Irene Laskarina (died 1240) (Greek: Εἰρήνη Λασκαρίνα, Eirēnē Laskarina) was Empress consort of Nicaea. She was a daughter of Theodore I Laskaris,[1] emperor of Nicaea and Anna Komnene Angelina. Her maternal grandparents were Alexios III Angelos and Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamatera. Her sister, Maria Laskarina, married Béla IV of Hungary.
Irene Laskarina | |
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![]() Seal of Irene Laskarina | |
Empress consort of Nicaea | |
Tenure | 1222–1240 |
Died | 1240 |
Spouse | Andronikos Palaiologos John III Doukas Vatatzes |
Issue | Theodore II Vatatzes |
House | Laskaris |
Father | Theodore I Laskaris |
Mother | Anna Angelina |
Irene first married the general Andronikos Palaiologos, and after his death became the wife of Theodore's designated successor, the future John III Doukas Vatatzes[1] in 1212. They had a son, the future Theodore II Laskaris. After the latter's birth, she fell from a horse and was so badly injured that she was unable to have any more children. She retired to a convent, taking the monastic name Eugenia, and died there in summer of 1240, some fourteen years before her husband.[2]
Irene is praised by historians[like whom?] for her modesty and prudence and is said to have brought about by her example a considerable improvement in the morals of her nation.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b c Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 766. .
- ^ Murata, Koji; Ichikawa, Kohei; Fujii, Yuri I.; Hayakawa, Hisashi; Cheng, Yongchao; Kawamoto, Yukiko; Sano, Hidetoshi (2021), "Cometary records revise Eastern Mediterranean chronology around 1240 CE", Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan, 73: 197–204, arXiv:2012.00976, doi:10.1093/pasj/psaa114