Maria of Antioch
| Maria of Antioch | |
|---|---|
House of Poitiers | |
| Father | Raymond of Poitiers |
| Mother | Constance of Antioch |
Maria of Antioch (
Early life
Maria of Antioch was the daughter of
Byzantine empress
At the end of 1159, Manuel's wife Empress Irene (originally named
Meanwhile, an imperial embassy led by Alexios Bryennios Komnenos and the prefect of Constantinople, John Kamateros, came to
"...was like unto the laughter-loving, golden Aphrodite, the white-armed and ox-eyed Hera, the long-necked and beautiful ankled Laconian, whom the ancients deified for their beauty, and all the rest of the beauties whose good looks have been preserved in distinguished books and histories."
For several years, Maria was childless. In 1166 she miscarried a son, considered a tragedy by her husband and the population.
Final years
Regency
After the death of Manuel in 1180, Maria officially became a nun with the name "Xenē" (Greek: Ξένη), but in reality she acted as regent for their son Alexios II.[2] Despite being a nun she had many ambitious suitors, but she chose another Alexios, the prōtosebastos and prōtovestiarios, a nephew of Manuel and uncle of Maria Komnene, former queen of Jerusalem, as an advisor and lover, causing a scandal among the Greek population. As a Westerner who favoured the Italian merchants, Maria was opposed by the Greeks, and her regency was widely considered incompetent.
The leaders of the opposition were her stepdaughter, the porphyrogenita
Execution
Manuel's cousin Andronikos Komnenos, who had been exiled during Manuel's reign, was invited back by the porphyrogenita Maria, and marched on Constantinople in 1182. He provoked the citizens into a massacre of the Latin inhabitants, mostly Venetian and Genoese merchants.
After gaining control of the city, he had the Porphyrogenita and Renier poisoned, and then had Empress Maria arrested and imprisoned in the monastery of St. Diomedes or in a prison nearby. The empress tried to seek help from her brother-in-law King
Presumably owing to the secrecy surrounding her death, alternative versions of her death circulated, such as that she was tied up in a sack and drowned.[5] Andronikos had himself crowned co-emperor, but Alexios II was soon murdered as well, and Andronikos took full control of the empire. Sometime later Andronikos also defaced or destroyed most images of Maria in Constantinople.
References
- ISBN 9780195046526.
- ^ a b Garland, Lynda, & Stone, Andrew, "Maria of Antioch, Byzantine Empress", De Imperatoribus Romanis (external link)
- ^ Niketas Choniates, Histories p. 147 van Dieten.
- ^ Niketas Choniates, Histories pp. 267-269 van Dieten; cf. Eustathios of Thessalonica, Sack of Thessalonica.
- ^ Roger of Howden, Annals 1180.
Bibliography
- Lynda Garland, Byzantine Empresses: Woman and Power in Byzantium, AD 527-1204. Routledge, 1999.
- Steven Runciman, A History of the Crusades, Vol. II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem. Cambridge University Press, 1952.
- Warren Treadgold, A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford University Press, 1997.
- O City of Byzantium, Annals of Niketas Choniatēs, trans. Harry J. Magoulias. Wayne State University Press, 1984.
- John Cinnamus, Deeds of John and Manuel Comnenus, trans. Charles M. Brand. Columbia University Press, 1976.
- William of Tyre, A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea, trans. E. A. Babcock and A. C. Krey. Columbia University Press, 1943.