Theodore I Palaiologos or
Palaeologus (
Greek: Θεόδωρος Α΄ Παλαιολόγος,
Theodōros I Palaiologos) (c.
1355 –
1407) was despot (
despotēs) in
Morea from 1382 until his death on
June 24,
1407. He was the youngest surviving son of the
Byzantine Emperor John V Palaiologos and his wife Helena Kantakouzene. His maternal grandfather was former Emperor
John VI Kantakouzenos. His older brothers were Emperor
Andronikos IV Palaiologos and
Manuel II Palaiologos.
In 1376 Theodore I Palaiologos, already named
despotēs, was charged with governing Thessalonica by his father John V, but before he could take possession of the city, he was arrested and imprisoned together with his father and his brother Manuel by his eldest brother Andronikos IV. This captivity lasted throughout Andronikos' usurpation, from 1376 until 1379. Soon after the restoration of John V, Manuel was appointed to rule in Thessalonica, and Theodore was eventually transferred to Morea.
Morea had remained in the hands of
Manuel Kantakouzenos, a younger son of Emperor John VI, even after the latter's abdication in 1354. Manuel died in 1380 and was succeeded by his older brother, the former co-emperor
Matthew Kantakouzenos, who died or retired in 1383. By this time Theodore was appointed to rule Morea (in 1382), but Matthew was briefly succeeded by his son perhaps
Demetrius I Kantakouzenos. Theodore I Palaiologos arrived in Morea in 1383 and successfully took possession of the province.
The young
despotēs soon commenced wars for the expansion of his province. His military campaigns were arguably the most successful Byzantine military operations since the annexation of large regions of
Thessaly and
Epirus by his paternal grandfather
Andronikos III Palaiologos earlier in the
14th century. In order to increase the potential manpower of his army, Theodore encouraged the settlement of Albanians in Morea, and recruited them as troops against local landowners, the Latin possessions surrounding his province, and against the encroaching
Ottomans.
Theodore's first successes came in 1388, soon followed by his conquest of
Argos. However the
Republic of Venice intervened and took control of Argos from him while also offering protection to
Patras. The situation was resolved with the signing of a
military alliance between Morea and Venice in 1394.
Bayezid I of the
Ottoman Empire was starting to expand his control over the
Balkans and both rivals for control over the
Peloponnese had to defend it against a possible invasion by the Ottomans. The new alliance was accompanied by a decision to build a fortification wall across the
Isthmus of Corinth.
The military genius of Theodore would soon become evident. Not only did he defeat invading Ottoman forces but successfully counter-attacked and conquered both
Corinth (1395) and
Athens (1396). His victories attracted the attention of Bayezid I who started considering him a dangerous opponent. Bayezid personally led a full military invasion against Morea.
Unlike his older brother Manuel II, Theodore did not attempted to submit and continued to fight till the end. When he was no longer able to prevent
Mystras and Corinth from falling into Ottoman control, Theodore instead offered both cities (Corinth in 1397, Mystras in 1400) to the
Knights Hospitaller of
Rhodes. This ensured their continued resistance to the Ottomans even when not under his own control.
In the end his methods proved successful. Bayezid I declared the Peloponnese an Ottoman province but failed to fully establish his control before calling off his campaign and returning to his capital in
Edirne. Theodore soon managed to restore his control in Morea and most of his former conquests. The Knights Hospitaller even returned to him Mystras and Corinth once their forces were no longer needed to secure the area, in 1404.
In 1400, Bayezid I had turned his attention to Constantinople and was besieging the city. Manuel II managed to escape his capital along with most of the Imperial family. He set out in person to seek help from the forces of
Western Europe. Meanwhile he left his family in the protection of Theodore. Theodore secured his visiting kin in his new provincial capital in
Monemvasia.
Theodore I had married Bartolomea Acciaioli, a daughter of Duke
Nerio I Acciaioli of
Athens but is not known to have sons. Shortly before his death, Theodore took monastic orders under the name "Theodoret", and died on
June 24,
1407. The succession problem caused by his death was resolved when Manuel II named his own underage son
Theodore II Palaiologos as the new
despotēs of Morea.
Some sources consider an unnamed daughter of Theodore to be the wife of Suleyman Çelebi, the Edirne Sultan during the
Ottoman Interregnum. There are no known descendants of Suleyman.
Bibliography
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1355 in other calendars
Gregorian calendar 1355
MCCCLV
Ab urbe condita 2108
Armenian calendar 804
ԹՎ ՊԴ
Bah' calendar -489 – -488
Buddhist calendar 1899
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14th century - 15th century - 16th century
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Subjects: Archaeology - Architecture -
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The Despotate of Morea (Greek: Δεσποτάτο του Μυστρά) was a province of the Byzantine Empire which existed between the mid-14th and mid-15th centuries.
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June 24 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.
Events
- 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces.
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1370s 1380s 1390s - 1400s - 1410s 1420s 1430s
1404 1405 1406 - 1407 - 1408 1409 1410
:
Subjects: Archaeology - Architecture -
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This is a list of the Emperors of the late Eastern Roman Empire, called Byzantine by modern historians. This list does not include numerous co-emperors who never attained sole or senior status as rulers.
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John V Palaiologos or Palaeologus (Greek: Ιωάννης Ε' Παλαιολόγος, Iōannēs V Palaiologos
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John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzene (Greek: Ιωάννης ΣΤ΄ Καντακουζηνός, Iōannēs VI Kantakouzēnos) (c.
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Andronikos IV Palaiologos or Andronicus IV Palaeologus (Greek: Ανδρόνικος Δ' Παλαιολόγος) (April 2, 1348 – June 28, 1385), was Byzantine emperor from 1376 to
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Manuel II Palaiologos or Palaeologus (Greek: Μανουήλ Β΄ Παλαιολόγος, Manouēl II Palaiologos
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Manuel Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzenus (Greek: Μανουήλ Καντακουζηνός, Manouēl Kantakouzēnos), (c. 1326 – Mistar, Peloponnese, April 10, 1380).
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Matthew Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzenus (Greek: Ματθαίος Ασάνης Καντακουζηνός, Matthaios Asanēs Kantakouzēnos, c.
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Demetrius I Kantakouzenos was transitional governor of Morea in 1383. Demetrius I Kantakouzenos was the son of Matthew Kantakouzenos, governor of Morea, and Eirene Palaiologina.
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- Thessalia redirects here. For the butterfly genus, see Thessalia (butterfly).
Thessaly (in Greek,
Θεσσαλία —
ThessalÃa..... Click the link for more information. Epirus (Greek Ήπειρος Ēpeiros (Doric Greek: Ἅπειρος Apeiros), Albanian: Epir or Epiri
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Andronikos III Palaiologos or Andronicus III Palaeologus (Greek: Ανδρόνικος Γ' Παλαιολόγος) (March 25, 1297, Constantinople – June 15, 1341, Constantinople)
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14th century was that century which lasted from 1301 to 1400.
Events
- The transition from the Medieval Warm Period to the Little Ice Age
- Beginning of the Ottoman Empire, early expansion into the Balkans
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Most Serene Republic of Venice (Italian: Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia, Venetian: Republica de Venesia
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Coordinates: Time zone: EET/EEST (UTC+2/3)
Elevation (min-max): 0 - 10 m (0 - 0 ft)
GovernmentCountry: ..... Click the link for more information. A military alliance is an agreement between two, or more, military factions; related to wartime planning, commitments, or contingencies; such agreements can be both defensive and offensive.
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Bayezid I (Ottoman: بايزيد الأول, Turkish: Beyazıt, nicknamed Yıldırım
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Ottoman Empire or Ottoman Caliphate (1299 to 1922) (Old Ottoman Turkish: دولت عالیه عثمانیه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish:
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Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe a region of southeastern Europe. The region has a combined area of 550,000 km² and an approximate population of 55 million people.
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The Peloponnese or Peloponnesus (Greek: Πελοπόννησος Pelopónnisos; see also List of Greek place names) is a large peninsula in southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth.
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isthmus of Corinth is the narrow landbridge which connects the Peloponnese peninsula with the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth. The word "isthmus" comes from the Ancient Greek word for "neck" and refers to the narrowness of the land.
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Coordinates
Coordinates: Time zone: EET/EEST (UTC+2/3)
Elevation (min-max): 0 - 10 m (0 - 0 ft)
GovernmentCountry: ..... Click the link for more information. Coordinates
Coordinates: Time zone: EET/EEST (UTC+2/3)
Elevation (min-max): 70 - 338 m (0 - 0 ft)
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