Maria of Alania

Maria of Alania (Greek: Μαρία Ἀλανή; born Martha; Georgian: მართა; 1053–1118) was Byzantine empress by marriages to emperorsMichael VII Doukas and Nikephoros III Botaneiates. Her status as empress was considered a significant success for a newly unifiedKingdom of Georgia, which would achieve regional influence comparable to that of Byzantium only during the reign of Martha's nephew, King David IV, who refused to carry a Byzantine title. Maria was the only foreign Byzantine empress of the eleventh century.