Helena Kantakouzene

Helena Kantakouzene
Empress consort of the Eastern Roman Empire
Tenure	28 May 1347 – 4 December 1354 (alongside Irene Asanina)
Empress consort of the Eastern Roman Empire
Tenure	15 April 1353 – December 1357 (alongside Irene Palaiologina)
Empress consort of the Eastern Roman Empire
Tenure	December 1357 – 12 August 1376
Empress consort of the Eastern Roman Empire
Tenure	1 July 1379 – 16 February 1391
Spouse	John V Palaiologos
Issue
Andronikos IV Palaiologos Irene Palaiologina Manuel II Palaiologos Theodore I Palaiologos, Lord of Morea Michael Palaiologos Maria Palaiologina three unnamed daughters
Full name
Helena Kantakouzene Greek: Έλενα Καντακουζηνή
House	House of Kantakouzenos (by birth) House of Palaiologos (by marriage)
Father	John VI Kantakouzenos
Mother	Irene Asanina
Born	1333 Byzantine Empire
Died	10 December 1396 Hagia Martha, Constantinople, Byzantine Empire

Helena Kantakouzene (Greek: Έλενα Καντακουζηνή) (1333 – 10 December 1396) was the Empress consort of John V Palaiologos in the Byzantine Empire.

Family

She was a daughter of John VI Kantakouzenos and Irene Asanina.

She was a sister of Matthew Kantakouzenos and Manuel Kantakouzenos. Her sisters Maria and Theodora were the respective wives of Nikephoros II Orsini and Orhan I.

Empress

John V and John VI were rival emperors in a civil war fought from 1341 to 1347. The two sides at last reached an agreement. According to its terms John VI would be recognized as senior co-emperor with John V as his junior. The marriage was sealed with the marriage of Helena to John V.

The marriage occurred on 28 May 1347 – 29 May 1347. Helena was about thirteen years old while her groom was a month short of his fifteenth birthday. Peace only lasted until 1352 when her husband resumed hostilities against her father. John VI was forced to resign the throne on 4 December 1354. Her brother Matthew would retain his title as co-emperor until his own defeat in 1357.

Helena and John V had at least nine children:

• Andronikos IV Palaiologos (2 April 1348 – 28 June 1385).
• Irene Palaiologina (c. 1349 – after 1362). Married her first cousin Khalil of Bithynia. Her husband was a son of Orhan I and Helena's sister Theodora Kantakouzene.
• Manuel II Palaiologos (27 June 1350 – 21 July 1425).
• Theodore I Palaiologos, Lord of Morea (c. 1355 – 24 June 1407).
• Michael Palaiologos (d. 1376/1377). Claimed the throne of the Empire of Trebizond from Alexios III. Assassinated while his campaign was ongoing.
• Maria Palaiologina (d. 1376). Betrothed to Murad I. She died before the marriage could take place.
• A daughter betrothed to Peter II of Cyprus.
• One of two unnamed daughters reported to have entered a monastery in 1373.
• The second of two unnamed daughters reported to have entered a monastery in 1373.

Later years

On 12 August 1376, John V was deposed in a coup d'état by their son Andronikos IV. Helena was held in captivity along with most of the imperial family. Andronikos IV was mainly supported by the Republic of Genoa. His main opposition came from the Republic of Venice, traditional enemy of Genoa, and Murad I. Andronikos IV had co-operated with Savci Bey, a son of Murad, in a combined attempt to depose their respective fathers in 1373. Murad remained hostile to him and a supported of John V.

Murad was responsible for the restoration of John V on 1 July 1379. Andronikos retreated to Galata which was under Genoese control. Helena was taken with him as a hostage and remained in captivity until 1381.

The conflict of John V and Andronikos IV continued to the death of the latter in 1385. Andronikos IV was replaced by his son John VII Palaiologos who managed to briefly depose his grandfather in 1390. The role of Helena in the conflict was possibly minimal as few sources even mention her.

John V was restored to the throne but died on 16 February 1391. Helena survived him and retired to the convent of Hagia Martha under the monastic name Hypomone ("Patience"). She died there as a nun.

Descendants

John V Palaiologos and Helena Kantakouzene had nine known children. Through them, Helena is ancestor to the last six Byzantine emperors and many key members of the Palaiologos imperial family during the last years of the Byzantine Empire. One of John and Helena's great-granddaughters, Zoe Palaiologina, married Ivan III of Russia and became the grandmother of the famous Russian ruler Ivan the Terrible.

1. Andronikos IV Palaiologos (2 April 1348 – 28 June 1385), had 3 children

A. John VII Palaiologos (1370 – 22 September 1408), had 1 child

I. Andronikos V Palaiologos (c. 1400 – c. 1407), died without issue

B. unnamed daughter

C. unnamed daughter

2. Irene Palaiologina (c. 1349 – after 1362)

3. Manuel II Palaiologos (27 June 1350 – 21 July 1425), had 11 children

A. unnamed daughter (possibly confused with Isabella Palaiologina, Manuel II's known illegitimate daughter)

B. Constantine Palaiologos, died without issue

C. John VIII Palaiologos (18 December 1392 – 31 October 1448), died without issue

D. Andronikos Palaiologos, Lord of Thessalonica (1404 – 4 March 1428), had 1 child

I. John Palaiologos

E. unnamed daughter

F. Theodore II Palaiologos, Lord of Morea (c. 1396 – 21 June 1448), had 2 children

I. Helena Palaiologina, Queen of Cyprus (3 February 1428 – 11 April 1458), had 2 children

a. Charlotte of Cyprus (28 June 1444 – 16 July 1487), had 1 child

i. unnamed son (died young), died without issue

b. Cleopha de Lusignan (died 8 June 1448), died without issue

II. Thomas Emanuele Pietro Palaiologos

G. Michael Palaiologos (died young), died without issue

H. Constantine XI Palaiologos (8 February 1404 – 29 May 1453), died without issue

I. Demetrios Palaiologos, Despotēs of the Morea (27 June 1350 – 21 July 1425), had 1 child

I. Helena Palaiologina (died before 1470)

J. Thomas Palaiologos, Despotēs of the Morea (1409 – 12 May 1465), had 4 children

I. Helena Palaiologina, Despotess of Serbia (1431 – 7 November 1473), had 3 children

a. Jelena, Queen of Bosnia (1447–1498), had several children

i. several unnamed children (their exact identities and fates are unknown)

b. Milica Brankovic, Despoina of Epirus (died 1464), had 1 child

i. unnamed son (born 1464)

c. Jerina Brankovic, had issue

II. Andreas Palaiologos (1453–1502), had possibly 2 children

a. Constantine Palaiologos

b. Maria Palaiologina

III. Manuel Palaiologos (1455–1512), had 2 children

a. John Palaiologos

b. Andreas Palaiologos

IV. Zoe (renamed "Sophia") Palaiologina (c. 1455 – 7 April 1503), had 8 children

a. Helena Ivanovna, Queen of Poland (19 May 1476 – 20 January 1513), died without issue

b. Vasili III, Tsar of Russia (25 March 1479 – 3 December 1533), had 2 children

i. Ivan IV "the Terrible", Tsar of Russia (25 August 1530 – 28 March 1584), had 8 children

i. Tsarevna Anna Ivanovna of Russia (10 August 1548 – 20 July 1550), died without issue

ii. Tsarevna Maria Ivanovna of Russia (born 17 March 1551), died without issue

iii. Tsarevich Dmitri Ivanovich of Russia (October 1552 – 26 June 1553), died without issue

iv. Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich of Russia (28 March 1554 – 19 November 1581), died without issue

v. Tsarevna Eudoxia Ivanovna of Russia (26 February 1556 – June 1558), died without issue

vi. Feodor I, Tsar of Russia (31 May 1557 – 6 January 1598), had 1 child

i. Tsarevna Feodosia Feodorovna of Russia (1592–1594), died without issue

vii. Tsarevich Vasili Ivanovich of Russia (21 March 1563 – 3 May 1563), died without issue

viii. Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich of Russia (19 October 1582 – 15 May 1591), died without issue

ii. Yuri, Prince of Uglich (30 October 1532 – 24 June 1563), had 1 child

i. Vasili Yurevich (born and died 1560), died without issue

c. Yury Ivanovich, Prince of Dmitrovskoe (23 March 1480 – 3 August 1536), died without issue

d. Dmitry Ivanovich (6 October 1481 - 14 February 1521), died without issue

e. Feadosiya Ivanovna (29 May 1485 - 19 February 1501), died without issue

f. Syamyon Ivanovich, Prince of Kaluga (21 March 1487 - 26 June 1518)

g. Andrey of Staritsa (5 August 1490 – 11 December 1537), had 1 child

i. Vladimir of Staritsa (1533 – 9 October 1569), had 6 children

i. Vasily Vladimirovich (c. 1552 – after 1573), probably died without issue

ii. Jewfemija Vladimirovna (c. 1553 – 1571), probably died without issue

iii. Georgij Vladimirovich (c. 1556 – 6 January 1569), died without issue

iv. Ivan Vladimirovich (c. 1557 – 6 January 1569), died without issue

v. Maria, Queen of Livonia (c. 1560 – 13 May 1610), had 2 children

i. Marie of Oldenburg (c. July 1580 – c. 1597), died without issue

ii. Eudoxia of Oldenburg (c. 1581 – c. 1588), died without issue

vi. Jewdokija Vladimirovna (born 20 March 1560, died young), died without issue

h. Ewdakiya Ivanovna (c. 1492 - February 1513)

4. Theodore I Palaiologos, Lord of Morea (c. 1355 – 24 June 1407), possibly had 1 child

A. unnamed daughter, wife of Edirne Sultan Suleyman Çelebi, died without issue

5. Michael Palaiologos (d. 1376/1377), probably died without issue

6. Maria Palaiologina (d. 1376), died without issue

7. unnamed daughter

8. unnamed daughter, died without issue

9. unnamed daughter, died without issue

External links

• Her listing in "Medieval lands" by Charles Cawley, along with her husband and children. The project "involves extracting and analysing detailed information from primary sources, including contemporary chronicles, cartularies, necrologies and testaments."

Helena Kantakouzene Kantakouzenos Born: 1333 Died: 1396
Royal titles
Preceded by Irene Asanina	Byzantine Empress consort 1347–1376 with Irene Asanina (1347–1354) Irene Palaiologina (1353–1357)	Succeeded by Keratsa of Bulgaria
Preceded by Keratsa of Bulgaria	Byzantine Empress consort 1379–1391	Succeeded by Helena Dragaš