Helena Angelina Doukaina
Encyclopedia
Helena Angelina Doukaina (c. 1242 – 1271) was the second wife but only Queen consort of Manfred of Sicily
.
, Ruler of Epirus
and his wife Theodora Petraliphaina. Her father was often called Michael Angelos in narrative sources.
She was a sister of Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas
and a paternal half-sister of John I Doukas
, Ruler of Thessaly.
Her paternal grandfather was Michael I Komnenos Doukas
, illegitimate son of the sebastokratōr
' 'John Doukas
.
John Doukas was the eldest son of Constantine Angelos by Theodora Komnene, the seventh child of the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos
and Irene Doukaina
. He adopted the surname of his maternal grandmother.
She was married to Manfred of Sicily
sometime between the death of his first wife Beatrice of Savoy in 1257 and his own rise to the throne on 10 August 1258.
Manfred was Regent of the Kingdom of Sicily
since 1254, reigning in the name of his nephew Conradin
. Michael II had lost the city of Dyrrhachium to Theodore II Laskaris
of the Empire of Nicaea
in 1256. Manfred had captured Dyrrachium and its surrounding area within the following two years. Michael II still had a territorial claim at the city but at the time was preparing to besiege Thessalonica.
Her marriage was intended to maintain peace between Epirus and Sicily since both Michael II and Manfred had more pressing concerns elsewhere. Her dowry
included all rights to Dyrrhachium and its surrounding area along with the island of Corfu
. Corfu being the only actual territorial gain for Manfred.
Manfred was killed at the Battle of Benevento
on 26 February 1266 while fighting against his rival and successor Charles I of Sicily
. Charles captured Helena and imprisoned her. She lived five years later in captivity into the castle of Nocera Inferiore
where she died in 1271.
Manfred of Sicily
Manfred was the King of Sicily from 1258 to 1266. He was a natural son of the emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen but his mother, Bianca Lancia , is reported by Matthew of Paris to have been married to the emperor while on her deathbed.-Background:Manfred was born in Venosa...
.
Biography
She was a daughter of Michael II Komnenos DoukasMichael II Komnenos Doukas
Michael II Komnenos Doukas or Comnenus Ducas , often called Michael Angelos in narrative sources, was the ruler of Epirus from 1230 until his death in 1266/68.-Life:...
, Ruler of Epirus
Despotate of Epirus
The Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond...
and his wife Theodora Petraliphaina. Her father was often called Michael Angelos in narrative sources.
She was a sister of Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas
Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas
Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas, Latinized as Nicephorus I Comnenus Ducas , was ruler of Epirus from 1267/8 to c. 1297.-Life:Nikephoros was the eldest son of Michael II Komnenos Doukas and Theodora Petraliphaina...
and a paternal half-sister of John I Doukas
John I Doukas
John I Doukas was ruler of Thessaly from c. 1268 to his death in 1289....
, Ruler of Thessaly.
Her paternal grandfather was Michael I Komnenos Doukas
Michael I Komnenos Doukas
Michael I Komnenos Doukas or Comnenus Ducas , often inaccurately called Michael Angelos , was the founder and first ruler of the principality of Epirus from 1205 until his death in 1215.-Life:...
, illegitimate son of the sebastokratōr
Sebastokrator
Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers whose states bordered the Empire or were within its sphere of influence. The word is a compound of "sebastos" Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used...
' 'John Doukas
John Doukas
John Doukas or Ducas , was the eldest son of Constantine Angelos by Theodora Komnene, the seventh child of the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Irene Doukaina, from whose family name John Doukas took his own.-Career:Doukas is first attested in an imperial document in 1166...
.
John Doukas was the eldest son of Constantine Angelos by Theodora Komnene, the seventh child of the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus , was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and although he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. The title 'Nobilissimus' was given to senior army commanders,...
and Irene Doukaina
Irene Doukaina
Irene Doukaina or Ducaena was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos, and the mother of the emperor John II Komnenos and of the historian Anna Komnene.-Succession of Alexios and Irene:...
. He adopted the surname of his maternal grandmother.
She was married to Manfred of Sicily
Manfred of Sicily
Manfred was the King of Sicily from 1258 to 1266. He was a natural son of the emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen but his mother, Bianca Lancia , is reported by Matthew of Paris to have been married to the emperor while on her deathbed.-Background:Manfred was born in Venosa...
sometime between the death of his first wife Beatrice of Savoy in 1257 and his own rise to the throne on 10 August 1258.
Manfred was Regent of the Kingdom of Sicily
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
since 1254, reigning in the name of his nephew Conradin
Conradin
Conrad , called the Younger or the Boy, but usually known by the diminutive Conradin , was the Duke of Swabia , King of Jerusalem , and King of Sicily .-Early childhood:Conradin was born in Wolfstein, Bavaria, to Conrad...
. Michael II had lost the city of Dyrrhachium to Theodore II Laskaris
Theodore II Laskaris
Theodore II Doukas Laskaris or Ducas Lascaris was emperor of Nicaea, 1254–1258.-Life:Theodore II Doukas Laskaris was the only son of Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes and Eirene Laskarina, the daughter of Emperor Theodore I Laskaris and Anna Angelina, a daughter of Emperor Alexios III Angelos and...
of the Empire of Nicaea
Empire of Nicaea
The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek successor states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the Fourth Crusade...
in 1256. Manfred had captured Dyrrachium and its surrounding area within the following two years. Michael II still had a territorial claim at the city but at the time was preparing to besiege Thessalonica.
Her marriage was intended to maintain peace between Epirus and Sicily since both Michael II and Manfred had more pressing concerns elsewhere. Her dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
included all rights to Dyrrhachium and its surrounding area along with the island of Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
. Corfu being the only actual territorial gain for Manfred.
Manfred was killed at the Battle of Benevento
Battle of Benevento
The Battle of Benevento was fought near Benevento, in present-day Southern Italy, on February 26, 1266, between the troops of Charles of Anjou and Manfred of Sicily. Manfred's defeat and death resulted in the capture of the Kingdom of Sicily by Charles....
on 26 February 1266 while fighting against his rival and successor Charles I of Sicily
Charles I of Sicily
Charles I , known also as Charles of Anjou, was the King of Sicily by conquest from 1266, though he had received it as a papal grant in 1262 and was expelled from the island in the aftermath of the Sicilian Vespers of 1282...
. Charles captured Helena and imprisoned her. She lived five years later in captivity into the castle of Nocera Inferiore
Nocera Inferiore
Nocera Inferiore, formerly Nocera dei Pagani, is a town and comune in Campania, Italy, in the province of Salerno, at the foot of Monte Albino, 20 km east-south-east of Naples by rail.-History:...
where she died in 1271.
Marriage and children
Helena and Manfred had five children:- Beatrice of Sicily (c. 1258 – before 1307). Married first Rainer Gherardesca and secondly Manfred IV of SaluzzoManfred IV of SaluzzoManfred IV was the fifth marquess of Saluzzo from 1296, the son and successor of Thomas I.Manfred forced the commune of Saluzzo to sign a contract regulating the relations between the city, its podestà, and the marquess.Manfred also continued his father's extension of the margravial territory,...
. - Frederick of Sicily (c. 1259 – last mentioned alive in 1312).
- Henry of Sicily (c. 1260 – 31 October 1318).
- Enzio of Sicily (c. 1261 – c. 1301).
- Flordelis of Sicily (c. 1266 – last mentioned alive in 1297).