Theodora Komnene, Byzantine Princess

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Theodora Komnene (Austria) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Theodora Komnene (death 1183) was a niece of Manuel I Komnenos, Byzantine Emperor; a daughter of Andronikos Komnenos and Eirene Aineidasa; and the second wife of Henry II Jasomirgott, Duke of Austria. She was the mother of : Leopold V, Duke of Austria Henry, Duke of Mödling Agnès, married to Stephen III, King of Hungary

The marriage between Henry "dux Heinricus, filius Liupaldi marchionis" (Duke Henry, son of Margrave Leopold) and "filiam... fratris regis Grecorum Theodora" (Theodora, daughter of the Greek king, that is, the borther of Emperor Manuel) is noted by Annales Mellicenses. The marriage is also mentioned by John Kinnamos "Henricus, qui, ut saepius a me narratum est, Theodoram imperatoris ex fratre neptim uxorem duxerat." (Henry, as has been told to me often, married Theodora, nies of the emperor's brother. (SOURCE: Ioannes Kinnamos, Corpus scriptorum historiae Byzantinaes, 1836, Liber V, 12, s. 236). The marriage was also praised in a poem by Manganeios Prodromos:

Αλαμανια, χόρευε καὶ σκίρτα καὶ λαμπύνου· τοῦ γὰρ σεβαστοκρὰτορος τῇ παγκαλλίστῃ κὸρῃ ὁ δοὺξ ὁ μεγαλόδοξος πανευτυχῶς ἑνοῦται, καὶ γὶνεται λαμπρότερος ἁπὸ τῆς λαμπροτέρας, καὶ μεγαλοδοξότεπος ἐκ τῆς ἐνδοξοτέρας. (Poem 22, line 1-5)

Translation: Dance, Alamania, and leap and shine brilliantly! For the Sevastokrator’s most beautiful daughter is being united to the glorious duke, to his great good fortune, and he is becoming more brilliant from her greater brilliance and much more glorious from her greater glory. (The poem and its translation can be found in the article by Elizabeth and Michael Jeffreys, 'The wild beast from the west' page. 114.

Other sources: Erich Brandenburg: Die Nachkommen Karls des Grossen, Leipzig 1935. Allgemeine deutsche Biographie. Mogens Bugge: Våre forfedre, nr. 1129. Bent og Vidar Billing Hansen: Rosensverdslektens forfedre, side 23, 31.

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. 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.

Theodora and Henry were married in Constantinople, and subsequently granted the Duchy of Austria by Conrad in 1156.

Theodora eventually died on the 2nd January 1184.

Family

Theodora had three children by her husband, Henry II Jasomirgott:

Agnès (?1154 - 13 January 1182) married to Stephen III, King of Hungary

Leopold V, Duke of Austria

Henry, Duke of Mödling (1158 - 31 August 1223) married Richza of Bohemia.