Theodore I Palaiologos or Palaeologus (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Θεόδωρος Παλαιολόγος, full name: ''Theodoros Komnenos Doukas Angelos Palaiologos'') ( – 24 April 1338) was

Marquis of Montferrat The Marquises and Dukes of Montferrat were the rulers of a territory in Piedmont south of the Po and east of Turin called Montferrat. The March of Montferrat was created by Berengar II of Italy in 950 during a redistribution of power in the ...

from 1306 until his death.

Life

He was a son of Emperor

Andronikos II Palaiologos , image = Andronikos II Palaiologos2.jpg , caption = Miniature from the manuscript of George Pachymeres' ''Historia'' , succession = Byzantine emperor , reign = 11 December 1282 –24 May 1328 , coronation = 8 Novemb ...

and

Irene of Montferrat Yolande of Montferrat ( – 1317 in Constantinople) (also known as Violante, then Empress Irene) was the second wife of Andronikos II Palaiologos and thus Empress of the Byzantine Empire. She was the heir of the Margraviate of Montferrat. Born i ...

. When his uncle

John I John I may refer to: People * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526 * John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna * John I ...

died in 1305, the male line of the

Aleramici The House of Aleramici were a medieval Italian noble family of Frankish origin which ruled various northwestern counties and marches, in Piedmont and Liguria from the tenth to the 14th centuries. History The founder of the family was William I ...

Marquises of Montferrat became extinct. The March of Montferrat was passed to Irene's children. Patriarch Athanasius I of Constantinople blocked the candidacy of the elder son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, so Theodore went to Italy instead. Theodore sailed to

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

in 1306. In 1307 he married Argentina Spinola, daughter of Genoese magnate

Opicino Spinola Opicino Spinola (also called Opizzino Spinola) was a merchant and political leader in the Republic of Genoa in the early fourteenth century. He was a member of the Spinola Family and one of the richest men in Genoa. In January 1306, the citizens ...

, ''

Capitano del Popolo Captain of the People ( it, Capitano del popolo, Lombard: ''Capitani del Popol'') was an administrative title used in Italy during the Middle Ages, established essentially to balance the power and authority of the noble families of the Italian ...

'' (co-ruler) of the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the La ...

. Spinola used his wealth to back Theodore's claim to Montferrat. Theodore was opposed by

Manfred IV of Saluzzo Manfred IV (died 1330) was the fifth marquess of Saluzzo from 1296, the son of Thomas I and Luisa of Ceva. Biography Manfred forced the commune of Saluzzo (granted it by his father) to sign a contract regulating the relations between the city, ...

. Manfred was a cadet of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

, and several Marquises of Montferrat had Savoyard wives. King

Charles II of Naples Charles II, also known as Charles the Lame (french: Charles le Boiteux; it, Carlo lo Zoppo; 1254 – 5 May 1309), was King of Naples, Count of Provence and Forcalquier (1285–1309), Prince of Achaea (1285–1289), and Count of Anjou and Mai ...

also claimed parts of the March. He gradually overcame these foes and secured the whole March. In 1310 he received the imperial investiture from

Emperor Henry VII Henry VII ( German: ''Heinrich''; c. 1273 – 24 August 1313),Kleinhenz, pg. 494 also known as Henry of Luxembourg, was Count of Luxembourg, King of Germany (or '' Rex Romanorum'') from 1308 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1312. He was the first em ...

. Theodore died in

Trino Vercellese Trino ( pms, Trin) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vercelli in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about southwest of Vercelli, at the foot of the Montferrat hills. Trino borders the following mun ...

in 1338. He was succeeded by his son John II Palaiologos.

Marriage and issue

Theodore and Argentina had: * John ΙΙ (1313–1372) * Yolande (1318–1342), who married

Aimone, Count of Savoy Aymon (15 December 1291 – 22 June 1343), nicknamed the Peaceful, was Count of Savoy from 1329 to 1343. Early life Aymon was born in Chambéry. His father was Amadeus V, Count of Savoy, and he was the younger brother of Edward, Count of S ...

Writings

Theodore is known to have authored an original military manual, titled ''Les Enseignemens ou Ordenances pour un Siegneur qui a Guerres et Grans Gouvernemens a Faire'', often referred to as ''Les enseignements''. Originally composed in Greek in 1326-1327 while Theodore was in Constantinople, it exists now only in the medieval French translation of

Jean de Vignay Jean de Vignay (c. 1282/1285 – c. 1350) was a French monk and translator. He translated from Latin into Old French for the French court, and his works survive in many illuminated manuscripts. They include two military ...

. The work is one of the most interesting medieval military manuals in that it is not dependent on

Vegetius Publius (or Flavius) Vegetius Renatus, known as Vegetius (), was a writer of the Later Roman Empire (late 4th century). Nothing is known of his life or station beyond what is contained in his two surviving works: ''Epitoma rei militaris'' (also r ...

De Re Militari ''De re militari'' (Latin "Concerning Military Matters"), also ''Epitoma rei militaris'', is a treatise by the Late Latin writer Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus about Roman warfare and military principles as a presentation of the methods and ...

or any other known classical text. It thus serves as an example of the military thinking of the late Byzantine and Medieval worlds.John R.E. Bliese, 'Rhetoric Goes to War: The Doctrine of Ancient and Medieval Military Manuals', ''Rhetoric Society Quarterly'', Vol 24, No. 3/4, 1994, p. 116-117.

Ancestors

External links

The French translation of ''Les enseignements''
''Les enseignements de Théodore Paléologue'', Christine Knowles (ed.)

References

Sources

* , - 1290 births 1338 deaths Marquesses of Montferrat Palaiologos dynasty 14th-century Byzantine people 14th-century Italian nobility Medieval Greek military writers 14th-century Byzantine writers Sons of Byzantine emperors People from Trino {{Europe-royal-stub