John Komnenos Doukas ( el, Ιωάννης Κομνηνός Δούκας, ''Iōannēs Komnēnos Doúkas''), Latinized as Comnenus Ducas, was ruler of

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 ...

from 1237 until his death in 1244. John was the eldest son of

Theodore Komnenos Doukas Theodore Komnenos Doukas ( el, Θεόδωρος Κομνηνὸς Δούκας, ''Theodōros Komnēnos Doukas'', Latinized as Theodore Comnenus Ducas, died 1253) was ruler of Epirus and Thessaly from 1215 to 1230 and of Thessalonica and most ...

and Maria Petraliphaina. In 1230 his father was captured together with his family in the

Battle of Klokotnitsa The Battle of Klokotnitsa ( bg, Битката при Клокотница, ''Bitkata pri Klokotnitsa'') occurred on 9 March 1230 near the village of Klokotnitsa (today in Haskovo Province, Bulgaria) between Second Bulgarian Empire and Emp ...

Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria Ivan Asen II, also known as John Asen II ( bg, Иван Асен II, ; 1190s – May/June 1241), was Emperor (Tsar) of Bulgaria from 1218 to 1241. He was still a child when his father Ivan Asen I one of the founders of the Second Bulgarian Empi ...

. When his sister

Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United Stat ...

married Ivan Asen II in 1237, John was released from captivity together with his now blind father Theodore and his younger brother

Demetrios Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning “Demetris” - "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dumi ...

. Theodore and his sons made their way back to

and incited a revolt against Theodore's brother

Manuel Komnenos Doukas Manuel Komnenos Doukas, Latinized as Ducas ( el, Μανουήλ Κομνηνός Δούκας, ''Manouēl Komnēnos Doukas''; c. 1187 – c. 1241), commonly simply Manuel Doukas (Μανουήλ Δούκας) and rarely also called Manuel Angelos ...

who had ruled the city since 1230. Since Theodore was blind, he installed his son John as ruler and retired to Vodena. In 1239, the deposed Manuel returned with Nicaean help and made himself master of

Thessaly Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, The ...

. Unable to dislodge him, Theodore and John came to terms with the loss of that province. In 1241 Ivan Asen II died, removing both his suzerainty and his protection from Thessalonica. Now, if not earlier, John began using the imperial title once used by his father. This and his exposed position attracted the attention of Emperor

John III Doukas Vatatzes John III Doukas Vatatzes, Latinized as Ducas Vatatzes ( el, Ιωάννης Δούκας Βατάτζης, ''Iōannēs Doukas Vatatzēs'', c. 1192 – 3 November 1254), was Emperor of Nicaea from 1221 to 1254. He was succeeded by his son, known ...

Nicaea Nicaea, also known as Nicea or Nikaia (; ; grc-gre, Νίκαια, ) was an ancient Greek city in Bithynia, where located in northwestern Anatolia and is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and s ...

. The Nicaean emperor invited Theodore to a conference and had him arrested, and in 1242 led his army against Thessalonica. Upon reaching Thessalonica, he sent Theodore to negotiate with his son and obtain his submission. John was easily induced to content himself with the title of

despotes Despot or ''despotes'' ( grc-gre, δεσπότης, despótēs, lord, master) was a senior Byzantine court title that was bestowed on the sons or sons-in-law of reigning emperors, and initially denoted the heir-apparent of the Byzantine emperor ...

and to recognize the suzerainty of Nicaea. Securing these concessions, John III Doukas Vatatzes rapidly returned to

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

to combat the invading

Seljuk Turks The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turk ...

. John had exhibited little talent for governing and he is said to have desired to become a priest. He died in 1244 and was succeeded by his younger brother Demetrios.

References

* * *G. Finlay, ''History of Greece'', vol. iii. (1877) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Doukas, John Komnenos Year of birth missing 1244 deaths 13th-century Byzantine people

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 ...

Medieval rulers of Thessaly

Despots (court title) 13th-century rulers in Europe