Theodora Komnene, Duchess of Austria

Theodora Komnene (Greek: Θεοδώρα ἡ Κομνηνή, died 2 January 1184), Latinized Theodora Comnena, was a daughter of the Byzantine 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.

Theodora Komnene
Gertrude of Süpplingenburg and Theodora Komnene
Died(1184-01-02)2 January 1184
Noble familyKomnenos
Spouse(s)Henry II, Duke of Austria
FatherAndronikos Komnenos
MotherEirene

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, whose first wife, Gertrude of Supplingenburg had died in 1143.[1] The marriage had been arranged by her uncle, Manuel I and her eventual husband's half-brother, Conrad III of Germany, during the latter's stay in Constantinople.[2]

Theodora and Henry were married in Constantinople, and subsequently granted the Duchy of Austria by Frederick I Barbarossa in 1156.[3]

Theodora died on 2 January 1184.[4][5]

Family

Theodora had three children by her husband Henry:

Ancestry

References
  1. Lyon 2013, p. 242.
  2. Runciman (1978), Vol. 2, p. 270
  3. Fuhrmann, H., trans. Reuter, T. (1995) Germany in the high middle ages c.1050-1200 (1995), p. 150
  4. Continuatio Zwetlensis Altera 1184, MGH SS IX, p. 542
  5. Necrologium Seccoviense, Salzburg Necrologies (Regio Styriaca), p. 403

Sources
  • Lyon, Jonathan R. (2013). Princely Brothers and Sisters: The Sibling Bond in German Politics, 1100–1250. Cornell University Press.
  • 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
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.