he married Margaret of Savoy , daughter of Amadeus of Piedmont , titular prince of Achaia . Immediately afterwards a war broke out between Theodor and Amadeus VIII of Savoy. Only the intervention of Filippo Maria Visconti in favor of Theodor - coupled with an alliance commitment in another direction - restored Theodor's power in Montferrat.

In 1400 Theodor Borgo gave San Martino to Facino Cane de Casale as thanks for his services. In 1409 the two succeeded in taking Milan and Genoa . Theodore held both cities until 1413, when the rule of both Piedmont and Lombardy became too difficult for him (Facino Cane had died in 1412); he gave up the conquests for a large sum of money.

After Facino's death he had to deal with the Visconti in Piedmont until an agreement was reached in 1417. Theodor died a little later, his son Johann Jakob was his successor .

In addition to Johann Jakob, he had a daughter, Sofia, † August 21, 1434, who was betrothed to Filippo Maria Visconti on January 26, 1404, but did not marry him. On January 19, 1421 she married John VIII. Palaiologos , who became Emperor of Byzantium in 1425 and expelled her in August 1426.