Michael I Komnenos Doukas
Encyclopedia
Michael I Komnenos Doukas or Comnenus Ducas , often inaccurately called Michael Angelos (a name he never used), was the founder and first ruler of the principality of Epirus
from 1205 until his death in 1215.
John Doukas
. He was thus a first cousin of the emperors Isaac II Angelos
and Alexios III Angelos
.
Before 1204, he was governor of the Theme of Mylasa and Melanoudion
in Asia Minor
. After the fall
of Constantinople
to the forces of the Fourth Crusade
, Michael briefly entered into the service of Boniface of Montferrat
, who received the Kingdom of Thessalonica
and overlordship over Greece
in the division of the spoils. Michael abandoned Boniface and may have attempted to resist the Crusaders in the Peloponnese
, perhaps fighting at the Battle of the Olive Grove of Koundouros
.
Losing the battle, he fled to Epirus
. There he founded a Byzantine successor state, inaccurately called the Despotate of Epirus
, with his capital in Arta
, in the area of the old Theme of Nicopolis. Epirus became the new home of many Greek refugees from Constantinople
, Thessaly
, and the Peloponnese, and Michael was described as a second Noah
, rescuing men from the Latin flood. John X Kamateros
, the Patriarch of Constantinople
, did not consider Michael a legitimate ruler and instead joined Theodore I Laskaris
in Nicaea
; Michael recognized the ecclesiastical authority of Pope Innocent III
over Epirus, cutting his ties to the Orthodox Church
at Nicaea.
In Epirus, Michael resisted the attempts of Boniface of Montferrat to subdue him. The Latin Emperor
Henry of Flanders
demanded that Michael submit to the Latin Empire
, and accepted an alliance, allowing his daughter to marry Henry's brother Eustace in 1209. Michael did not honour this alliance, assuming that mountainous Epirus would be mostly impenetrable by any Latins with whom he made and broke alliances. Meanwhile Boniface's relatives from Montferrat
made claims to Epirus
as well, and in 1210 Michael allied with the Republic of Venice
and attacked Thessalonica. He is alleged to have been excessively cruel to his prisoners, in some cases crucifying
Latin priests. Innocent III excommunicated him in response. Henry relieved the city later that year and forced Michael into a new nominal alliance.
However, Michael turned his attention to capturing other strategically important towns, including Larissa
in Thessaly
from the Latins in 1212, and Dyrrhachium
and Corfu
from the Venetians in 1214. He also took control of the ports on the Gulf of Corinth
. Drawn into a war against Serbia
as an ally of the Latin Empire and Bulgaria, Michael was murdered by one of his servants in 1215 and was succeeded by his half-brother Theodore Komnenos Doukas
.
By an unnamed mistress, Michael I had at least one more son:
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...
from 1205 until his death in 1215.
Life
Michael was the illegitimate son of the sebastokratorSebastokrator
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...
. He was thus a first cousin of the emperors Isaac II Angelos
Isaac II Angelos
Isaac II Angelos was Byzantine emperor from 1185 to 1195, and again from 1203 to 1204....
and Alexios III Angelos
Alexios III Angelos
Alexios III Angelos was Byzantine Emperor from 1195 to 1203.- Early life:Alexios III Angelos was the second son of Andronikos Angelos and Euphrosyne Kastamonitissa. Andronicus was himself a son of Theodora Komnene, the youngest daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Irene Doukaina. Thus...
.
Before 1204, he was governor of the Theme of Mylasa and Melanoudion
Mylasa and Melanoudion
The Theme of Mylasa and Melanoudion was a Byzantine province in southwestern Asia Minor in the 12th and 13th centuries....
in Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
. After the fall
Siege of Constantinople (1204)
The Siege of Constantinople occurred in 1204; it destroyed parts of the capital of the Byzantine Empire as it was confiscated by Western European and Venetian Crusaders...
of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
to the forces of the Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, Michael briefly entered into the service of Boniface of Montferrat
Boniface of Montferrat
Boniface of Montferrat was Marquess of Montferrat and the leader of the Fourth Crusade. He was the third son of William V of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg, born after his father's return from the Second Crusade...
, who received the Kingdom of Thessalonica
Kingdom of Thessalonica
The Kingdom of Thessalonica was a short-lived Crusader State founded after the Fourth Crusade over the conquered Byzantine lands.- Background :...
and overlordship over Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
in the division of the spoils. Michael abandoned Boniface and may have attempted to resist the Crusaders in the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
, perhaps fighting at the Battle of the Olive Grove of Koundouros
Battle of the Olive Grove of Koundouros
The Battle of the Olive Grove of Koundouros or Koundouras took place in the spring of 1205, in Messinia, Peloponnese, between the Franks and the Greeks, resulting in a victory of the Frankish knights and the collapse of the local resistance....
.
Losing the battle, he fled to Epirus
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...
. There he founded a Byzantine successor state, inaccurately called the Despotate 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...
, with his capital in Arta
Arta, Greece
Arta is a city with a rich history in northwestern Greece, capital of the peripheral unit of Arta, which is part of Epirus region. The city was known in ancient times as Ambracia . Arta is famous for its old bridge located over the Arachthos River, situated west of downtown...
, in the area of the old Theme of Nicopolis. Epirus became the new home of many Greek refugees from Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, Thessaly
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
, and the Peloponnese, and Michael was described as a second Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
, rescuing men from the Latin flood. John X Kamateros
John Camaterus
John X Kamateros was the Patriarch of Constantinople from 5 August 1198 to April/May 1206.John was a member of the Kamateros family, to which belonged the Empress Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamatera, wife of Alexios III Angelos...
, the Patriarch of Constantinople
Patriarch of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarch is the Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome – ranking as primus inter pares in the Eastern Orthodox communion, which is seen by followers as the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church....
, did not consider Michael a legitimate ruler and instead joined Theodore I Laskaris
Theodore I Laskaris
Theodoros I Komnenos Laskaris was emperor of Nicaea .-Family:Theodore Laskaris was born to the Laskaris, a noble but not particularly renowned Byzantine family of Constantinople. He was the son of Manuel Laskaris and wife Ioanna Karatzaina . He had four older brothers: Manuel Laskaris Theodoros...
in Nicaea
Iznik
İznik is a city in Turkey which is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Church, the Nicene Creed, and as the capital city of the Empire of Nicaea...
; Michael recognized the ecclesiastical authority of Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
over Epirus, cutting his ties to the Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
at Nicaea.
In Epirus, Michael resisted the attempts of Boniface of Montferrat to subdue him. The Latin Emperor
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
Henry of Flanders
Henry of Flanders
Henry was the second emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople. He was a younger son of Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut , and Margaret I of Flanders, sister of Philip of Alsace, count of Flanders....
demanded that Michael submit to the Latin Empire
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
, and accepted an alliance, allowing his daughter to marry Henry's brother Eustace in 1209. Michael did not honour this alliance, assuming that mountainous Epirus would be mostly impenetrable by any Latins with whom he made and broke alliances. Meanwhile Boniface's relatives from Montferrat
Montferrat
Montferrat is part of the region of Piedmont in Northern Italy. It comprises roughly the modern provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Montferrat is one of the most important wine districts of Italy...
made claims to 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...
as well, and in 1210 Michael allied with the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
and attacked Thessalonica. He is alleged to have been excessively cruel to his prisoners, in some cases crucifying
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
Latin priests. Innocent III excommunicated him in response. Henry relieved the city later that year and forced Michael into a new nominal alliance.
However, Michael turned his attention to capturing other strategically important towns, including Larissa
Larissa
Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
in Thessaly
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
from the Latins in 1212, and Dyrrhachium
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
and 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...
from the Venetians in 1214. He also took control of the ports on the Gulf of Corinth
Gulf of Corinth
The Gulf of Corinth or the Corinthian Gulf is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea separating the Peloponnese from western mainland Greece...
. Drawn into a war against Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
as an ally of the Latin Empire and Bulgaria, Michael was murdered by one of his servants in 1215 and was succeeded by his half-brother Theodore Komnenos Doukas
Theodore Komnenos Doukas
Theodore Komnenos Doukas was ruler of Epirus from 1215 to 1230 and of Thessalonica from 1224 to 1230.-Life:...
.
Family
Michael I married the daughter of an Epirote magnate, by whom he had:- Constantine Komnenos Doukas, who died young
- Theodora Komnene Doukaina
- Maria Komnene Doukaina, who married Constantine Maliassenos
By an unnamed mistress, Michael I had at least one more son:
- Michael II Komnenos DoukasMichael II Komnenos DoukasMichael 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:...
, who succeeded as ruler of Epirus in 1230