Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas
Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas Angelos or Nicephorus I (Greek: Νικηφόρος Α Κομνηνός Δούκας, Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas ), ( 1240 - to 1297 ) was Despot of Epirus from 1267/68.
Biography
Nikephoros was the eldest son of Michael II Komnenos Doukas and Theodora Petraliphaina. 1249 he was with Mary, the granddaughter of Emperor John III. Dukas Vatatzes of Nicaea, which awarded him the title of Despotes. The wedding took place in Thessaloniki in 1256, but Mary died in 1258th
In the following years Nikephoros participated in the struggle against his father Emperor Michael VIII in part, also on the march to the Battle of Pelagonia in September 1259 when his father changed sides in the night before the debate. After Nicaea, Epirus had still conquered by the end of 1259 almost completely, he went to Italy, where his brother in law Manfred of Sicily asked him fresh troops available, with whom he came to his father at the reoccupation of Epirus for help. In 1264 they suffered another defeat and were forced to Michael VIII to assign part of the country. As part of the peace treaty was Nicephorus with Anna Kantakuzena, a niece of Michael, married.
1267/8 followed Nicephorus his father as ruler of Epirus, and had now come to terms with Charles of Anjou, who had fallen in the meantime in the Kingdom of Sicily Manfred. 1272 Dyrrachium was lost to the Italians. As the Byzantines in 1274 on her retaliation campaign against Charles Nikephoros ' injured interests, he entered into negotiations with Charles and graduated with him in 1276 an alliance, which also includes John I Doukas of Theassalien, Nikephoros ' half-brother belonged. The coalition succeeded in the conquest of several cities, including Butrinto in the year 1278. 1279 Nicephorus recognized Charles as his liege lord, and also gave him Butrinto. With Charles's defeat little later Nicephorus lost his possessions in Albania to the Byzantines. The end of the coalition came in 1282 with the Sicilian Vespers, in which Michaels diplomacy played a certain role, and that led to the loss of the island of Sicily for Karl.
After the restoration of Orthodoxy in 1282 by Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos Nikephoros renewed his alliance with Byzantium with the aid of his wife Anna, who traveled to Constantinople Opel and the contract negotiated. As a result, he was a tool in their hands, the open represented the interests of the Byzantine court in Epirus. 1284 they lured Michael, the son of John Ducas of Thessaly, to be then sent to Constantinople Opel with the prospect of an alliance to Epirus, where he was only arrested. As a result, Nikephoros was involved in a war with his half- brother, who in retaliation devastated in 1285 the area of Arta. On a second trip to Constantinople Opel Anna tried her daughter Tamar, with Michael IX. , To marry the son of Emperor Andronikos II, with the aim of more closely bind the family together, but failed it. Still got her young son Thomas Komnenos Dukas by the Emperor the title of Despotes.
The set against Byzantium Epirus Nikephoros brought nobility to take up negotiations in 1291 with Charles II of Naples, and thus provoked a Byzantine invasion, which in turn strengthened the alliance with Naples. Charles intervention were vassals Riccardo Orsini, Count of Kefalonia and Florence of Hainault, prince of Achaia was able to halt the Byzantine advance. Nikephoros now married his daughter Mary to the heir of Kefalonia and his daughter Tamar to Charles's son Philip I of Taranto, where Tamar was allowed to retain their Orthodox faith. The wedding took place in 1294 and involved the transfer of some epirotischer coast fortresses as dowry. Philip in return got the rights to claim his father passed in Greece.
The inevitable tensions between the Greek landed gentry and their Angevin Lord gave for Nikephoros nephew, the ruler of Thessaly, the opportunity to intervene and most of the fortresses that had received Philip, take away, but the Italians regained control of most of these castles before 1296 a peace treaty was concluded. Nikephoros died a short time later, between September 1296 and July 1298th His underage son Thomas succeeded him under the regency of his mother, Anna.
Family
From his first wife, Mary, a daughter of the Emperor Theodore II Laskaris Ducas Nicephorus had a daughter, Mary, who was married to Giovanni Orsini of Cephalonia I. (1304-1317); their sons Nikola Orsini and Giovanni II Orsini were later despot of Epirus.
From his second wife Anna Kantakouzena, the niece of the Emperor Michael VIII, Nicephorus had two children:
- Thamar; ∞ Philip I of Taranto ( House of Anjou )
- Thomas I Komnenos Doukas, his successor in Epirus