Euphrosyne Palaiologina ( el, Ευφροσύνη Παλαιολογίνα) was an illegitimate daughter of Byzantine Emperor

Michael VIII Palaiologos Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( el, Μιχαὴλ Δούκας Ἄγγελος Κομνηνὸς Παλαιολόγος, Mikhaēl Doukas Angelos Komnēnos Palaiologos; 1224 – 11 December 1282) reigned as the co-emperor of the Empire ...

and his mistress Diplovatatzina, who married

Nogai Khan Nogai, or Noğay (; also spelled Nogay, Nogaj, Nohai, Nokhai, Noqai, Ngoche, Noche, Kara Nokhai, and Isa Nogai; died 1299/1300) was a general and kingmaker of the Golden Horde and a great-great-grandson of Genghis Khan. His grandfather was Bo'al/ ...

in order to form a Byzantine–Mongol alliance. She was named after goddess

Euphrosyne Euphrosyne (; grc, Εὐφροσύνη), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, was one of the Charites, known in ancient Rome as the ''Gratiae'' (Graces). She was sometimes called Euthymia (Εὐθυμία) or Eutychia (Εὐτυχία). F ...

, and was also known as Irene.

Biography

In 1266, Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, anxious to make an alliance, gave his daughter Euphrosyne to Nogai Khan of the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fragmen ...

as a wife, after the latter had invaded

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...

a year earlier. George Pachymeres reported that during the

Uprising of Ivaylo The Uprising of Ivaylo ( bg, Въстанието на Ивайло) was a rebellion of the Bulgarian peasantry against the incompetent rule of Emperor Constantine Tikh and the Bulgarian nobility. The revolt was fuelled mainly by the failure of ...

, Euphrosyne contacted her family 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 (" ...

to inform them that Ivaylo had arrived in the Golden Horde. Consequently, Michael VIII sent his son-in-law to Nogai, the former Bulgarian king

Ivan Asen III Ivan Asen III ( bg, Иван Асен III, also Йоан Асен III, ''Ioan Asen III'', and in English ''John Asen III''), ruled as tsar of Bulgaria 1279–1280. Ivan Asen III was the son of Mitso Asen of Bulgaria and Maria of Bulgaria, a daught ...

who was married to Euphrosyne's half-sister Irene Palaiologina. Divided between the two contenders for the Bulgarian crown, Nogai initially hesitated and delayed his decision. However, Euphrosyne sided with Ivan Asen III, and Ivaylo was killed during a feast attended by both contenders. Later on, Euphrosyne requested from her husband to spare Ivan Asen III, the second pretender to the Bulgarian throne, from execution, which allowed him to flee 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 ...

. Euphrosyne had arranged the marriage of Crimean merchant Pandoleon's daughter, Euphrosyne of Bulgaria, to

Theodore Svetoslav Theodore Svetoslav ( bg, Тодор Светослав, ''Todor Svetoslav'' and also Теодор Светослав, ''Teodor Svetoslav'') ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from 1300 to 1322. The date of his birth is unknown. He expanded the ter ...

, who lived as a hostage in the khan's court. Pandoleon was a close friend of Khan Nogai. Therefore, Pantaleon was honored to have his daughter baptized by Euphrosyne's name.Павлов, Пламен. Търновските царици. В.Т.:ДАР-ТХ, 2006. Euphrosyne kept acting for the interests of Constantinople, in which she supported Andronikos II Palaiologos. She also strengthened the position of Theodore Svetosla, and went against

Smiltsena Palaiologina Smiltsena ( bg, Смилцена) was the niece of Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, and empress-consort (tsaritsa) of Tsar Smilets of Bulgaria. Empress consort of Bulgaria Smiltsena was the daughter of sebastocrator Constantine Palai ...

who sought an alliance with Serbian King

Stefan Milutin Stefan Uroš II Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Урош II Милутин, Stefan Uroš II Milutin; 1253 – 29 October 1321), known as Stefan Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Милутин, Stefan Milutin), was the King of Serbia between 1282&nd ...

. Khan Nogai was killed in 1299/1300 by the Mongols of

Toqta Tokhta (Toqta, Toktu, Tokhtai, Tochtu or Tokhtogha) (died ) was a khan of the Golden Horde, son of Mengu-Timur and great-grandson of Batu Khan. His name "Tokhtokh" means "hold/holding" in the Mongolian language. Early reign under Nogai In 1 ...

in the battle of Kagamlik, near the

Dnieper } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and B ...

. The fate of Euphrosyne Palaeologina around these events is unknown. It is possible that she died before her husband, fell victim to power struggles in the Golden Horde after his death, or was sent back to Constantinople.

Personal life

Euphrosyne and Nogai did not appear to have children. Her sister

Maria Palaiologina Maria Palaiologina ( el, Μαρία Παλαιολογίνα) was the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos () who became the wife of the Mongol ruler Abaqa Khan, and an influential Christian leader among the Mongols. After A ...

married

Abaqa Khan Abaqa Khan (27 February 1234 – 4 April 1282, mn, Абаха/Абага хан (Khalkha Cyrillic), ( Traditional script), "paternal uncle", also transliterated Abaġa), was the second Mongol ruler (''Ilkhan'') of the Ilkhanate. The son of Hula ...

of Ilkhanid

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

.Canal and Runciman, p. 320. She was the step-mother of Chaka.

References

;Sources * Canal, Denis-Armand and Runciman, Steven. ''Histoire des Croisades'' istory of the Crusades Editions Dagorno, 1998, . * {{DEFAULTSORT:Palaiologina, Euphrosyne

Daughters of Byzantine emperors 13th-century births Year of birth unknown 13th-century Byzantine people Illegitimate children of Byzantine emperors Year of death unknown Children of Michael VIII Palaiologos Mongol Empire Christians 13th-century Byzantine women