Theodore I Palaiologos or Palaeologus (

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

: 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 River, Po and east of Turin. The March of Montferrat was created by Berengar II of Italy in 950 during a redistribution of power in the northwest o ...

from 1306 until his death.

Life

Theodore was a son of Emperor

Andronikos II Palaiologos Andronikos II Palaiologos (; 25 March 1259 – 13 February 1332), Latinization of names, Latinized as Andronicus II Palaeologus, reigned as Byzantine emperor from 1282 to 1328. His reign marked the beginning of the recently restored em ...

and

Irene of Montferrat Yolande of Montferrat ( – 1317 in Drama) (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 heiress of the Margraviate of Montferrat. Life Born ...

. When his uncle

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

died in 1305, the male line of the

Aleramici The Aleramici were a Northern Italian noble and royal dynasty of Frankish origin which ruled various northwestern Italian territories in Piedmont and Liguria from the 10th to the 14th century, also reigning over the Kingdom of Jerusalem and th ...

Marquises of Montferrat became extinct. The

March of Montferrat The March (also ''margraviate'' or ''marquisate'') of Montferrat was a frontier march of the Kingdom of Italy during the Middle Ages and a state of the Holy Roman Empire. The margraviate was raised to become the Duchy of Montferrat in 1574. ...

was passed to Irene's children.

Patriarch Athanasius I of Constantinople Athanasius I of Constantinople (; – 28 October 1310) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for two terms, from 1289 to 1293 and from 1303 to 1309. He was born in Adrianople and died in Constantinople. Chosen by the emperor Androniko ...

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 * Second E ...

, so Theodore went to Italy instead. Theodore sailed to

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

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

Opicino Spinola Opicino Spinola also called Opizzino Spinola (13th century–1317) was a merchant and political leader in the Republic of Genoa in the early 14th century. He was a member of the Spinola Family and one of the richest men in Genoa. In January 1306 ...

, ''

Capitano del Popolo Captain of the people () 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 city-states.Najemy, John M. 2006. ''A History of Florence 1 ...

'' (co-ruler) of the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( ; ; ) was a medieval and early modern Maritime republics, maritime republic from the years 1099 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italy, Italian coast. During the Late Middle Ages, it was a major commercial power in ...

. 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 (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

, and several Marquises of Montferrat had Savoyard wives. King

Charles II of Naples Charles II, also known as Charles the Lame (; ; 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 Maine (1285–1290); he also was King of Albania ( ...

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''; Vulgar Latin: ''Arrigo''; 1273 – 24 August 1313),Kleinhenz, pg. 494 also known as Henry of Luxembourg, was Count of Luxembourg, King of Germany ('' Rex Romanorum'') from 1308 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1312. ...

. Theodore died in

Trino Vercellese Trino () 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 municipal ...

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

Marriage and issue

Theodore and Argentina had: * Yolande (1318–1342), who married

Aimone, Count of Savoy Aymon, Count of Savoy (1291–1343), also known as Aymon the Peaceful, was a nobleman who ruled the County of Savoy from 1329 until his death in 1343. He was a member of the House of Savoy, a prominent European noble family. Early life Aymon wa ...

* John ΙΙ (1321–1372)

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 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

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