Alexios II of Trebizond
Encyclopedia
Alexios II Megas Komnenos or Alexius II , was Emperor
of Trebizond
from 1297 to 1330. He was the elder son of John II
and Eudokia Palaiologina
, and also used the name Palaiologos.
. The latter wanted to marry his young ward to a daughter of the high court official Nikephoros Choumnos
, but Alexios without asking for the permission married an Iberian
princess, Djiadjak Jaqeli
, the daughter of Bekha II Jaqeli, atabeg
of Samtskhe, in c. 1300. Andronikos appealed to the Church to annul the marriage but the Patriarch refused to assist him, on the ground that the young man’s wife was reported to be already pregnant. Alexios' mother Eudokia, who now returned to Trebizond on the pretext of inducing her son to dissolve the marriage, advised him to keep his Iberian wife.
After freeing himself from the custody of Andronikos II, Alexios proved to be a skillful and energetic ruler, under whose reign Empire of Trebizond reached the climax of its prosperity.
In 1301 or 1302 he defeated a Turkmen
invasion, who after conquering province of Chalybia, had penetrated deep into Trebizond's territory to sack Kerasous
, the second most important city of the Empire. He captured their general and built a fort overlooking the sea to secure his possession of the city.
Another problem were the Genoese
, who had established virtual economic monopoly in the Black Sea
area since the treaty of Nymphaeum with Michael VIII Palaiologos
in 1261. Their long established settlement at Daphnous, the coastal suburb to the east of Trebizond, grew larger and the Genoan merchants refuse to allow the emperor's customs officials to inspect their wares. After Alexios refused the Genoese demands for further concessions in 1306, they threatened to leave Trebizond altogether. When the emperor demanded that they pay dues for the goods they took with them, they refused, and he attacked them with his Georgian mercenaries. Although the emperor's troops were successful, the Genoese set fire to the suburbs of Trebizond and damaged much of their own and the citizens' property. Eventually the two parties made peace, confirmed in a surviving treaty from 1314 and another from 1316.
This did not put a complete end to the tensions between the Genoese and the Emperor of Trebizond. So, in 1319 he concluded a treaty with the Venetians
, the Genoans' main rivals, granting them the same privileges as the Genoans as long as they paid their dues.
The troubles to the Empire came also from the pirates of the Emirate of Sinope
, whose targets were Christian traders, including the Genoese. The pirates even ventured to attack Trebizond itself, looting the suburbs, so to protect his people from these raiders, Alexios built sea walls for the city's harbour in 1324. He had already organized a police force to guard the city at night more than a decade earlier.
Like his father before him, also Alexios II was being persuaded by the Pope to convert to Catholicism. The letter was sent by John XXII in 1329, but five months later, however, on May 3, 1330, after 33 years of reign, the Emperor died and the throne passed to his eldest son, Andronikos.
had at least six children:
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
of Trebizond
Empire of Trebizond
The Empire of Trebizond, founded in April 1204, was one of three Byzantine successor states of the Byzantine Empire. However, the creation of the Empire of Trebizond was not directly related to the capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, rather it had broken away from the Byzantine Empire...
from 1297 to 1330. He was the elder son of John II
John II of Trebizond
John II Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from 1280 to 1297. He was the youngest son of Emperor Manuel I and his third wife, Irene Syrikaina, a Trapezuntine noblewoman...
and Eudokia Palaiologina
Eudokia Palaiologina
Eudokia Palaiologina or was the third daughter of Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos and his wife, Theodora Doukaina Vatatzaina, a grandniece of Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes of Nicaea....
, and also used the name Palaiologos.
Life
He ascended the throne at the age of 14 after the death of his father. He came under the care of his uncle, the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II PalaiologosAndronikos II Palaiologos
Andronikos II Palaiologos , Latinized as Andronicus II Palaeologus, was Byzantine emperor from 1282 to 1328. He was the eldest surviving son of Michael VIII Palaiologos and Theodora Doukaina Vatatzina, grandniece of John III Doukas Vatatzes...
. The latter wanted to marry his young ward to a daughter of the high court official Nikephoros Choumnos
Nikephoros Choumnos
Nikephoros Choumnos was a Byzantine scholar and official of the early Palaiologan period, one of the most important figures in the flowering of arts and letters of the so-called "Palaiologan Renaissance"...
, but Alexios without asking for the permission married an Iberian
Caucasian Iberia
Iberia , also known as Iveria , was a name given by the ancient Greeks and Romans to the ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli , corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia...
princess, Djiadjak Jaqeli
Djiadjak Jaqeli
-Family:Jiajak was a daughter of Beka I, the Jaqeli atabeg of Samtskhe. The Jaqelis held the Georgian feudal office of Eristavi. An Eristavi could be "governor of a region" or an "army-commander", roughly equivalent to the Byzantine strategos and normally translated into English as "duke".David...
, the daughter of Bekha II Jaqeli, atabeg
Atabeg
Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince...
of Samtskhe, in c. 1300. Andronikos appealed to the Church to annul the marriage but the Patriarch refused to assist him, on the ground that the young man’s wife was reported to be already pregnant. Alexios' mother Eudokia, who now returned to Trebizond on the pretext of inducing her son to dissolve the marriage, advised him to keep his Iberian wife.
After freeing himself from the custody of Andronikos II, Alexios proved to be a skillful and energetic ruler, under whose reign Empire of Trebizond reached the climax of its prosperity.
In 1301 or 1302 he defeated a Turkmen
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
invasion, who after conquering province of Chalybia, had penetrated deep into Trebizond's territory to sack Kerasous
Cerasus
- Plants and fruits :* Cherry, aka Cerasus, subgenus of the genus Prunus* Cerasus, a synonym of the genus Prunus- Places :* Giresun, provincial capital of Giresun Province in the Black Sea Region of northeastern Turkey...
, the second most important city of the Empire. He captured their general and built a fort overlooking the sea to secure his possession of the city.
Another problem were the Genoese
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
, who had established virtual economic monopoly in the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
area since the treaty of Nymphaeum with Michael VIII Palaiologos
Michael VIII Palaiologos
Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus reigned as Byzantine Emperor 1259–1282. Michael VIII was the founder of the Palaiologan dynasty that would rule the Byzantine Empire until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453...
in 1261. Their long established settlement at Daphnous, the coastal suburb to the east of Trebizond, grew larger and the Genoan merchants refuse to allow the emperor's customs officials to inspect their wares. After Alexios refused the Genoese demands for further concessions in 1306, they threatened to leave Trebizond altogether. When the emperor demanded that they pay dues for the goods they took with them, they refused, and he attacked them with his Georgian mercenaries. Although the emperor's troops were successful, the Genoese set fire to the suburbs of Trebizond and damaged much of their own and the citizens' property. Eventually the two parties made peace, confirmed in a surviving treaty from 1314 and another from 1316.
This did not put a complete end to the tensions between the Genoese and the Emperor of Trebizond. So, in 1319 he concluded a treaty with the Venetians
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, the Genoans' main rivals, granting them the same privileges as the Genoans as long as they paid their dues.
The troubles to the Empire came also from the pirates of the Emirate of Sinope
Sinop, Turkey
Sinop is a city with a population of 36,734 on İnce Burun , by its Cape Sinop which is situated on the most northern edge of the Turkish side of Black Sea coast, in the ancient region of Paphlagonia, in modern-day northern Turkey, historically known as Sinope...
, whose targets were Christian traders, including the Genoese. The pirates even ventured to attack Trebizond itself, looting the suburbs, so to protect his people from these raiders, Alexios built sea walls for the city's harbour in 1324. He had already organized a police force to guard the city at night more than a decade earlier.
Like his father before him, also Alexios II was being persuaded by the Pope to convert to Catholicism. The letter was sent by John XXII in 1329, but five months later, however, on May 3, 1330, after 33 years of reign, the Emperor died and the throne passed to his eldest son, Andronikos.
Family
Alexius and Djiadjak JaqeliDjiadjak Jaqeli
-Family:Jiajak was a daughter of Beka I, the Jaqeli atabeg of Samtskhe. The Jaqelis held the Georgian feudal office of Eristavi. An Eristavi could be "governor of a region" or an "army-commander", roughly equivalent to the Byzantine strategos and normally translated into English as "duke".David...
had at least six children:
- Andronikos IIIAndronikos III of TrebizondAndronikos III Megas Komnenos or Andronicus III , Emperor of Trebizond from 1330 to 1332. He was an eldest son of Emperor Alexios II of Trebizond and his Iberian wife, Djiadjak Jaqeli of Samckhe....
, Emperor of Trebizond 1330-1332. - BasilBasil of TrebizondBasil Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from August 1332 to his death in 1340. Basil was a younger son of Emperor Alexios II of Trebizond and his wife Djiadjak Jaqeli...
, Emperor of Trebizond 1332-1340. - Michael Anachoutlous, murdered by his brother Andronikos III in 1330.
- George Achpougas, murdered by his brother Andronikos III in 1330.
- Anna AnachoutlouAnna of TrebizondAnna Anachoutlou Megale Komnene , , Empress of Trebizond from July 17, 1341 to September 4, 1342. Anna was the elder daughter of Emperor Alexios II of Trebizond and his Georgian wife, Djiadjak Jaqeli....
, a nun, became Empress of Trebizond 1341-1342. - Eudokia, may have married Adil beg ibn Yakub Kandaride.