Anna Anachoutlou facts for kids

Anna Anachoutlou (Greek: Ἀννα Μεγάλη Κομνηνή Ἀναχουτλοῦ, romanized: Anna Megalē Komnēnē Anachoutloū; died 3 September 1342) was an empress who ruled the Empire of Trebizond from 1341 to 1342. She was the oldest daughter of Emperor Alexios II Megas Komnenos. During her father's reign, Anna became a nun and lived in a convent.

After her father died, Anna's brothers and nephew ruled Trebizond one after another. Her brother Andronikos III ruled from 1330 to 1332. Then her nephew Manuel II ruled briefly in 1332. Another brother, Basil, ruled from 1332 to 1340. After Basil's death, his wife, Irene Palaiologina, took power. Irene was not related to the ruling family of Trebizond.

In June or July 1341, Anna left her convent. She quickly gathered support to challenge Irene. Even though Anna was a woman and a former nun, she gained a lot of help. People from the empire's provinces, ethnic groups like the Laz and Zan, and Georgian soldiers supported her. These Georgian soldiers might have been mercenaries or sent by King George V of Georgia.

On July 17, 1341, Anna took control of Trebizond without a fight. Irene had given up her throne a few days earlier. Anna was then crowned empress. However, some powerful families in Trebizond who had opposed Irene also opposed Anna. They preferred a male ruler, like Anna's uncle Michael. On July 30, 1341, Michael arrived in Trebizond. He planned to marry Irene, but when he found her removed from power, he decided to claim the throne himself. At first, he was welcomed, but his group was defeated, and he was captured the next morning.

After defeating her main rival, Anna ruled for just over a year. She had military success, defeating a raiding force in 1342. However, her decisions about how the empire was run and its money caused some of her supporters to turn against her. Anna was removed from power by some noble families in late August or early September 1342. She was murdered on September 3. The next day, Michael's son, John III, took Trebizond with the help of some nobles.

Early Life and Family

Anna Anachoutlou was born in the late 1200s. She was the oldest daughter of Alexios II Megas Komnenos. He was the emperor of Trebizond from 1297 to 1330. Anna had four older brothers: Andronikos III, Basil, Michael, and George. She also had a younger sister named Eudokia. In 1330, Andronikos III became emperor and had his brothers Michael and George killed.

Early in her life, Anna became a nun. She spent most of her life living quietly in a convent. It's possible Anna supported a small monastery dedicated to Saint Euthymius the Great. This monastery might have been in Jerusalem. However, this connection is only mentioned in one document, and its truth is not certain.

The meaning of Anna's second name, Anachoutlou (Anachoutlou), is not fully known. It seems to be of Turkish origin. Perhaps it came from her Georgian mother, Jiajak Jaqeli. Names like this started appearing in Georgia in the 1200s. This was when the country was influenced by the Mongol Empire. Another idea is that Anachoutlou was a nickname. It could be a mix of Anna's name and the Turkish word kutlu, meaning 'blessed'. Anna's younger brothers also had similar Turkish-sounding surnames.

How Anna Became Empress

Silver aspron coins made during the reigns of Anna's brothers Andronikos III (left, r. 1330 – 1332) and Basil (right, r. 1332 – 1340). No coins made during Anna's rule are known.

Anna's brother Andronikos III died on January 8, 1332. His young son, Manuel II Megas Komnenos, became emperor. Manuel II ruled for only eight months. He was replaced by his uncle, Anna's brother Basil, on September 23, 1332. Basil was married to Irene Palaiologina. She was the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos. They did not have children.

In July 1339, Basil married a second wife, also named Irene. He already had two sons with her, born outside of marriage. It's not clear if Basil ever officially divorced his first wife. He died soon after, on April 6, 1340. Many people thought Irene Palaiologina had something to do with Basil's death. She quickly took the throne of Trebizond for herself.

To make her rule stronger, Irene sent Basil's second wife and their two sons to her father in Constantinople. This made many noble families in Trebizond angry. They had hoped that Basil's young sons would become emperors, allowing the nobles to gain more power. Soon, two main groups of nobles formed: the Scholarioi and the Amytzantarioi. Irene was supported by the Amytzantarioi, as well as soldiers from Italy and the Byzantine Empire. The Scholarioi saw themselves as defenders of Basil's memory and their own rights. They opposed Irene because she was a "Constantinopolitan stranger." Irene controlled the city of Trebizond. But the Scholarioi were based in a strong monastery nearby. Some nobles who opposed Irene wanted to make one of Basil's young sons emperor. They hoped to rule through him.

Irene knew that as a woman and a foreigner, she might not keep power for long. She asked her father in Constantinople to send her a noble to marry. This husband would help her rule and fight her enemies. But her father, Andronikos, was busy and died on June 15, 1341. He couldn't help Irene find a husband. Also, Irene favored only certain people, which made some of her own supporters unhappy.

In June or July 1341, Anna left her convent. Some nobles convinced her to do so. She traveled to the lands of the Laz people, east of Trebizond. There, she was declared empress. Anna and her younger sister Eudokia were the only remaining children of Alexios II. As the oldest sister, Anna was the closest rightful heir to Basil. The local people and ethnic groups like the Laz and Zan preferred Anna. This was because she belonged to the Grand Komnenos ruling family, not the foreign Palaiologos family.

Anna also had the support of many Georgian soldiers. It's not clear if these were official troops from King George V of Georgia or just mercenaries. It's unknown why these different groups chose Anna. She was from the ruling family, but she was also a woman and a former nun. Her brothers were dead, but there were male family members alive. The most important were her uncle Michael and Michael's son John. Both lived far away in Constantinople.

Anna led her army directly to Trebizond without facing any resistance. Many local people joined her army along the way. Before Anna reached the capital, Irene's popularity had dropped. This was because of attacks by the nearby Aq Qoyunlu. These attackers reached the walls of Trebizond itself. Irene's soldiers from Constantinople ran away without fighting. Because of this, Irene gave up her throne a few days before Anna arrived. When Anna reached Trebizond on July 17, 1341, she was welcomed into the city and recognized as the new empress.

Anna's Time as Empress

Political map of south-eastern Europe and Anatolia, including Trebizond, c. 1340, around the time of Anna's reign

Even though Anna was preferred over Irene, many nobles in Trebizond still thought a male ruler was better. They looked to Anna's uncle Michael as the most suitable male heir. The Scholarioi and other noble families opposed Anna, just as they had opposed Irene. However, the Amytzantarioi, who had supported Irene, now switched to Anna's side.

On July 30, 1341, less than two weeks after Anna became empress, Michael arrived in Trebizond. He was with some Scholarioi leaders. Michael had not come to claim the throne at first. He had been chosen to marry Irene Palaiologina. He arrived with three Byzantine warships and soldiers. Michael landed near Trebizond without problems and was met by other Scholarioi leaders.

It seemed Michael would claim the throne. But his arrival with Byzantine soldiers and his plan to marry Irene angered the Laz people. They had supported Anna and helped remove Irene from power. The Laz people doubted they had the support of everyone. So, they worked to keep Anna in power through a trick. Soon after arriving, Michael was welcomed by the local bishop and received promises of loyalty from officials and nobles. His crowning as emperor was planned for the next day.

But that morning, Michael faced widespread disagreement. During the night, the Laz and nobles who supported Anna had encouraged people in the city to rebel. After a tough fight, the Laz soldiers defeated Michael's Byzantine troops. They also captured the three Byzantine warships. After this victory, Anna dealt with both Michael and Irene. Irene was sent back to her family in Constantinople and is not heard from again. Michael was sent away as a prisoner.

Anna's main supporters hoped her rule would be good for the empire's local and non-Greek people. They also expected her to defend the empire from its many enemies. Anna was successful in battle. She defeated another attack by the Aq Qoyunlu in August 1342. But her decisions about how the empire was run and its money disappointed some of her supporters. Anna was opposed not only by the Scholarioi but also by other countries. The Byzantine Empire was unhappy about Irene being removed. The republics of Venice and Genoa also opposed Anna. Anna's victory over the Aq Qoyunlu did not stop her opponents. It even seems some of the Amytzantarioi stopped supporting her around this time.

Michael and Irene were no longer threats. But the Scholarioi had not been defeated. They quickly decided to get rid of Anna's government using another person: Michael's son John. Later records say the Scholarioi opposed Anna because the Laz or Amytzantarioi had too much influence over her. After Michael failed to take the throne, some Scholarioi leaders fled Trebizond on a Venetian ship. They also had two warships of their own. They traveled to Constantinople to ask John to claim the throne. John agreed, and they left Constantinople on August 17. On their way back, they hired three more ships from Genoa.

In late August or September, the Scholarioi successfully removed Anna from power. On September 3, 1342, she was murdered. A few days earlier, on August 27, John and his group arrived in Trebizond. They landed in the eastern part of the city. After short fights in the streets, John's supporters forced their way into the imperial palace on September 4, 1342. John became emperor as John III Megas Komnenos. After John took power, many of Anna's supporters were killed. This included many Laz people and Amytzantarioi, as well as her supporters in the empire's provinces. In 1344, a monk wrote a remembrance of Anna.

See also

In Spanish: Ana de Trebisonda para niños