Theodora Komnene ( gr, Θεοδώρα ἡ Κομνηνή, died 2 January 1184), Latinized Theodora Comnena, was a daughter of the

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 ...

prince Andronikos Komnenos and his wife, Eirene (?Aineiadissa). Based on the writings of Niketas Choniates, it is likely Theodora was Andronikos' second daughter. The year of Theodora's birth is unknown.

Life and Death

Little is known of Theodora's early life, except that her father died in 1142. She does not appear in the historical record again until the late 1140s, when she was betrothed to and married

Henry II of Austria Henry II (german: Heinrich; 1107 – 13 January 1177), called Jasomirgott, a member of the House of Babenberg,Lingelbach 1913, pp. 91–92. was Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1140 to 1141, Duke of Bavaria (as ''Henry XI'') and Margrave of Austria ...

, whose first wife,

Gertrude of Supplingenburg Gertrude or Gertrud may refer to: Places In space *Gertrude (crater), a crater on Uranus's moon Titania *710 Gertrud, a minor planet Terrestrial placenames * Gertrude, Arkansas * Gertrude, Washington * Gertrude, West Virginia People *Gertrude ( ...

had died in 1143. The marriage had been arranged by her uncle,

Manuel I Manuel I may refer to: * Manuel I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (1143–1180) *Manuel I of Trebizond, Emperor of Trebizond (1228–1263) *Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), wa ...

and her eventual husband's half-brother, Conrad III of Germany, during the latter's stay 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 ( ...

. Theodora and

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

were married in

, and subsequently granted the Duchy of Austria by

Frederick I Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt o ...

in 1156. Theodora died on 2 January 1184.''Necrologium Seccoviense'', Salzburg Necrologies (Regio Styriaca), p. 403

Family

Theodora had three children by her husband Henry: *

Agnès Agnes is a female given name derived from the Greek , meaning 'pure' or 'holy'. The name passed to Italian as Agnese, to French as Agnès, to Portuguese as Inês, and to Spanish as Inés. It is also written as Agness. The name is descended from ...

(?1154 – 13 January 1182) married to

Stephen III of Hungary Stephen III ( hu, István, hr, Stjepan, sk, Štefan; summer of 11474 March 1172) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1162 and 1172. He was crowned king in early June 1162, shortly after the death of his father, Géza II. However, his two un ...

Leopold V, Duke of Austria Leopold V (1157 – 31 December 1194), known as the Virtuous (german: der Tugendhafte) was a member of the House of Babenberg who reigned as Duke of Austria from 1177 and Duke of Styria from 1192 until his death. The Georgenberg Pact resulted in ...

(1157 – 31 December 1194) *Henry, Duke of

Mödling Mödling () is the capital of the Austrian district of the same name located approximately 14 km south of Vienna. Mödling lies in Lower Austria's industrial zone (Industrieviertel). The Mödlingbach, a brook which rises in the Vienna Woods, ...

(1158 – 31 August 1223) married Richeza of Bohemia, daughter of

Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia Vladislaus II or Vladislav II (c. 1110 – 18 January 1174) was the Duke of Bohemia from 1140 and then King of Bohemia from 1158 until his abdication in 1173. He was the second Bohemian king after Vratislaus II, but in neither case was the roya ...

Ancestry

References

Sources

* * Runciman, S.; ''A History of the Crusades, Vols. 1-3'' (Penguin Books, 1978) * Fuhrmann, H., (trans. Reuter, T.); ''Germany in the high middle ages c.1050-1200'' (Cambridge University Press, 1995) * Pertz, G. H. (ed.); ''Auctarium Zwetlensis et Continuatio'' (Hannover, 1851, 1925) * Hereberg-Fränke, S. (ed.); ''Diocesis Salisburgensis Regiones Salisburgensis et Bavarica'' (Berlin, 1904) * Johannes Preiser-Kapeller
Von Ostarrichi an den Bosporus. Ein Überblick zu den Beziehungen im Mittelalter
(From Ostarrichi to the Bosporus: an overview of relations in the Middle Ages), in: Pro Oriente Jahrbuch 2010. Vienna 2011, p. 66-77 {{DEFAULTSORT:Komnene, Theodora

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 ...

1184 deaths 12th-century Byzantine people Austrian royal consorts Year of birth unknown