Theodora Petraliphaina

Theodora Petraliphaina ( Middle Greek Θεοδώρα Πετραλίφαινα ), also Theodora of Arta ( Αγία Θεοδώρα της Άρτας ) (* around 1225 in Servia ; † after 1270 in Arta ) was a Greek nun . She is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox churches .

origin

Theodora Petraliphaina, whose full name is Theodora Dukaina Petraloiphaina Basilissa , came from the Byzantine aristocratic family Petraliphas , which derives its origin and name according to Niketas Choniates from the Norman Peter von Alife. This came from the Drengot dynasty, who were at times the most powerful family in southern Italy, as they ruled a number of counties, including Alife, in addition to the Principality of Capua (1058). The descendants of Peter von Alife were therefore also highly regarded in Constantinople. The presumed closer ancestor of the family, Alexios Petraliphas, served Emperor Manuel I Komnenus as general and was married to Anna Komnene (Rogeria). She was a daughter of Johannes Roger Dalassenos , who appeared as a pretender to the throne of Byzantium in 1143 and was also of Norman descent, and who was Maria Komnene, a daughter of Emperor John II of Byzantium.

Theodora was a daughter of John Petraliphas , who was the Byzantine governor of Thessaly and Macedonia and who held the title of Sebastokrator , which was reserved for relatives of the imperial family.

Theodora's mother only knows the first name, Helena, but not the family.

Life

The circumstances of Theodora's life are known from a brief hagiography written by a monk - presumably by the clergyman Job Jasites, who lived at the end of the 13th century.

Theodora was born in Servia in Western Macedonia ( Greece ) after 1224 and around 1230/31 - still as a child - with Michael II. Komnenos Dukas Angelos (* 1205; † 1266/67), the ruler of the despotate Epirus and of medieval Thessaly (1231) married. However, this came neither from the imperial family of the Komnenen nor from that of the Dukas , but was the illegitimate son of an illegitimate son from the imperial house of the Angeloi , who preferred to use the family name of his noble paternal grandmother ( Komnenos ) or great-grandmother ( Dukas ) wear.

residence

After her marriage in 1230/31, she lived in the capital of Epirus Arta , the ancient Ambraica, which Pyrrhus had made the capital of his empire in 295 BC . The princely residence in which Theodora lived was built - probably not without her participation - during the reign of her husband Michael II around the middle of the 13th century. This palace, called “Frourion”, survived the storm of the times and continues to dominate the cityscape of Arta, albeit in a more mundane form today: as the tourist hotel “Xenia”. Nevertheless, it is a remarkable example of Byzantine architecture - and at the same time a lasting reminder of Theodora and her time.

Political confusion

The world of states of Romania after the 4th crusade in 1204

Theodora lived in troubled times; her husband's rule was by no means assured. After the murder of his father, Michael I. Komnenos Dukas Angelos the first despot of Epirus (1204-1214), in 1214 he had to spend sixteen years in exile because his uncle, Theodoros I. Komnenos Dukas Angelos ruled Epirus himself had torn. In 1224, in the absence of the young king, Demetrius of Montferrat , he conquered the kingdom of Thessaloniki created by the crusaders under Boniface I of Montferrat in 1205 , and was crowned emperor of Byzantium in exile in 1226 - in exaggerated self-assessment - in the hope that 1204 to reestablish the Byzantine Empire, which was destroyed by the Fourth Crusade . Michael II owed his rule to two circumstances: the crushing defeat suffered by his uncle, Emperor Theodoros I Angelos in 1230 in the battle of Klokotnitsa on the Maritsa against the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Assen II (1218–1241) and was captured by the Bulgarians got. Only then did Michael II have the opportunity to return to the Despotate Epirus, created by his father Michael I Komnenos Dukas Angelos in 1204, as well as his marriage to Theodora in 1230/31, since her family had considerable power in the territory of Epirus and thereby made it easier for him to assert himself as ruler there.

The final phase of the struggle to restore the Byzantine Empire, which had been defeated in 1204, took place during Theodora's lifetime . The Latin empire of Constantinople, the Byzantine empire Nikaia of the Laskarids , the counter- empire of Thessaloniki of the Angeloi , the empire of Trebizond of the Grand Comnenes and the Bulgarian empire of the Assenids faced each other. Theodora's new home - the Angeloi despotate Epirus was on the sidelines , tried to profit from ongoing developments, but its own existence and independence were always endangered.

Crucial for the survival of the despotate of Epirus was the fact that the rival powers, which alternately allied and warred in a motley dance, were engaging in mutual wars and hampered by problems of the succession:

• The Latin Empire of Constantinople had been weakened by the death of Emperor Robert von Courtenay since 1228 , as the crown had passed to his brother Baldwin II , who was still underage .
• The "Empire" of Thessaloniki, which had ruled Epirus up to now, was defeated by the Bulgarians under Tsar Ivan Assen II in the Battle of Klokotnitsa in 1230 after successful expansion and was thus eliminated from the battle for Constantinople.
• the Bulgarian empire experienced a soaring as it subjected Thessaly , Macedonia and large parts of Thrace to its control or influence - and thus threatened the continued existence of the independent despotate of Epirus. However, this rise ended shortly after the unsuccessful attempt in 1236 together with the Nikaia Empire under Emperor John III. Dukas Vatatzes to conquer Constantinople. After a change of the alliance to the Latins and a confrontation with the Nikaia empire, a bad omen led Iwan Assen II. 1237 to make peace with Nikaia. Instead of finding peace through this, the Mongols invaded shortly afterwards, which forced him to submit in 1241.
• Michael II of Epirus benefited from this and was able to recapture central Albania and Ohrid . The province of Akarnania also fell back to Epirus at the end of the 1940s after the death of Prince Constantine there.
• The Nikaia Empire - now the dominant power of the region - conquered Thessaloniki in 1244 and in turn questioned the independence of the Despotate Epirus. Once again it was luck in misfortune that benefited Epirus: The Mongols had not only broken into Bulgaria in 1241, but had also degraded the empire of the Rum Seljuks to a vassal in 1243 . This forced Emperor John III to concentrate on his eastern border for the time being.

exile

According to the hagiography of the monk Job Jasites, Michael II had taken a mistress named Gangrene and forced his wife, although she was pregnant with the future heir, to leave the court in order to live undisturbed with his mistress. Theodora obeyed, found accommodation with a priest, and lived for years in poverty and modesty without complaint. Six years later, Michael II is said to have changed his mind and regretfully accepted her as his wife again.

Marriage policy

The exposed situation of the Despotate Epirus in view of the existing desires of powerful neighbors and the need to correct their own political mistakes forced Theodora and Michael II to adopt a sophisticated marriage policy that is reflected in the marriages of their children, whereby as the section Marriage and Descendants shows, thanks to a relatively large number of children, practically all rivals could be taken care of.

Two episodes show how high the commitment was sometimes: In a peace treaty with the Empire of Nikaia in 1249 it was provided that the probable heir of the despotate, Nikephorus I. Komnenos Dukas Angelos Nikephoros, a granddaughter of Emperor John III. should marry. In order to personally contribute to the removal of repeated tensions, Theodora decided in 1256 to accompany her son, Nikephoros, on his trip to Nikaia on the occasion of his marriage to Maria Dukaina Laskarina, the daughter of Emperor Theodor II of Byzantium to Nikaia . This took place with appropriate display of splendor in the cathedral of Nikaia. However, the celebrations ended with Theodora being held hostage in Nikaia until the city of Durazzo was extradited to Nikaia.

The second episode concerns the marriage of her daughter Helena Dukaina Angelina with Manfred von Hohenstaufen, King of Sicily (1258–1266), the illegitimate son of the controversial Emperor Frederick II called "stupor mundi" (the wonder of the world). Formally she received a huge trousseau: the island of Corfu and the cities, Dyrrhachion , Valona and Berat . In fact, this was nothing but a concealment of the fact that the esteemed future son-in-law had already illegally captured the entire Albanian coast from Cape Rodon to Butrint and "rewarded it with the formal cession of the land and with a lovely bride." " has been.

Nun and saint

After the death of her husband, Theodora became a nun, according to Byzantine tradition, and entered the St. George's monastery in Arta . She ended her life in St. George's Monastery and was buried there. Her grave soon became the destination of numerous pilgrims, so that she was eventually venerated as a saint by the Orthodox churches. The monastery church she built was then consecrated to her. Their festival is celebrated on March 11th . The church of St. Theodora, consecrated to her, is the only part of the former extensive monastery complex that has been preserved to this day and is an interesting example of Byzantine architecture from the 13th century.

Marriage and offspring

Around 1231 Theodora married Michael II Komnenos Dukas Angelos , (* 1205; † 1267/68), the ruler of the Despotate Epirus, who was an illegitimate son of Michael I Komnenos Dukas Angelos , the first lord of the Despotate of Epirus.

Children:

There were six children from this marriage, including:

• Johannes Komnenos Dukas, was blinded and captured in 1280 († by suicide 1281/89)

oo 1262 Ne Tornikaine, daughter of the Sebastokrator Konstantin Tornikes

• Nikephorus I. Komnenos Dukas Angelos (* around 1240, † 1296 after September 3), who succeeded his father Michael II as ruler of Epirus in 1267/68

oo 1.) 1256 Maria Dukaina Laskarina († 1258/59), daughter of Emperor Theodor II. Laskaris (actually: Vatatzes!)

oo 2.) 1264 Anna Palaiologina Kantakuzene († after 1313), daughter of Johannes Kantakuzenos

• Demetrios Komnenos Dukas , (called Michael "Kutrules" after the death of his father), was entitled "Despotes", († lost after 1304)

oo 1.) 1278 Anna Komnene Palaiologina (* around 1260; † 1299/1300), daughter of Michael VIII. Dukas Komnenos Palaiologos Emperor of Byzantium (1259–1261), since 1261 back in Constantinople.

oo 2.) 1301 Anna of Bulgaria, daughter of Georgi I Terter Tsar of the Bulgarians

• Helena Dukaina Angelina , receives as dowry Corfu , Dyrrhachion , Valona and Berat , (* 1242; † Lucera in prison July 1271).

oo Trani, June 2, 1259 King Manfred von Hohenstaufen King of Sicily (1258–1266)

• Anna Komnene Doukaina († January 4, 1286),

oo 1.) around 1258 Wilhelm II of Villehardouin Prince of Achaia ,

oo 2.) around 1279 Nicholas II of Saint-Omer, Prince of Thebes (1258–1294) and Bailly (governor) of the Principality of Achaia .

literature

• Alice-Mary Talbot: Theodora of Arta. In: Alexander Kazhdan u. a. (Ed.): Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium , Oxford University Press 1991 ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6 . Vol. 3, p. 2038.
• Alice-Mary Talbot: A Saintly Empress: Saint Theodora of Arta. In: Holy Women of Byzantium: Ten Saints' Lives in English Translation (PDF; 396 kB). Dumbarton Oaks, Washington 1996, ISBN 0-88402-241-2 . Pp. 159–237 (accessed August 31, 2012)

Web links

• Charles Cawley: Albania . Medieval Lands. Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
• Charles Cawley: Byzantine Nobility . Retrieved March 5, 2011.

Remarks

1. ↑ % 20NOBILITY.htm # _Toc204583738 Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Petraloifas Notes 428 and 429
2. ^ Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Rallia (Raoul) note 476: Alexiade , book 12, page 379.
3. ↑ Note 437 Charles Cawley, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy.
4. ↑ Kazhdan (1991), pp. 1042, 2038
5. ↑ Talbot (1996), pp. 324-325
6. ↑ ^{a b} Kazhdan (1991), p. 2038
7. ↑ Talbot (1996), p. 323, 327ff.
8. ^ Georg Ostrogorsky : Byzantine History 324–1453. CH Beck, Munich, second edition 2006, ISBN 978-3-406-39759-2 , p. 371.
9. ^ Georg Ostrogorsky: Byzantine History 324–1453. CH Beck, Munich, second edition 2006, ISBN 978-3-406-39759-2 , p. 373.
10. ↑ If you follow the time given in the hagiography, this banishment would have started before 1240. According to Detlev Schwennike: European family tables. New episode. Verlag JA Stargardt Volume II, Plate 180, however, the separation took place in the years 1252–56.
11. ↑ [1]
12. ↑ Talbot (1996), p. 324, 332ff.
13. ^ Cawley, Michael II of Epirus