Yolande from Montferrat
Yolande von Montferrat (* 1273/74; † 1317 in Drama ) was an empress of the Byzantine Empire with the name Irene , as the second wife of Emperor Andronikos II. Palaiologos . She was a daughter of Margrave Wilhelm VII of Montferrat and his second wife Beatrix of Castile. Yolande was also known as Violante , like her maternal grandmother, Violante of Aragón .
Life
Irene was married in 1284 at the age of ten to the recently widowed Emperor Andronikos II. Palaiologos. Her father gave her the title and inheritance rights of "Queen of Thessaloniki" as a dowry. The Kingdom of Thessaloniki was founded in 1204 as a result of the fourth crusade by her great-great-grandfather, Boniface von Montferrat . However, her family lost it again in 1224, which is why from then on it was only retained in its title. With the transfer of the title to Irene, the House of Montferrat renounced its rights to this non-existent kingdom in favor of the Byzantine emperor, who in turn could feel more secure in possession of Thessaloniki .
Several children emerged from his marriage to Andronikos II, four of whom reached adulthood:
- Johannes Palaiologos († 1307)
- Theodoros Palaiologos († 1338), Margrave of Montferrat
- Simonida Palaiologina († 1340), ⚭ 1300 with the King of the Serbs Stefan Uroš II Milutin († 1321)
- Demetrios Palaiologos († after 1343)
After the birth of their first son in 1286, Irene was formally crowned Empress. The Greek historian Nikephoros Gregoras handed down a very negative character image about her. So Irene became scheming, domineering and arrogant with increasing age. She also harmed the state with her ambitions related to herself and her sons. Irene pursued plans regarding a succession of her sons in the Empire and thus against her stepson Michael IX. which, however, led to a break with her husband in 1303. She moved to Thessaloniki, from where she acted in league with her Serbian son-in-law against her husband, albeit unsuccessfully. Her second son was able to inherit the Margraviate of Montferrat in 1305, thus establishing the Italian branch of the Byzantine imperial family of paleologists .
Irene died in Drama in 1317 after a fever on her country estate and was buried in the Pantocrator Monastery of Constantinople at the instigation of her daughter . The poets Manuel Philes and Theodoros Metochites each wrote a poem on their lives.
literature
- Donald M. Nicol: The Byzantine lady: ten portraits, 1250-1500 . 1996
- Hélène Constantinidi-Bibikou: Yolande de Montferrat impératrice de Byzance . In: L'Hellénisme Contemporain , Series 2, 4, 1950, pp. 425-442
Web links
- Yolande / Irene von Montferrat at genealogie-mittelalter.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ genealogy.euweb.cz Genealogy of the Montferrat family
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Yolande from Montferrat |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Irene |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Empress of the Byzantine Empire |
DATE OF BIRTH | 1273 or 1274 |
DATE OF DEATH | 1317 |
Place of death | drama |