Maria Komnene (daughter of Alexios I)
Maria Komnene (Greek: Μαρία Κομνηνή; 19 September 1085 – after 1136) was the second daughter of the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos. She was initially betrothed to Gregory Gabras, but married to Nikephoros Katakalon.
| Maria Komnene | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 September 1085 |
| Died | after 1136 |
| Spouse | Nikephoros Katakalon |
| Issue | Alexios Andronikos Euphorbenos John At least three daughters |
| House | Komnenos |
| Father | Alexios I Komnenos |
| Mother | Irene Doukaina |
Life edit
Maria Komnene was born on Friday, 19 September 1085, as the second daughter and second child of the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118) and Empress Irene Doukaina.[1][2] As the daughter of a reigning emperor, she bore the title of porphyrogennete ("purpleborn").[3]
In 1094 she was betrothed to Gregory Gabras, the son of the doux of Chaldia Theodore Gabras.[2] After Gregory tried to escape the palace and flee to his father, he was placed under arrest, and the betrothal was annulled.[1][4]
Eventually, in c. 1099/1100 Maria married Nikephoros Katakalon, the son of Constantine Euphorbenos Katakalon, one of Alexios' most prominent and trusted generals.[1][5][6] On the occasion, Nikephoros Katakalon was given the title of panhypersebastos.[7][8] Along with her mother and her sisters, Maria attended her dying father in 1118.[1]
Her husband also died young, sometime between 1118 and 1130.[9] Maria and Nikephoros had a number of children, but only two sons, Alexios Komnenos and Andronikos, are known by name, having held senior positions later in the century.[5][7][10] Another son, John, is known only by his commemoration in the typikon of the Monastery of Christ Philanthropos.[11]
The couple also had an unknown number of daughters (at least three according to Varzos), as their existence is mentioned in the typikon of the Kecharitomene Monastery.[7][12] This convent was founded by Irene Doukaina, who had originally decreed that her younger daughter Eudokia should succeed her as patroness; after Eudokia died (c. 1130), Irene chose her oldest daughter, the scholar, physician, hospital administrator, and historian Anna Komnene instead, with Maria after her.[13][12] The date of Maria's death is unknown, except that it occurred after 1136, when the deceased members of the imperial family were listed in the typikon of the Pantokrator Monastery.[14]
In her Alexiad, her older sister Anna Komnene speaks with great affection and praise for her virtue, especially for her actions during their father's final days.[14][15]
References edit
- ^ a b c d Skoulatos 1980, p. 194.
- ^ a b Varzos 1984, p. 198.
- ^ Varzos 1984, p. 198 (note 3).
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 198–199.
- ^ a b ODB, "Katakalon" (A. Kazhdan), p. 1113.
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 199–200.
- ^ a b c Skoulatos 1980, pp. 194, 237.
- ^ Varzos 1984, p. 200.
- ^ Varzos 1984, p. 201.
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 202, 331–336.
- ^ Kouroupou & Vannier 2005, p. 53.
- ^ a b Varzos 1984, p. 202.
- ^ Skoulatos 1980, pp. 194–195.
- ^ a b Skoulatos 1980, p. 195.
- ^ Varzos 1984, pp. 201, 202.
Sources edit
- Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991). The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
- Kouroupou, Matoula; Vannier, Jean-François (2005). "Commémoraisons des Comnènes dans le typikon liturgique du monastère du Christ Philanthrope (ms. Panaghia Kamariotissa 29)" [Commemorations of the Komnenoi in the liturgical typikon of the Monastery of Christ Philanthropos (ms. Panaghia Kamariotissa 29)]. Revue des études byzantines (in French). 63: 41–69. doi:10.3406/rebyz.2005.2305.
- Skoulatos, Basile (1980). Les personnages byzantins de l'Alexiade: Analyse prosopographique et synthèse [The Byzantine Personalities of the Alexiad: Prosopographical Analysis and Synthesis] (in French). Louvain-la-Neuve and Louvain: Bureau du Recueil Collège Érasme and Éditions Nauwelaerts. OCLC 8468871.
- Varzos, Konstantinos (1984). [The Genealogy of the Komnenoi] (PDF) (in Greek). Vol. A. Thessaloniki: Centre for Byzantine Studies, University of Thessaloniki. OCLC 834784634.