Simonida Nemanjić ( sr-cyr, Симонида Немањић; c. 1294 – after 1336), born Simonis Palaiologina ( el, Σιμωνίς Παλαιολογίνα, sr. Симонида Палеолог, ''Simonida Paleolog''), 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 ...

princess and queen consort of the

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Краљевина Србија, Kraljevina Srbija) was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Princi ...

, wife of 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 ...

(r. 1282–1321). Queen Simonida was a daughter of the

Byzantine Emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...

Andronikos II Palaiologos (r. 1282–1328) 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 ...

. In

Medieval Serbia Serbia in the Middle Ages refers to the medieval period in the history of Serbia. The period begins in the 6th century with the Slavic migrations to Southeastern Europe, and lasts until the Ottoman conquest of Serbian lands in the second half ...

Queen Simonida is best remembered as a patron of Fine Arts, Arts and Letters.

Life

Princess Simonida 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 (" ...

ca. 1294. In 1298, when a result of a Byzantine defeat, Emperor Andronikos II promised a marriage alliance to the Serbian ruler Milutin. The Orthodox Diocese in Constantinople opposed the marriage, but the emperor was determined to do so, and in late 1298 he sent his trusted minister

Theodore Metochites Theodore Metochites ( el, Θεόδωρος Μετοχίτης; 1270–1332) was a Byzantine Greek statesman, author, gentleman philosopher, and patron of the arts. From c. 1305 to 1328 he held the position of personal adviser ('' mesazōn'') to e ...

to Serbia to conduct the negotiations. On his part, King Milutin too was eager to accept, and even divorced his wife,

Ana Terter Ana Terter ( Bulgarian and sr-cyr, Ана Тертер; died after 1304) was a Bulgarian princess and Queen consort of Serbia (1284–1299). She was the fourth wife of King Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia. Her marriage to Stefan Milutin is d ...

, the daughter of the

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

tsar George Terter. Queen Simonida and King Milutin's marriage was celebrated in

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 ...

springtime of 1299, and the couple departed for Serbia. As a wedding present, Byzantines recognized Serbian rule north of the line

Ohrid Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...

—

Prilep Prilep ( mk, Прилеп ) is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko. Name The name of Prilep appear ...

—

Štip Štip ( mk, Штип ) is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of North Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities. As of the 2002 census, the city ...

. Queen Simonida showed great interest in theology at a rather young age and wanted to become a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

. After her mother Irene died in 1317, Queen Simonida decided not to return to Serbia. When King Milutin's entourage came for his wife, she appeared in

monastic habit A religious habit is a distinctive set of religious clothing worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognizable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anchoritic life, ...

. King Milutin's people were astounded, yet her own half-brother

Constantine Palaiologos Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos or Dragaš Palaeologus ( el, Κωνσταντῖνος Δραγάσης Παλαιολόγος, ''Kōnstantînos Dragásēs Palaiológos''; 8 February 1405 – 29 May 1453) was the last Roman (Byzantine) e ...

ordered for civil dress. Queen Simonida went to Serbia with King Milutin's entourage, although she was reluctant to do so. After King Milutin threatened to start a war, Queen Simonida came back with him. Queen was 22 years old. When Milutin fell ill, she was beside him all the time, much to the surprise of the rest of the court. King Milutin died on 19 October 1321, and already on 29 October, Queen Simonida returned to Constantinople, where she entered the monastery of

Saint Andrew in Krisei Koca Mustafa Pasha Mosque ( tr, Koca Mustafa Paşa Camii; also named ''Sünbül Efendi Camii'') is a former Eastern Orthodox church converted into a mosque by the Ottomans, located in Istanbul, Turkey. The church, as the adjoining monastery, was d ...

as a nun. There is very little information about her later life. Queen Simonida was last mentioned in historical documents in 1336, as a part of an assembly of civil and religious dignitaries who were stopping the conspirators. It is said that Queen Simonida died some time after 1345.

Legacy

Queen Simonida's beauty was well known, and she was known as a figure of clarity and beauty in Serbian tradition. A

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

of her in

Gračanica monastery Gračanica () may refer to: Places Bosnia and Herzegovina * Gračanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a town and municipality in Tuzla *Gračanica (Bugojno), a village in Central Bosnia * Gračanica, Gacko, a village in Republika Srpska * Gračanica, P ...

is regarded as one of the most valuable frescos in

Serbian art Serbian art refers to the visual arts of the Serbs and their nation-state Serbia. The medieval heritage includes Byzantine art, preserved in architecture, frescos and icons of the many Serbian Orthodox monasteries. In the Early modern period, S ...

. Unfortunately, the fresco is partially ruined since the Muslim invasions of those times, so that the fresco of Queen Simonida has damages at eyes. Queen Simonida brought a large entourage to Serbia, and with her arrival, Serbia received a boost of Byzantine culture. Byzantine-style court ceremonials and dress were adopted, Byzantine honorary, functional titles appeared, and court offices, legal institutions were renewed. ''Byzantine ways'' were further expanded by Serbia's newly won populous Greek-speaking regions, in which the King Milutin retained all former Byzantine political, social and cultural activities. A famous Serbian poet

Milan Rakić Milan Rakić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милан Ракић; 18 September 1876 – 30 June 1938) was a Serbian poet-diplomat and academic. He focused on dodecasyllable and hendecasyllable verse, which allowed him to achieve beautiful rhythm and rhyme ...

wrote a

lyric poem Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person. It is not equivalent to song lyrics, though song lyrics are often in the lyric mode, and it is also ''not'' equi ...

about the Byzantine Queen, titled ''Simonida'', and

Milutin Bojić Milutin Bojić ( sr-Cyrl, Милутин Бојић; – ) was a Serbian war poet, theatre critic, playwright, and soldier. A native of Belgrade, he began writing poetry at an early age and published a number of literary reviews under a p ...

wrote a psychological drama called ''Kraljeva Jesen'' ("King's autumn") about the Byzantine Queen. One of the asteroids 1675 Simonida discovered by Serbian astronomer Milorad B. Protić was named after Byzantine Queen (Simonida).

Ancestry

References

External links

, - {{Authority control 1294 births 1340s deaths 14th-century Serbian royalty 14th-century Byzantine nuns Serbian queens consort Greek women of the Byzantine Empire Medieval Serbian royal consorts Medieval Serbian people of Greek descent Palaiologos dynasty Nemanjić dynasty Year of death unknown Daughters of Byzantine emperors 14th-century Serbian women

Life

Legacy

Ancestry

See also

References

Further reading

External links