John II Orsini
Giovanni II Orsini (also John Komnenos Dukas since 1323; Greek Ιωάννης Κομνηνός Δούκας, Ioannes Komnenos Doukas transliteration; (* 1300, † 1335) was Count Palatine of Cephalonia from 1323 to 1324 and from 1323 to his death in 1335, Despot of Epirus.
Life
Giovanni II was the son of Count Giovanni Orsini of Cephalonia I. and those coming from the royal house of Epirus Maria Angelina Komnenos Dukas. He was born about 1300. His older brother Nikola Orsini had had in 1318 seized power himself by maternal Thomas Angelos Komnenos Dukas, his uncle in Epirus, was murdered. 1323 eliminated Giovanni II his older brother in the same way and took over the rule in Epirus and the Ionian Islands.
The new prince called himself as among the Greeks usual John and stepped over to the Orthodox Church. From his Angevin lords Philip of Taranto he had to pay dearly for recognition of his rule by force obtained. Philip settled in 1324 to cede the islands of Cephalonia, Ithaca and Zakynthos and thus enfeoffed his younger brother John of Gravina, who was also Prince of Achaia. Johann took over the islands in person in possession when he was there on his way to a campaign in the Peloponnese station.
To counter the pressure of the Angevinen, Johannes allied with the Byzantines. He recognized the suzerainty of 1328 came to Emperor Andronikos III autocracy. and married Anna, daughter of Andronikos Palaiologos Protovestiars, who was governor in the northern province of Epirus. For this he received from the emperor the title awarded despot Andronicus and even consented, Ioannina and the surrounding area to reunite with the Despotate, not least because the citizens of the city had asked for it. The close connection of John to the Emperor almost inevitably sparked a backlash from the Neapolitans that an army under the command Walters seconded in 1331 by Brienne. This succeeded in taking Vonitsa and the occupation of the island of Leucas. After that, Walter of Brienne, allied with some Albanian tribal leaders, and together they besieged Arta and forced John to again become a vassal of the Angevinen. The foreign troops then granted Epirus, until Vonitsa and Leucas, which remained in the hands of the Neapolitans.
As Stephan Gabrielopulos 1332, the Greek ruler of the west of Thessaly, died, John took advantage of the power vacuum and occupied large parts of the territory, including the residence of Trikala. Most of it he soon had to cede back to Byzantium, as Adronikos III. in the autumn of the same year came at the head of his troops even after Thessaly.
1335 John died surprisingly, rumors accused his wife Anna, to have poisoned him. The Principality of Epirus inherited John's underage son Nikephoros II
Progeny
Giovanni II had with his wife Anna Palaiologina two children:
- Son Nikephoros II Orsini, Despot of Epirus
- The daughter Thomais, married to Simeon Uroš, half brother to the Serbian Tsar Stefan Dušan