Theodora Komnene ( el, ; born 15 January 1096) was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

noblewoman, being the fourth daughter of Emperor

Alexios I 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

Irene Doukaina Irene Doukaina or Ducaena ( el, , ''Eirēnē Doukaina''; – 19 February 1138) was a Byzantine Greek empress by marriage to the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos. She was the mother of Emperor John II Komnenos and the historian Anna Komn ...

. She married Constantine Angelos, by whom she had seven children. Byzantine emperors Alexios III Angelos and

Isaac II Angelos Isaac II Angelos or Angelus ( grc-gre, Ἰσαάκιος Κομνηνός Ἄγγελος, ; September 1156 – January 1204) was Byzantine Emperor from 1185 to 1195, and again from 1203 to 1204. His father Andronikos Doukas Angelos was a ...

were her grandsons, thereby making her an ancestor of the

Angelos The House of Angelos (; gr, Ἄγγελος), feminine form Angelina (), plural Angeloi (), was a Byzantine Greek noble lineage which rose to prominence through the marriage of its founder, Constantine Angelos, with Theodora Komnene, the you ...

dynasty.

Family

Theodora was born in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

at 3 after midnight on 15 January 1096, the fourth of the five daughters, and seventh child overall, of Emperor

() and

. In she married the nobleman Constantine Kourtikes, but her husband died soon after—Theodora is mentioned as a widow in 1118—and the marriage remained childless. In , certainly after the death of Alexios I, she married a second time, to Constantine Angelos, a minor noble from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. He was exceedingly beautiful, but Empress Irene apparently disapproved of it, and it seems to have soured her relations with Theodora, who is listed last and with the least favourable provisions in the ''

typikon A typikon (or ''typicon'', ''typica''; gr, , "that of the prescribed form"; Church Slavonic, Slavonic: Тvпико́нъ ''Typikonə'' or Оуставъ, ''ustavə'') is a liturgical book which contains instructions about the order of the By ...

'' that Irene granted to the Kecharitomene Monastery. Theodora herself is mentioned for the last time in October 1136, and it is unknown when she died. Her husband went on to hold a series of not very successful military commands under Manuel I Komnenos (). He is last attested in 1166.

Children

From her second marriage to Constantine Angelos, Theodora had seven children. Through her sons, Theodora was the progenitor of the

dynasty, which produced three Byzantine emperors, as well as the Komnenodoukas family, which founded the state of

Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinri ...

–

Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

. * John Doukas ( – ), had several children by one or two marriages, and a bastard son. The latter, Michael I Komnenos Doukas, would go on to found the Despotate of Epirus, and was succeeded by his half-brothers. * Maria Angelina (born ), married Constantine Kamytzes, by whom she had a number of children, including

Manuel Kamytzes Manuel Kamytzes Komnenos Doukas Angelos ( gr, Μανουήλ Καμύτζης Κομνηνός Δούκας Ἄγγελος; after 1202) was a Byzantine general who was active in the late 12th century, and led an unsuccessful rebellion in 1201� ...

. * Alexios Komnenos Angelos (born ), married and fathered one son. *

Andronikos Doukas Angelos Andronikos Doukas Angelos ( el, Ἀνδρόνικος Δούκας Ἄγγελος, – before 1185) was a Byzantine aristocrat related to the ruling Komnenos dynasty. During the reign of his cousin, Manuel I Komnenos, he served without ...

( – before September 1185), married

Euphrosyne Kastamonitissa Euphrosyne Kastamonitissa was a Byzantine noblewoman of the Kastamonites family, a wife of Andronikos Doukas Angelos (a cousin of the ruling Komnenos dynasty) and mother of the two future Byzantine emperors from the Angelos family: Isaac II Angelo ...

, by whom he had nine children including emperors Alexios III Angelos and

. * Eudokia Angelina (born ), married Basil Tzykandeles Goudeles. The couple had no children. * Zoe Angelina (born ), married Andronikos Synadenos. The couple had several children, whose names are unknown. * Isaac Angelos Doukas (born ), married and had at least four children.

Ancestry

Notes

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Komnene, Theodora 1096 births Year of death unknown Place of death missing 12th-century deaths 12th-century Byzantine people Daughters of Byzantine emperors

Theodora Theodora is a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift". Theodora may also refer to: Historical figures known as Theodora Byzantine empresses * Theodora (wife of Justinian I) ( 500 – 548), saint by the Orthodox Church * Theodora o ...

12th-century Byzantine women Porphyrogennetoi