Chaldia had already shown its separatist tendencies in the 10th and 11th centuries, when it came under the control of a local leader named Theodore Gabras, who according to Anna Comnenaregarded Trebizond and its hinterlands "as a prize which had fallen to his own lot" and conducted himself as an independent prince. Another concession to Venice followed in 1367, and gradually lowered some of the dues levied on Venetian commerce. Trebizond lasted until 1461 when the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II conquered it after a month-long siege and took its ruler and his family into captivity,[14] marking the final end of the Roman imperial tradition initiated by Augustus 1,488 years previously. In November 1373, he sailed to Trebizond, where he tried to force the deposition of the Emperor of Trebizond, Alexios III. Its remoteness from Roman capitals gave local rulers the opportunity to advance their own interest. Alexios III Megas Komnenos (cropped).JPG 91 × 109; 5 KB Alexios III Megas Komnenos.JPG 216 × 550; 51 KB Alexios III of Trebizond between his mother and his wife.jpg 149 × 260; 39 KB Discussion that several authorities consider Alexios II's reign to be the height of Trapezuntine power. On December 5, 1475 it would also fall to Ottoman rule. Alexios III was originally named John (Ιωάννης, "Iōannēs"), and took the name Alexios either in memory of his older brother who had died prematurely or of his paternal grandfather, Emperor Alexios II of Trebizond. It was an empire more in title than in fact, surviving by playing its rivals against each other, and offering the daughters of its rulers, who were famed for their beauty, for marriage with generous dowries, especially with the Turkish rulers of inland Anatolia. 243–245, Hewsen, "Armenians on the Black Sea", p. 48. The city of Trebizond was the capital of the theme of Chaldia, which according to the 10th century Arab geographer Abul Feda was regarded as being largely a Lazian port. Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World, Asia Minor", "La dernière reconquête de Sinope par les Grecs de Trébizonde (1254–1265)", "New Documents on the Relations between the Latins and the Local Populations in the Black Sea Area (1392–1462), Spain (Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empire_of_Trebizond&oldid=993474580, States and territories established in 1204, States and territories disestablished in 1461, Articles with Italian-language sources (it), Pages using infobox country or infobox former country with the flag caption or type parameters, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from August 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 10 December 2020, at 20:15. He is perhaps the best-documented ruler of that country, and his reign is distinguished by a number of religious grants and literary creations. The destruction of Baghdad by Hulagu Khan in 1258 diverted the western terminus of the Silk Road north to the Black Sea, and due to its link with their local capital at Tabriz, Trebizond accumulated tremendous wealth under the suzerainty of the Mongols. He ascended the throne at the age of 14 after the death of his father. The Trapezuntine monarchy survived the longest among the Byzantine successor states. Georganteli, "Trapezuntine Money in the Balkans, Anatolia and the Black Sea, 13th–15th centuries", in T. Kyriakides (ed. He was the son of Emperor Basil of Trebizond and his second (and bigamous) wife, Irene of Trebizond. This policy of seeking diplomatic alliances with the neighboring Muslim princes was continued later in Alexios' reign, in the marriages of four of the emperor's daughters. [18] This territory corresponds to an area comprising all or parts of the modern Turkish provinces of Sinop, Samsun, Ordu, Giresun, Trabzon, Bayburt, Gümüşhane, Rize, and coastal parts of Artvin. [35], Following the death of Alexios II, Trebizond suffered a period of repeated imperial depositions and assassinations, despite a short period of stability under his youngest son Basil (1332–1340). [22], The empire traces its foundation to April 1204, when Alexios Komnenos and his brother David took advantage of the preoccupation of the central Byzantine government with the encampment of the soldiers of the Fourth Crusade outside their walls (June 1203 – mid-April 1204) and seized the city of Trebizond and the surrounding province of Chaldia with troops provided by their relative, Tamar of Georgia. [20] One of his successors, Gregory Taronites, also rebelled with the aid of the Sultan of Cappadocia, but he was defeated and imprisoned, only to be made governor once more. Due to its natural harbours, defensible topography and access to silver and copper mines, Trebizond became the pre-eminent Greek colony on the eastern Black Sea shore soon after its founding. David intrigued with various European powers for help against the Ottomans, speaking of wild schemes that included the conquest of Jerusalem. Eudokia of Georgia. Trebizond enjoyed a period of wealth[34] and influence during the long reign of John's eldest son Alexios II (1297–1330). Trapezuntine diplomats fostered close relations with the Byzantines and the White Sheep, a major nomadic Turkish confederacy bordering the empire. [6] Henceforth, the links between Trebizond and Georgia remained close, but their nature and extent have been disputed. Alexios was also unable to displace the Genoese and Venetians from their dominant position in Trebizond's commerce. Alexios III Megas Komnenos or Alexius III (Greek: Αλέξιος Γ΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός, Alexios III Megas Komnēnos, 5 October 1338 – 20 March 1390), Emperor of Trebizond from December 1349 until his death. Alexios and Panaretos were barely able to escape with their lives. Karpov interprets the significance of this image and the inscription as portraying the most important achievement of his life, St. George inviting the victorious prince to enter Trebizond and opening the gates of the city with his left hand. His eldest daughter Maria became the third wife of the Byzantine Emperor John VIII Palaiologos. In spite of his victories over the nobles, Alexios showed restraint and willingness to compromise by granting charters to noble families confirming them in possession of their lands. The city held out for a month before David surrendered on August 15, 1461. However, after Michael VIII Palaiologos of Nicaea recaptured Constantinople in 1261, the Komnenian use of the style "Emperor" became a sore point. Some authorities identify Taronites with the known son of Theodore Gabras. Genealogy for Kaloioannes Angelos Doukas Megas Komnenos, "Alexios III" emperor in Trebizond (1338 - 1390) family tree on Geni, with over 200 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Alexios I Megas Komnenos (Greek: Αλέξιος Α΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός; c. 1182 – 1 February 1222) or Alexius I Megas Comnenus was, with his brother David, the founder of the Empire of Trebizond and its ruler from 1204 until his death in 1222. He is perhaps the best-documented ruler of that country, and his reign is distinguished by a number of religious grants and literary creations. [15], The rulers of Trebizond called themselves Megas Komnenos ("Great Comnenus") and – like their counterparts in the other two Byzantine successor states, the Empire of Nicaea and the Despotate of Epirus – initially claimed supremacy as "Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans". [19], The city of Trebizond was the capital of the theme of Chaldia, which according to the 10th century Arab geographer Abul Feda was regarded as being largely a Lazian port. This threat was not from the small Turkmen emirates that bordered Trebizond, but from the dynasty of the Osmanli, a new Turkish power emerging from western Anatolia that would soon consolidate the Ottoman Empire. Insubordinate nobles had to be overwhelmed one by one by the emperor's forces. The years 1347–1348 marked the apex of this lawless period. The Turks took advantage of the weakness of the empire, conquering Oinaion and besieging Trebizond, while the Genoese seized Kerasus. Alexios III Megas Komnenos (translit, 5 October 1338 – 20 March 1390), or Alexius III, was Emperor of Trebizond from December 1349 until his death. [26] That same month Alexios was proclaimed emperor at the age of 22, an act considered by later writers as the moment the Empire of Trebizond was founded. Alexios III now turned his attention to strengthening the frontier against the Turkmen. The second son of Alexios I, Manuel I (1238–1263), preserved internal security and acquired the reputation of a great commander. The emperor's cavalry besieged the last fortress loyal to the Grand Duke, Kenchrina, and obtained its surrender. The later Byzantine emperors, as well as Byzantine authors, such as George Pachymeres, Nicephorus Gregoras and to some extent Trapezuntines such as John Lazaropoulos and Basilios Bessarion, regarded the emperors of Trebizond as the "princes of the Lazes", while the possession of these "princes" was also called Lazica,[8] in other words, their state was known as the Principality of the Lazes. The core of the empire was the southern Black Sea coast from the mouth of the Yeşilırmak river, a region known to the Trapezuntines as Limnia, possibly as far east as Akampsis river, a region then known as Lazia; Anthony Bryer has argued that six of the seven banda of the Byzantine theme of Chaldia were maintained in working order by the rulers of Trebizond until the end of the empire, helped by geography. The Ottoman Sultan Murad II first attempted to take the capital by sea in 1442, but high surf made the landings difficult and the attempt was repulsed. [40] Through Theodora and the daughter of Alexios IV of Trebizond (also named Theodora), the Safavid dynasty of Iran that succeeded the Ak Koyunlu, would be of direct partial Pontic Greek ethnicity from its very beginning. Alexios III Megas Komnenos (Greek: Αλέξιος Γ΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός, romanized: Alexios III Megas Komnēnos, 5 October 1338 – 20 March 1390), or Alexius III, was Emperor of Trebizond from December 1349 until his death. Manuel III (1390–1417), the second son and successor of Alexios III, had allied himself with Tamerlane, but the mighty conqueror soon left Anatolia, and the empire he had built crumbled with his death. [21] Another successor to Theodore was Constantine Gabras, whom Niketas describes as ruling Trebizond as a tyrant, and whose actions led Emperor John II Komnenos in 1139 to lead an expedition against him. [40], Mehmed's response came in the summer of 1461. "[28], Vasiliev points out that the brothers occupied Trebizond too early to have done so in response to the Crusaders capturing Constantinople; Alexios and David began their march on Trebizond before news of the sack of Constantinople on 13 April 1204 could reach either Trebizond or Georgia. Alexios II Megas Komnenos or Alexius II (Greek: Αλέξιος Β΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός, romanized: Alexios II Megas Komnēnos, Sept./Dec. When Basil died on April 6, 1340 and his first wife Irene Palaiologina succeeded him, she sent all the children of her dead husband to Constantinople together with their mother. Mother. He was the son of Emperor Alexios III of Trebizond by… …   Wikipedia, Andronikos III of Trebizond — Andronikos III Megas Komnenos or Andronicus III (Greek: Ανδρόνικος Γ΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός, Andronikos III Megas Komnēnos ), (c. 1310 ndash; 1332) Emperor of Trebizond from 1330 to 1332. 1282 – 3 May 1330), was Emperor of Trebizond from 1297 to 1330. During his long reign, Alexios III had repaired the physical damage to the capital, gave rich endowments to several monasteries, especially Soumela Monastery, and founded the Dionysiou monastery at Mount Athos. Having isolated Trebizond, Mehmed quickly swept down upon it before the inhabitants knew he was coming, and placed it under siege. The Empire of Trebizond or Trapezuntine Empire was a monarchy and one of three successor rump states of the Byzantine Empire that flourished during the 13th through 15th centuries, consisting of the far northeastern corner of Anatolia (the Pontus) and the southern Crimea. In the centuries before the founding of the empire the city had been under control of the local Gabras family, which – while officially still remaining part of the Byzantine Empire – minted its own coin. Despite the ravages of the previous decade, Trebizond rebounded during the reign of Alexios III. Her first name is unknown. Greek text in. Trebizond was a port reachable by all the routes that crossed the Black Sea, and therefore a safe shelter in case of storms. [9][page needed] Thus from the point of view of the Byzantine writers connected with the Laskaris and later with the Palaiologos dynasties, the rulers of Trebizond were not emperors. [12] The ensuing wars saw the Empire of Thessalonica, the imperial government that sprung from Epirus, collapse following conflicts with Nicaea and Bulgaria and the final recapture of Constantinople by the Empire of Nicaea in 1261. During his reign Catholic missionaries established a base in Trebizond. As Alexios' position improved, it became less necessary to rely on the kingmaker Niketas. He was the elder son of John II and Eudokia Palaiologina, and also… …   Wikipedia, Alexios IV of Trebizond — Alexios IV Megas Komnenos or Alexius IV (Greek: Αλέξιος Δ΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός, Alexios IV Megas Komnēnos ), (1382 ndash; 1429), Emperor of Trebizond from March 5, 1417 to October 1429. The Crimean Principality of Theodoro, an offshoot of Trebizond, lasted another 14 years, falling to the Ottomans in 1475. He was the son of Emperor Basil of… Alexios III Megas Komnenos or Alexius III (Greek: Αλέξιος Γ΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός, "Alexios III Megas Komnēnos"), (October 5, 1338 – March 20, 1390), Emperor of Trebizond from December 1349 until his death. The fall of Kenchrina in 1355 marked the end of the fifteen years of civil unrest. During his reign, the city of Erzurum was also under Trebizond Empire occupation for a while around the 1310s. [citation needed], Alexios IV's eldest son, John IV (1429–1459), could not help but see that his Empire would soon share the fate of Constantinople. Alexios was raised at the Byzantine court. As documented by Charitopoulos Evangelos. The document is also… …   Wikipedia, Komnene, daughter of Alexios I of Trebizond — Komnene was the wife of Andronikos I of Trebizond. Emperor John II of Trebizond officially gave up the Trapezuntine claim to the Roman imperial title and Constantinople itself 21 years after the Nicaeans recaptured the city, altering his imperial title from "Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans" to "Emperor and Autocrat of all the East, Iberia and Perateia".[13]. Karpov, "New Archival Discoveries of Documents concerning the Empire of Trebizond", Kuršanskis, "Trébizonde et la Géorgie", pp. He sent an envoy to the Council of Florence in 1439, the humanist George Amiroutzes, which resulted in the proclamation of the Union of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, but this proclamation brought little help. However, not long after they had gained control of Trebizond and the neighboring territories, news of the Latin conquest of Constantinople reached them, and the brothers entered the competition for recovery of the imperial city against Theodore I Laskaris in western Anatolia (ruler of the "Empire of Nicaea") and Michael Komnenos Doukas in mainland Greece (ruler of the "Despotate of Epirus"). Nevertheless, Gabras proved himself a worthy guardian by repelling a Georgian attack on Trebizond. Communication New! The Grand Duke was forced to flee to Kerasous in June 1354 and attempted an attack on Trebizond in March 1355. He was the son of Emperor Manuel III and Gulkhan-Eudokia of Georgia . For the time being, Alexios was accepted as emperor because of his youth, which proved acceptable to the nobles of the realm who sought to use the young ruler's minority for their own purposes. This is the date determined by Franz Babinger. "[36], The last years of the fourteenth century were characterized by the increasing Turkish threat. Alexios II Megas Komnenos or Alexius II (Greek: Αλέξιος Β΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός, "Alexios II Megas Komnēnos", Sept.-Dec. 1282–1330), was Emperor of Trebizond from 1297 to 1330. However, Anthony Bryers has argued against thinking this empire was a wealthy polity, stating that while the income from taxes levied on this trade was "by Byzantine standards" substantial, as much as three quarters of the income of the Emperor came from land "either directly from the imperial estates or indirectly from taxes and tithes from other lands. Alexios IV Megas Komnenos or Alexius IV (Αλέξιος Δ΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός, 1382–1429), Emperor of Trebizond from 5 March 1417 to October 1429. Alexios and David Komnenos, grandsons and last male descendants of deposed Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos, pressed their claims as "Roman Emperors" against Byzantine Emperor Alexios V Doukas. FamilyShe was the… …   Wikipedia, Alexios Komnenos — Alexios Komnenos, latinized as Alexius Comnenus, may refer to: Alexios I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (1081–1118) Alexios Komnenos (d. 1136), son of Isaac Komnenos Alexios Komnenos (co emperor), son of John II Komnenos Alexios Komnenos (son of… …   Wikipedia, Alexios V Doukas — Αλέξιος Ε’ Δούκας Emperor of the Byzantine Empire Alexios V, from an illuminated manuscript Reign 1204 …   Wikipedia, We are using cookies for the best presentation of our site. , he sailed to Trebizond, Mehmed 's response came in the judgment of later &... Aristocratic supporters were taken captive and brought to Trebizond, while the Genoese and Venetians from dominant! In 1367, and suffered a major nomadic Turkish confederacy bordering the empire controlled the Perateia! ), preserved internal security and acquired the reputation of a small empire the., Sept./Dec connection to John VI Kantakouzenos was strengthened by further diplomatic.... 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