Helena Dragaš (; ; – 23 March 1450) was the Empress consort of the Byzantine Emperor

Manuel II Palaiologos Manuel II Palaiologos or Palaeologus (; 27 June 1350 – 21 July 1425) was Byzantine emperor from 1391 to 1425. Shortly before his death he was tonsured a monk and received the name Matthaios (). Manuel was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, which ...

and the mother of the last two emperors,

John VIII Palaiologos John VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus (; 18 December 1392 – 31 October 1448) was the penultimate Byzantine emperor. Ruling from 1425 to 1448, he attempted to bring about the reunification of the Orthodox and Catholic churches and prior ...

and

Constantine XI Palaiologos Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos or Dragaš Palaeologus (; 8 February 140429 May 1453) was the last reigning List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine emperor from 23 January 1449 until his death in battle at the fall of Constantinople on 29 M ...

. She served as the

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

after the death of her son John VIII in 1448 until the enthronement of her son Constantine XI in 1449. Born into

Serbian nobility Serbian nobility () refers to the historical privileged order or class (aristocracy) of Serbia, that is, the medieval Serbian states, and after the Ottoman conquests of Serbian lands in the 15th and 16th centuries, Serbian noble families of the Kin ...

, she later became a nun and is venerated as a saint by the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

under her monastic name, Saint Hypomone (Ὑπομονὴ), which is translated into English as ''Saint Patience.''

Life

Helena was the daughter of Serbian magnate Konstantin Dejanović, a Serbian magnate during the

fall of the Serbian Empire The fall of the Serbian Empire was a decades-long process in the late 14th century. Following the death of the childless Emperor of the Serbs, Emperor Stefan Uroš V in 1371, the Serbian Empire was left without an heir and the magnates, ''velika� ...

that held Kyustendil. She was born into the Serbian Dejanović noble family. Her mother was Konstantin's unnamed first wife and Konstantin was the grandson of

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

n king Stefan III Dečanski. Her stepmother, Eudokia of Trebizond, was a daughter of Alexios III of Trebizond and Theodora Kantakouzene, and the widow of Tadjeddin

Pasha Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...

of Sinop,

Emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

of Limnia. Her father fell at the

battle of Rovine The Battle of Rovine took place on 17 May 1395. The Wallachian army led by Voivod Mircea the Elder opposed the Ottoman invasion personally led by Sultan Bayezid I the Thunderbolt. The Turkish force heavily outnumbered the Wallachian troops. ...

(1395), while fighting as a vassal of Ottoman sultan

Bayezid I Bayezid I (; ), also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt (; ; – 8 March 1403), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1389 to 1402. He adopted the title of ''Sultan-i Rûm'', ''Rûm'' being the Arabic name for the Eastern Roman Empire. In 139 ...

against

Mircea I of Wallachia Mircea the Elder (, ; 1355 – 31 January 1418) was the Voivode of Wallachia from 1386 until his death in 1418. He was the son of Radu I of Wallachia and brother of Dan I of Wallachia, after whose death he inherited the throne. After the dea ...

Empress

Helena married Manuel II Palaiologos in 1392. The wedding was followed by her coronation as "holy empress" the next day, on 11 February 1392. There are no preserved information to why the marriage was arranged, although it has been the subject of much speculation, but dynastic marriages between the Byzantine and Serbian dynasties were not unprecedented. She had traditionally been described as well known for her beauty, piety, wisdom, and justice. Not much is known about her during her tenure as empress or her private relationship to Manuel II. When her spouse Manuel II was absent in 1393, he made his mother regent in his absence rather than his wife. Her relationship to her mother-in-law is unknown, but since she took the same name as her mother-in-law when she became a nun later in life, it has been theorized as a good one. In 1424, empress Helena is briefly mentioned when the court official Sphrantzes took a message from a supplicant to her instead of the aging emperor, as her son was absent, and that she was then in the company of her daughter-in-law, and that it was she who then passed the message on to the senior emperor. In 1425, her husband abdicated and became a monk with the name Matthew (). After his death, on 21 July 1425, she became a nun at the Monastery of Kyra Martha, taking her monastic name Hyponyme. She helped to establish a home for old people, with the name "The Hope of the Despaired". The home was located at the Monastery of St. John in Petrion, where the relics of St. Patapius of Thebes are also kept.

Empress dowager

The fact that she made monastic vows did not necessarily mean that she had to leave the court and enter a convent. There is in fact more documentation of her during her tenure as empress dowager than as empress, and she played an influential role at court during the reign of her sons, acting as political adviser to both her sons John VIII and Constantine IX. There are many occasions in which her influence was illustrated. In 1439, when John VIII was in Italy, he was informed that the patriarch of Constantinople had died, but he refused to appoint a new one until he could consult his mother. Empress dowager Helena Dragaš is known for her interest in ecclasiastical issues, and she was a prominent figure in the anti-unionist court fraction that opposed the proposed union between the Orthodox and Catholich church, which was a major political issue during the reign of John VIII, and for her conflict with the pro-union fraction. The fact that the issue of the church union was stalled and slowed down has been attributed to her influence, since her sons were in favor of union. Eventually, she did give her consent, or at least decided to no longer actively oppose, the union of churches, which was the wish of her son John VIII. When her eldest son, John VIII, died in 1448, the succession was disputed between Constantine, her eldest remaining son and John's chosen heir, and his ambitious but inept younger brother, Demetrios. As empress dowager, Helena backed Constantine. She served as regent after the death of her son John VIII in 1448, until the arrival of his successor Constantine XI from Mistra in 1449 She eventually persuaded Sultan

Murad II Murad II (, ; June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1421 to 1444 and from 1446 to 1451. Early life Murad was born in June 1404 to Mehmed I, while the identity of his mother is disputed according to v ...

to intervene in Constantine's favour, leading to his assumption of the throne in January 1449. When Constantine became emperor, he referred to himself as Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos, after Helena. This suggests a close relationship between them, since there was no reason for why he should take his mothers last name; she herself had given it up after her marriage and always signed herself Palailogina, and Constantine was the only one of her sons to take her name. It is confirmed that Helena continued to act as political adviser also to her second reigning son Constantine IX, who after her death remarked that he missed his mothers insight and wisdom and her death had deprived him of a valuable advisor. Helena was still a central figure of the anti-unionist Orthodoxy party at court, and it was said that Constantine and the anti-unionists were not brought together until after the death of Helena.
Philippides, M. (2018). Constantine XI Dragaš Palaeologus (1404–1453): The Last Emperor of Byzantium. Storbritannien: Taylor & Francis.

Death and legacy

Helena died on 23 March 1450 in Constantinople. She is venerated by the Orthodox Church as a saint, and her memory is commemorated on 29 May, the day of the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city was captured on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 55-da ...

to the Ottomans and of the death of her son Constantine XI.

Marriage and issue

On 10 February 1392, Helena married

. They had several children. The list follows the order of births given by George Sphrantzes: * A daughter. Mentioned as the eldest daughter but not named. Possibly confused with Isabella Palaiologina, an illegitimate daughter of

John V Palaiologos John V Palaiologos or Palaeologus (; 18 June 1332 – 16 February 1391) was Byzantine emperor from 1341 to 1391, with interruptions. His long reign was marked by constant civil war, the spread of the Black Death and several military defea ...

known to have married Ilario Doria. * Constantine Palaiologos. Died young. *

(18 December 1392 – 31 October 1448). Byzantine emperor, 1425–1448. *

Theodore II Palaiologos Theodore II Palaiologos or Palaeologus (Greek: Θεόδωρος Β΄ Παλαιολόγος, ''Theodōros II Palaiologos'') (c. 1396 – 21 June 1448) was Despot (court title), Despot in the Despotate of the Morea, Morea from 1407 to 1443 and in S ...

(d. 1448). * A second daughter. Also not named in the text. * Andronikos Palaiologos (d. 1429). * Michael Palaiologos. Died young. *

(8 February 1405 – 29 May 1453). ''Despotēs'' in the Morea and subsequently the last Byzantine emperor, 1448–1453. *

Demetrios Palaiologos Demetrios Palaiologos or Demetrius Palaeologus (; 1407–1470) was Despot of the Morea together with his brother Thomas from 1449 until the fall of the despotate in 1460. Demetrios and Thomas were sons of Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiolog ...

(–1470). ''Despotēs'' in the Morea. *

Thomas Palaiologos Thomas Palaiologos (; 1409 – 12 May 1465) was Despot of the Morea from 1428 until the fall of the despotate in 1460, although he continued to claim the title until his death five years later. He was the younger brother of Constantine XI Palai ...

(c. 1409 – 12 May 1465). ''Despotēs'' in the Morea.

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Information about St Hypomone from the Church of Sparta

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Dragas, Helena 1370s births 1450 deaths Palaiologos dynasty 14th-century Byzantine empresses 15th-century Byzantine empresses 15th-century regents 15th-century Byzantine nuns 14th-century Serbian royalty 15th-century Serbian royalty Byzantine saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Medieval Serbian princesses 14th-century Serbian women 15th-century women regents Mothers of Byzantine emperors Byzantine regents 15th-century Serbian women