Maria Komnene ( gr, 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 Gregory Gabras ( el, Γρηγόριος Γαβρᾶς, Grēgorios Gabras) was the son of the Byzantine governor of Trebizond, Theodore Gabras who was involved in a minor unsuccessful rebellion against the Emperor Alexios I Komnenos around the year ...

, but married to

Nikephoros Katakalon Nikephoros Euphorbenos Katakalon ( gr, Νικηφόρος Εὐφορβηνός Κατακαλών) was a Byzantine aristocrat and son-in-law of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (). He was the son of the distinguished general Constantine Euphorbenos Ka ...

Life

Maria Komnene was born on Friday, 19 September 1085, as the second daughter and second child of the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos () and Empress Irene Doukaina. As the daughter of a reigning emperor, she bore the title of ''

porphyrogennete Traditionally, born in the purple (sometimes "born to the purple") was a category of members of royal families born during the reign of their parent. This notion was later loosely expanded to include all children born of prominent or high-ranking ...

'' ("purpleborn"). In 1094 she was betrothed to

, the son of the '' doux'' of

Chaldia Chaldia ( el, Χαλδία, ''Khaldia'') was a historical region located in the mountainous interior of the eastern Black Sea, northeast Anatolia (modern Turkey). Its name was derived from a people called the ''Chaldoi'' (or ''Chalybes'') that i ...

Theodore Gabras Theodore Gabras ( el, Θεόδωρος Γαβρᾶς) was a Byzantine governor in the Pontus who was involved in a minor unsuccessful rebellion against the Emperor Alexios I Komnenos around the year 1091. Theodore Gabras is an Eastern Orthodox mart ...

. After Gregory tried to escape the palace and flee to his father, he was placed under arrest, and the betrothal was annulled. Eventually, in Maria married

, the son of

Constantine Euphorbenos Katakalon Constantine Euphorbenos Katakalon ( el, ) was a Byzantine noble and one of the most prominent generals of the reign of Alexios I Komnenos (). A descendant of the noble Katakalon and Euphorbenos families, Constantine is first mentioned in the so ...

, one of Alexios' most prominent and trusted generals. On the occasion, Nikephoros Katakalon was given the title of '' panhypersebastos''. Along with her mother and her sisters, Maria attended her dying father in 1118. Her husband also died young, sometime between 1118 and 1130. Maria and Nikephoros had a number of children, but only two sons,

Alexios Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός, 1057 – 15 August 1118; Latinized Alexius I Comnenus) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. Although he was not the first emperor of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during ...

and

Andronikos Andronicus or Andronikos ( grc-gre, Ἀνδρόνικος) is a classical Greek name. The name has the sense of "male victor, warrior". Its female counterpart is Andronikè (Ἀνδρονίκη). Notable bearers of the name include: People * Andron ...

, are known by name, having held senior positions later in the century. Another son, John, is known only by his commemoration in the '' typikon'' of the Monastery of Christ Philanthropos. 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 The Theotokos Kecharitomene Monastery ( gr, Θεοτόκος Κεχαριτωμένη, , Theotokos Kecharitomene , Mother of God, full of grace) was a female convent built in the early 12th century in the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, by Empres ...

. This convent was founded by Irene Doukaina, who had originally decreed that her younger daughter Eudokia should succeed her as patroness; after Eudokia died (), Irene chose her oldest daughter, the scholar, physician,

hospital administrator Health administration, healthcare administration, healthcare management or hospital management is the field relating to leadership, management, and administration of public health systems, health care systems, hospitals, and hospital network ...

, and historian Anna Komnene instead, with Maria after her. 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. In her ''

Alexiad The ''Alexiad'' ( el, Ἀλεξιάς, Alexias) is a medieval historical and biographical text written around the year 1148, by the Byzantine princess Anna Komnene, daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. It was written in a form of artificial ...

'', her older sister Anna Komnene speaks with great affection and praise for her virtue, especially for her actions during their father's final days.

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Komnene, Maria 1085 births 12th-century deaths Daughters of Byzantine emperors 11th-century Byzantine women 12th-century Byzantine women Year of death unknown Maria Porphyrogennetoi