Irene Palaiologina of Trebizond facts for kids

Irene Palaiologina (born around 1315) was an Empress of Trebizond. She ruled from April 6, 1340, to July 17, 1341. Irene was the daughter of Andronikos III Palaiologos, who was the Byzantine Emperor. In 1335, she married Basil of Trebizond, who was the Emperor of Trebizond.

Becoming Empress: A Tricky Start

Not long after Irene married Emperor Basil, he started a relationship with another woman, also named Irene. In 1339, Emperor Basil divorced Irene Palaiologina. Some local church leaders helped him do this.

However, Irene Palaiologina still had powerful friends. The head of the church in Constantinople, Patriarch John XIV of Constantinople, supported her. She likely kept some power in Trebizond. On April 6, 1340, Emperor Basil died suddenly. Many believed Irene was responsible for his death. She then quickly took the throne for herself.

Her position as Empress was not very strong. This was because of how she became ruler. Also, she was not part of the Komnenian dynasty, which was the ruling family of Trebizond. To make her rule stronger, she sent Basil's second wife and his sons to Constantinople. This way, her father could keep an eye on them.

Irene felt that the Empire needed a man to lead it. She asked her father, Emperor Andronikos III, to send her a husband. She wanted a husband from the noble families of Byzantium. But her father was away from Constantinople. He died on June 15, 1341, before he could answer her request. Meanwhile, rumors spread in Trebizond about the Empress. These rumors caused many riots and much unrest among the people.

Civil War Begins

A civil war started soon after Irene became Empress. Three main groups were fighting for power:

• The first group was Irene's supporters. This included the Amytzantarioi family and soldiers from Byzantium. Her father had sent these soldiers.
• The second group was made up of local leaders called archons. They were led by a man named Tzanichites. This group included the captain-general of the Scholarioi and some of the Emperor's guards. They were loyal to the memory of the late Emperor Basil.
• The third group was led by megas doux John the Eunuch. He controlled a strong fort called Limnia.

The archons led by Tzanichites set up camp inside the city walls. They were in the Monastery of St. Eugenios. This monastery was near the imperial palace but was very strong. For two months, this group watched Irene and her supporters. They had small fights every day, but nothing changed much.

Then, on July 2, 1340, John the Eunuch decided to support Irene. He used his siege machines to attack the monastery. The monastery was almost completely destroyed, and the rebels were defeated. Tzanichites was captured and sent to Limnia. He and other rebels were executed a year later.

At the same time, the Empire faced more problems. The Turkmen people attacked Trebizond. They marched right up to the walls of the capital city. A first attack was stopped. But a second attack in July 1341 could not be stopped by Irene's army, which was losing hope. The Turkmen set fire to a large part of Trebizond. However, they could not capture the city itself.

Irene's Rule Ends

Irene's time as Empress ended when her sister-in-law, Anna, arrived. Anna was Emperor Basil's sister. Before the second attack and the fire, Anna had left her life as a nun. She was then declared Empress in Lazica on July 17, 1341.

It was quite easy for Anna to take the throne from Irene. This was because Irene was seen as a foreigner from Byzantium. Anna, however, was part of the local ruling family. This family had been in Trebizond for almost 150 years. They were very much connected to the country.

But Irene's luck seemed to change 13 days later. On July 30, Michael arrived. He was her dead husband's uncle. Michael came with three Byzantine warships and Niketas Scholares, the captain-general of the Scholarioi. Michael intended to become Emperor and marry Irene.

At first, the nobles and the archbishop welcomed Michael. They promised to be loyal to him. They invited him to the palace of his ancestors. But when night came, they made him their prisoner. They also killed his guards, who were not expecting any trouble. Irene watched as Michael was put on a ship and sent to Oinaion to be held captive. After that, Irene was put on a Frankish ship and sent back to Constantinople. We do not know what happened to her after that.

See also

In Spanish: Irene Paleóloga de Trebisonda para niños