Theodora of Trebizond
Empress and Autocrat of all the East, of the Iberians and of Perateia
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Theodora Megale Komnene (Greek: Θεοδώρα Μεγάλη Κομνηνή, Theodōra Megalē Komnēnē), (before 1253– after 1285), was Empress of Trebizond from 1284 to 1285. All Michael Panaretos tells us about her is that she was a daughter of Emperor Manuel I of Trebizond by Rusudan, a Georgian princess.[1] Although some consider her Manuel's second wife, Michel Kuršanskis has argued that Rusudan may have been simply his mistress.[2] Kuršanskis also notes that the evidence is insufficient to determine if Theodora was identical with one of the princesses of Trebizond mentioned in the Chronicle of Bishop Stephanos who married a noble or the king of Georgia, or if she had been a nun — much as Anna Anachoutlou was before her usurpation in the following century.[3]
| Theodora Megale Komnene | |
|---|---|
| Empress and Autocrat of all the East, of the Iberians and of Perateia | |
Coin of Theodora, minted c. 1285 | |
| Empress of Trebizond | |
| Reign | 1284–1285 |
| Predecessor | John II |
| Successor | John II |
| Dynasty | Komnenos |
| Father | Manuel I Megas Komnenos |
| Mother | Rusudan of Georgia |
In 1284, with the help of Georgian King of Imereti, David VI Narin she managed to seize the crown from her half-brother, Emperor John II.[4] John II may have taken refuge in Tripolis.[5] Shortly afterwards she was defeated and John regained his throne, but she had managed to reign long enough to have minted her own coins. A few types of silver aspers and bronze nomismas are evidence that she was the only Empress of Trebizond to have coined money.[6] After John's restoration, she went into exile in Georgia, the homeland of her mother.[7]
