Theodora Megale Komnene (Greek: Θεοδώρα Μεγάλη Κομνηνή), also known as Despina Khatun (Persian: دسپینا خاتون; from the Greek title despoina and Turco-Mongol title khatun, both meaning "lady"), was the daughter of John IV of Trebizond and Bagrationi who married the Aq Qoyunlu ruler Uzun Hasan in 1458. She became the mother of Halima Alamshah Hatun who became the mother of first Safavid king, Shah Ismail I.
Some older writers refer to her as "Catherine". Charles Diehl has shown that it was based on Du Cange’s misunderstanding of the Mongol title "Khatun" as "Catherine".[2]
John IV agreed to the marriage only if his daughter was allowed to continue her Orthodox Christian religion, a condition which Uzun Hasan agreed upon. Despina was famous for her extreme beauty amongst the Greek women. She was accompanied by a group of Orthodox Christian priests and was allowed to build Orthodox churches in Iran. Uzun Hasan strengthened his anti-Ottoman alliance by this marriage and gained the support of many Greeks, Armenians, and Georgians.[3]
Marriage between Christians and Muslim rulers, although uncommon, was not unprecedented. Speros Vryonis provides several examples from the Sultanate of the Seljuk Turks, beginning with Kilij Arslan II.[4] A later example is Michael VIII Palaiologos marrying off his illegitimate daughters Euphrosyne and Maria to Nogai Khan and Abaqa Khan respectively. Previous Emperors of Trebizond had married off their female relatives, most notably Alexios III, during whose reign two of his sisters and two of his daughters were married to rulers of neighboring Muslim states.[5]
In Western Europe, Theodora inspired the myth of the "Princess of Trebizond", a fixture of tales of damsels in distress as well as of a possible grand Crusade against the Ottoman Turks. The legend inspired several artists, including Pisanello and Jacques Offenbach.
^ abcdBierbrier 1997, p. 233.
^Diehl (1913). "Catherine on Theodora?". Byzantinische Zeitschrift. 22: 88f – via De Gruyter.
^Christian-Muslim Relations. A Bibliographical History. Volume 5 (1350–1500),BRILL, Jun 21, 2013.
^Vryonis, The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor and the Process of Islamization from the Eleventh through the Fifteenth Century (Berkeley: University of California, 1971), pp. 227f
^Discussed in Elizabeth Zachariadou, "Trebizond and the Turks (1352–1402)", Archeion Pontou, 35 (1979), pp. 333-358.
Μεγάλη Κομνηνή), also known as DespinaKhatun (Persian: دسپینا خاتون; from the Greek title despoina and Turco-Mongol title khatun, both meaning "lady"), was...
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wife Alam-Shah Begum (Halima, Mart[h]a), daughter of Uzun Hasan by DespinaKhatun (Theodora Megale Komnene). According to Qasem beg Tabrizi he was born...
Doquz Khatun, Hulagu's wife, as a religious leader. When Doquz also died in 1265, this sentiment turned to Maria, who was called "DespinaKhatun" by the...
founder of the Safavid dynasty. Martha's mother Theodora—better known as DespinaKhatun—was a Pontic Greek princess, the daughter of the Grand Komnenos John...
Haydar, who married his cousin Halima Alamshah Khatun, daughter of Uzun Hassan and Theodora DespinaKhatun. They had three sons and three daughters. One...
the eastern parts of the world, 1253–55, p. 62 James D. Ryan, "Mongol Khatuns" Trade, Travel, and Exploration in the Middle Ages: an Encyclopedia, ed...
cousin Alamshah Halima Khatun, daughter of Uzun Hassan and Teodora DespinaKhatun, and was father of Ismail I and grandfather of Tahmasp I. Roy 2014,...
Maria, who married Toqta, Khan of the Golden Horde. A daughter known as DespinaKhatun, who married Öljaitü, Khan of the Ilkhanate. Ardenica Monastery Panagia...
decided for her to marry Hulagu's son, Abaqa. The Mongols called Maria "DespinaKhatun". The marriage produced a daughter, Theodora Ara Qutlugh. Michael VIII...
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