Maria of Courtenay

Empress of the Byzantine Empire
Tenure| 1219–1221

Born| c. 1204
Died| September 1228 (age about 24)
Spouse| Theodore I Lascaris
House| Capetian House of Courtenay
Father| Peter II of Courtenay
Mother| Yolanda of Flanders

Marie de Courtenay (c. 1204 – September 1228) was an Empress of Nicaea. She was a daughter of Peter II of Courtenay and Yolanda of Flanders. She married Theodore I of Nicaea.[1] Marie served as regent for her younger brother Baldwin II of Courtenay in 1228, and styled herself "Empress of Constantinople".

## Family and background[edit]

Her parents were successive rulers of the Latin Empire of Constantinople. Her father Peter was chosen as emperor in 1216, but in 1217 while attempting to reach Constantinople by land was taken captive by Theodore Comnenus Ducas, the ruler of Epirus, and spent the rest of his life in captivity.[2] Yolanda however reached Constantinople and took over the Empire. Marie's mother Yolanda was de jure regent for her husband, ruling alone from 1217 to 1219. She negotiated an alliance with Theodore I Lascaris of the Empire of Nicaea, which was sealed with the marriage of Theodore and Marie after Theodore repudiated his second wife Philippa of Armenia.[3][4]

## Empress of Nicaea[edit]

Marie was Empress of Nicaea from 1219 to November, 1221 when Theodore died. They had no known children. One of her stepdaughters, Maria Laskarina, became the wife of King Béla IV of Hungary, and the other, Irene Lascarina, was married to John III Doukas Vatatzes who took over the throne of the Nicaean Empire. Marie briefly served as regent of Nicaea in 1222.

## Regent and Empress of Constantinople[edit]

Her brother Robert of Courtenay succeeded their mother in 1219. In late January 1228 Robert himself died. Their younger brother Baldwin II of Courtenay succeeded to the throne. He was only eleven years old, and thus underage. The barons of Constantinople elected Marie regent, and she styled herself "Empress", but her regency lasted only until her own death eight months later.[5]

## References[edit]

1. ^ Lock 2013, p. 291.
2. ^ Ostrogorsky 1995, p. 433.
3. ^ Georgius Akropolites 15, p. 29.
4. ^ Ephræmius 7715, p. 311.
5. ^ Kerrebrouck, P. Van (2000) Les Capétiens 987-1328 (Villeneuve d'Asq), p. 459.

## Sources[edit]

* Lock, Peter (2013). The Franks in the Aegean: 1204-1500. Routledge.
* Ostrogorsky, George (1995). History of the Byzantine State. Translated by Hussey, Joan. Rutgers University Press.

## External links[edit]

Maria of Courtenay

House of Courtenay

Born: c. 1204 Died: 1228

Royal titles
Preceded by

Philippa of Armenia

|  Empress consort of Nicaea
1219-1222  | Succeeded by

Irene Lascarina

* v
* t
* e

Roman and Byzantine empresses

Principate
27 BC – AD 235|

* Livia
* Livia Orestilla
* Lollia Paulina
* Milonia Caesonia
* Messalina
* Agrippina the Younger
* Claudia Octavia
* Poppaea Sabina
* Statilia Messalina
* Galeria Fundana
* Domitia Longina
* Pompeia Plotina
* Vibia Sabina
* Faustina the Elder
* Faustina the Younger
* Lucilla
* Bruttia Crispina
* Flavia Titiana
* Manlia Scantilla
* Julia Domna (w. Fulvia Plautilla)
* Julia Cornelia Paula
* Aquilia Severa
* Annia Faustina
* Sallustia Orbiana

Crisis
235–285|

* Caecilia Paulina (?)
* Tranquillina
* Marcia Otacilia Severa
* Herennia Etruscilla
* Cornelia Supera
* Cornelia Salonina
* Ulpia Severina
* Magnia Urbica

Dominate
284–610|

* Prisca
* Eutropia
* Galeria Valeria
* Flavia Maximiana Theodora
* Minervina (?)
* Fausta
* Valeria Maximilla
* Flavia Julia Constantia
* Eusebia
* Faustina
* Helena
* Charito
* Marina Severa
* Justina
* Domnica
* Constantia
* Laeta
* Aelia Flaccilla
* Galla

| Western Empire
395–480|

* Maria
* Thermantia
* Galla Placidia
* Licinia Eudoxia
* Marcia Euphemia
* Placidia
* Julius Nepos's wife

|

Eastern Empire
395–610|

* Aelia Eudoxia
* Aelia Eudocia
* Pulcheria
* Verina
* Ariadne
* Zenonis
* Euphemia
* Theodora
* Sophia
* Ino Anastasia
* Constantina
* Leontia

Eastern/
Byzantine Empire
610–1453|

* Fabia Eudokia
* Martina
* Gregoria
* Fausta
* Anastasia
* Eudokia
* Theodora of Khazaria
* Maria
* Tzitzak
* Maria
* Eudokia
* Anna
* Irene of Athens
* Maria of Amnia
* Theodote
* Theophano of Athens
* Prokopia
* Theodosia
* Thekla
* Euphrosyne
* Theodora
* Eudokia Dekapolitissa
* Eudokia Ingerina
* Theophano Martinakia
* Zoe Zaoutzaina
* Eudokia Baïana
* Zoe Karbonopsina
* Helena Lekapene
* Theodora
* Theophano
* Theodora
* Helena
* Zoë
* Theodora
* Catherine of Bulgaria
* Eudokia Makrembolitissa
* Maria of Alania
* Irene Doukaina
* Irene of Hungary (w. Dobrodeia of Kiev)
* Bertha of Sulzbach
* Maria of Antioch
* Agnes of France
* Margaret of Hungary
* Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamatera
* Eudokia Angelina
* Anna Komnene Angelina
* Philippa of Armenia
* Maria of Courtenay
* Irene Laskarina
* Anna of Hohenstaufen
* Elena Asenina of Bulgaria
* Theodora Palaiologina (w. Anna of Hungary)
* Irene of Montferrat
* Rita of Armenia
* Irene of Brunswick
* Anna of Savoy
* Helena Kantakouzene
* Irene Asanina (w. Irene Palaiologina)
* Keratsa of Bulgaria
* Irene Gattilusio
* Helena Dragaš (w. Anna of Moscow)
* Sophia of Montferrat
* Maria of Trebizond

See also|

* Roman emperor
* list
* Byzantine emperor
* Augustae

Italics indicates a consort to a junior co-emperor, underlining indicates a consort to an emperor variously regarded as either legitimate or a usurper, and bold incidates an empress regnant.

Authority control: People |

* Netherlands

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