Alexios III of Trebizond facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alexios III Megas Komnenos
Emperor and Autocrat of all the East and Perateia
Alexios III with his wife Theodora, from the chrysobull he granted to the Dionysiou monastery.
Emperor of Trebizond
Reign	22 December 1349 – 20 March 1390
Predecessor	Michael
Successor	Manuel III
Born	(1338-10-05)5 October 1338
Died	20 March 1390(1390-03-20) (aged 51)
Spouse	Theodora Kantakouzene
Issue	Anna Megale Komnene Basil Megas Komnenos Manuel III Megas Komnenos Eudokia Megale Komnene Maria Megale Komnene Two other daughters Andronikos (illegitimate)
Dynasty	Komnenos
Father	Basil Megas Komnenos
Mother	Irene of Trebizond

Alexios III Megas Komnenos (Greek: Αλέξιος Μέγας Κομνηνός; born October 5, 1338 – died March 20, 1390), also known as Alexius III, was the Emperor of Trebizond. He ruled from December 1349 until his death. His time as emperor is well-known for his support of religious groups and new writings.

Alexios III was the son of Emperor Basil of Trebizond and his second wife, Irene of Trebizond. He was first named John. He later took the name Alexios. This was either to honor his older brother who died young, or his grandfather, Emperor Alexios II of Trebizond.

People described Alexios III as looking very noble. He had fair skin, blonde hair, and regular features. He also had an aquiline (hooked) nose. Some said this type of nose was a sign of royalty. He was strong and well-built. He was also cheerful and generous. However, some of his enemies said he was sometimes reckless and violent.

Becoming Emperor

When Emperor Basil died in April 1340, his first wife, Irene Palaiologina, became empress. She sent all of Basil's children, including young Alexios, to Constantinople with their mother. Alexios grew up in the Byzantine court.

When he was eleven, Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos sent him to Trebizond. The plan was for Alexios to replace his great-uncle Michael, who had been removed from power. Alexios arrived in Trebizond on December 22, 1349. The nobles, led by megas doux (a high military commander) Niketas Scholares, accepted him as emperor without any trouble.

At this time, he officially took the name Alexios. He was crowned emperor on January 21, 1350. His mother Irene and a loyal supporter named John Lazaropoulos were with him. To keep Alexios safe, the former Emperor Michael was sent to live in a monastery.

Early Challenges

In 1351, Alexios strengthened his ties with Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos. The deposed Emperor Michael was sent away to Constantinople. On September 20, 1351, Alexios III married Theodora Kantakouzene. She was a relative of the Byzantine Emperor. Their wedding took place in the newly rebuilt Church of St. Eugenios.

At first, Alexios was accepted because he was young. However, the country had been troubled for years by nobles fighting for power. Alexios felt unsafe in the capital city. He moved to the coastal castle of Tripolis for safety.

Gaining Control

The young emperor had the support of his mother and loyal generals. One of these was Michael Panaretos, who wrote a chronicle (a historical record) that tells us a lot about Trebizond's history. With their help, Alexios slowly brought the disobedient nobles under control.

Alexios and his court also made peace with the neighboring Turkmen groups. They arranged marriages to create alliances. For example, Alexios's oldest sister Maria married Fahreddin Kutlubeg of Aq Qoyunlu in 1352.

As Alexios became stronger, he relied less on Niketas, the megas doux who had helped him become emperor. By June 1354, Niketas had to flee to Kerasous. There, he prepared a fleet of ships to attack Trebizond in March 1355. But the rebels realized they couldn't win and gave up their plan.

Alexios then prepared his own fleet. In May, he sailed to Kerasous with his mother and the Metropolitan of Trebizond (a high-ranking church leader). He conquered the town while Niketas was away. The emperor's army then surrounded Niketas's last fortress, Kenchrina, and it surrendered. Niketas and his noble supporters were captured and brought to Trebizond. Niketas died there in 1360.

After Niketas was imprisoned, the civil war seemed to end. However, in 1363, some nobles tried to assassinate Alexios III. Alexios escaped their trap. With the help of loyal soldiers, he arrested everyone involved. The Metropolitan Niphon was removed from his position for being part of the plot. He died in a monastery the next year. Alexios replaced him with his supporter John Lazaropoulos, who became Metropolitan Joseph. Even after defeating the nobles, Alexios showed fairness. He granted charters to noble families, letting them keep their lands.

Dealing with Other Nations

Alexios III worked to strengthen his country's borders against the Turkmen. He was not always successful and suffered a big defeat in battle in 1355. Alexios and Panaretos barely escaped with their lives.

A raid by Hajji 'Umar, a powerful leader from Chalybia, was stopped through diplomacy. Hajji 'Umar married Alexios's sister Theodora in 1358. Alexios continued to make alliances with Muslim leaders through marriages. Four of his daughters married Muslim princes. His fifth daughter, Anna Megale Komnene, became the second wife of King Bagrat V of Georgia.

Trade and Italian Republics

Alexios was also unable to remove the Genoese and Venetians from their strong position in Trebizond's trade. Venice's power had lessened after the Genoese gained control of Leonkastron in 1349. In 1360, Alexios tried to improve trade with Venice to balance the power of the Genoese.

In 1364, he confirmed Venice's old trading rights. He also gave them a trading post near a monastery. But the Venetians were not happy and often argued with the Genoese. Another agreement with Venice in 1367 slowly lowered some of the taxes on Venetian trade.

However, Alexios's efforts to use the Italian republics for trade caused problems. In 1373, the Venetians plotted with Dobrotitsa, a ruler from Dobruja (who was an enemy of the Genoese). They wanted to put Michael Palaiologos, a son of Emperor John V Palaiologos, on the throne of Trebizond. Michael Palaiologos arrived at Trebizond with ships. He stayed for five days but then gave up and left. Relations with Venice were fixed, but even though Alexios lowered taxes for Venetians again in 1381, their trade with Trebizond continued to decrease.

Alexios III died on March 20, 1390. His son, Manuel III, became the next emperor. During his long rule, Alexios III repaired damage to the capital city. He also gave generous gifts to several monasteries, especially Soumela Monastery. He also founded the Dionysiou monastery at Mount Athos. This generosity was possible because he took over properties from nobles who had opposed him. As these nobles were defeated, their lands became the emperor's. This allowed him to support monasteries like St. Phokas (1362), Soumela (1364), Dionysiou (1374), and Theoskepastos (1376). This shows how Alexios III gained power over his landowning rivals.

Family

Alexios III and his wife Theodora Kantakouzene had seven children:

• Anna (born 1357 – died after 1406), who married King Bagrat V of Georgia.
• Basil (born 1358–died 1377).
• Manuel III (born 1364–died 1417), who became Emperor from 1390–1416. He married Gulkhan-Eudokia of Georgia.
• Eudokia, who married Tajeddin, a leader from Limnia, on October 8, 1379.
• Maria, who married Suleiman Beg, a leader from Chalybia.
• An unnamed daughter, who married Mutahharten, a leader from Erzincan.
• A second unnamed daughter, who married Qara Osman, a chieftain of the Aq Qoyunlu.

Alexios also had at least one son with another woman:

• Andronikos (born 1355–died 1376). He married Gulkhan-Eudokia, daughter of King David IX of Georgia. Sadly, he died from a fall soon after, and Eudokia then married his brother, Manuel III.

See Also

• The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, 1991.