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Anna Komnene Angelina
Anna Komnene Angelina or Comnena Angelina (Greek: Άννα Κομνηνή Αγγελίνα; c. 1176 – 1212) (not to be confused with Anna Komnene) was Empress consort of Nicaea. She was the daughter of emperor Alexios III Angelos and Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamatera.
Her first marriage was to the sebastokratōr Isaac Komnenos Vatatzes, a great-nephew of the emperor Manuel I Komnenos. They had one daughter, Theodora Angelina. Soon after Anna's father became emperor, in 1195, Isaac Komnenos was dispatched to combat the Uprising of Asen and Peter. He was captured, became a pawn between rival Bulgarian and Vlach factions, and died while imprisoned.
Theodora, the young daughter of Anna, was betrothed to the Bulgarian boyar Ivanko with the blessings of her grandfather Alexios III, who considered Ivanko a worthy potential son-in-law. However, the emperor postponed the marriage for a more suitable time, as Theodora still spoke like a child. According to the historian Niketas Choniates, Ivanko, noticing that his betrothed was very young, “fixed his gaze upon her rosy-cheeked mother,” Anna, who was then a widow. Allegedly envisioning a more splendid union, he is said to have told the emperor: "Why give me a little lamb, when I seek a full-grown goat?" Nevertheless, the imperial family did not agree to this proposal.
Her second marriage to Theodore Laskaris, future emperor of Nicaea, was celebrated in a double wedding in late 1199/early 1200 (the other couple was Anna's sister Irene and Alexios Palaiologos).
The armies of the Fourth Crusade reached to Constantinople in 1203. Following the flight of Alexios III and the accession of Alexios IV Angelos to the throne (along his father Isaac II Angelos) with the support of the Crusaders, Theodore Laskaris was captured and imprisoned due to his status as the son-in-law of Alexios III. His wife, Anna, and his mother-in-law, Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamatera, were also detained. However, in the autumn of 1203, Theodore, together with Anna and their three daughters, managed to escape to Asia Minor, reaching Bithynia by passing through the Frankish encampment.
In 1205, Theodore Laskaris became emperor of Nicaea. At the begging of Theodore's campaign in Asia Minor the inhabitants of Nicaea initially refused to accept Laskaris as their overlord. Instead he proposed that they receive only Anna. In this way, Anna would effectively become a hostage, serving as a demonstration of Laskaris’s good intentions. Eventually, the city of Nicaea did open its gates to Theodore, a decision that was likely influenced by the diplomatic efforts of Princess Anna during her time within the city.
According to George Akropolites, the Seljuk Sultan Kaykhusraw regarded Anna as his sister. This perceived sibling relationship likely stemmed from his baptism in Constantinople by Emperor Alexios III, which created a spiritual bond between Kaykhusraw and the daughters of Alexios. As a result, Anna played a significant role in forging an early alliance between Theodore I Laskaris and the Seljuk Sultan at a critical moment for the consolidation and survival of the Nicaean state. An alliance that lasted until 1210.
In the spring of 1208, following deliberations with the Empire of Nicaea, a supplicatory letter (deetērion) was sent by the inhabitants of Constantinople to Theodore I Laskaris. In this petition, the Constantinopolitans addressed Laskaris and expressed their recognition of his authority. A similar letter was sent simultaneously to Anna Angelina, whom they referred to as Augusta and daughter of Alexios III.
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Anna Komnene Angelina
Anna Komnene Angelina or Comnena Angelina (Greek: Άννα Κομνηνή Αγγελίνα; c. 1176 – 1212) (not to be confused with Anna Komnene) was Empress consort of Nicaea. She was the daughter of emperor Alexios III Angelos and Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamatera.
Her first marriage was to the sebastokratōr Isaac Komnenos Vatatzes, a great-nephew of the emperor Manuel I Komnenos. They had one daughter, Theodora Angelina. Soon after Anna's father became emperor, in 1195, Isaac Komnenos was dispatched to combat the Uprising of Asen and Peter. He was captured, became a pawn between rival Bulgarian and Vlach factions, and died while imprisoned.
Theodora, the young daughter of Anna, was betrothed to the Bulgarian boyar Ivanko with the blessings of her grandfather Alexios III, who considered Ivanko a worthy potential son-in-law. However, the emperor postponed the marriage for a more suitable time, as Theodora still spoke like a child. According to the historian Niketas Choniates, Ivanko, noticing that his betrothed was very young, “fixed his gaze upon her rosy-cheeked mother,” Anna, who was then a widow. Allegedly envisioning a more splendid union, he is said to have told the emperor: "Why give me a little lamb, when I seek a full-grown goat?" Nevertheless, the imperial family did not agree to this proposal.
Her second marriage to Theodore Laskaris, future emperor of Nicaea, was celebrated in a double wedding in late 1199/early 1200 (the other couple was Anna's sister Irene and Alexios Palaiologos).
The armies of the Fourth Crusade reached to Constantinople in 1203. Following the flight of Alexios III and the accession of Alexios IV Angelos to the throne (along his father Isaac II Angelos) with the support of the Crusaders, Theodore Laskaris was captured and imprisoned due to his status as the son-in-law of Alexios III. His wife, Anna, and his mother-in-law, Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamatera, were also detained. However, in the autumn of 1203, Theodore, together with Anna and their three daughters, managed to escape to Asia Minor, reaching Bithynia by passing through the Frankish encampment.
In 1205, Theodore Laskaris became emperor of Nicaea. At the begging of Theodore's campaign in Asia Minor the inhabitants of Nicaea initially refused to accept Laskaris as their overlord. Instead he proposed that they receive only Anna. In this way, Anna would effectively become a hostage, serving as a demonstration of Laskaris’s good intentions. Eventually, the city of Nicaea did open its gates to Theodore, a decision that was likely influenced by the diplomatic efforts of Princess Anna during her time within the city.
According to George Akropolites, the Seljuk Sultan Kaykhusraw regarded Anna as his sister. This perceived sibling relationship likely stemmed from his baptism in Constantinople by Emperor Alexios III, which created a spiritual bond between Kaykhusraw and the daughters of Alexios. As a result, Anna played a significant role in forging an early alliance between Theodore I Laskaris and the Seljuk Sultan at a critical moment for the consolidation and survival of the Nicaean state. An alliance that lasted until 1210.
In the spring of 1208, following deliberations with the Empire of Nicaea, a supplicatory letter (deetērion) was sent by the inhabitants of Constantinople to Theodore I Laskaris. In this petition, the Constantinopolitans addressed Laskaris and expressed their recognition of his authority. A similar letter was sent simultaneously to Anna Angelina, whom they referred to as Augusta and daughter of Alexios III.