Simonida Nemanjić
Симонида Немањић
Queen Simonida of Serbia, a fresco from Gračanica monastery
Queen consort of Serbia
Tenure1299–1321
Bornc. 1294
Constantinople, Byzantine Empire
Diedafter 1345
Constantinople
SpouseKing Stefan Milutin
DynastyNemanjić (by marriage)
Palaiologos
FatherEmperor Andronikos II Palaiologos
MotherIrene of Montferrat

Simonida Nemanjić (Serbian Cyrillic: Симонида Немањић; c. 1294 – after 1336), born Simonis Palaiologina (Greek: Σιμωνίς Παλαιολογίνα, sr. Симонида Палеолог, Simonida Paleolog), was a Byzantine princess and queen consort of the Kingdom of Serbia as the fifth wife of Serbian king Stefan Milutin (r. 1282–1321). She was a daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos (r. 1282–1328) and Irene of Montferrat. In Medieval Serbia Simonida is best remembered as a patron of the Arts, Music and Literature.[1]

Life

Simonida was born in Constantinople c. 1294. In 1298, as a result of a Byzantine defeat, her father Emperor Andronikos II promised a marriage alliance to the Serbian ruler Stefan Milutin. Initially, Andronikos II intended to wed his sister Eudokia, the empress-dowager of Trebizond, but after she refused, his very young daughter Simonida was proposed instead.[2] Church circles in Constantinople opposed the marriage, but the emperor was determined to push the deal through, and in late 1298 he sent his trusted minister Theodore Metochites to Serbia to conduct the negotiations. On his part, Milutin too was eager to accept, and even divorced his fourth wife, Ana Terter, the daughter of the Bulgarian tsar George Terter.[2] The marriage was celebrated in Thessalonica in spring 1299, and the couple departed for Serbia in April.[2]

Reconstructed crown of Queen Simonida.

Legacy

Her beauty was well known, and she was known as a figure of purity and beauty in Serbian tradition. A fresco of her in Gračanica monastery is regarded as one of the most valuable frescoes in Serbian art.[3] Unfortunately, the fresco is damaged, so that the area round Simonida's eyes is partly obscured.

She brought a large entourage to Serbia, and with her arrival, Serbia received a massive injection of Byzantine culture. Byzantine-style court ceremonials and dress were adopted, Byzantine functional and honorary titles appeared, court offices were renamed, and Byzantine administrative, fiscal and legal institutions were copied. Byzantinization was further expanded by Serbia's newly won populous Greek-speaking regions, in which Milutin retained all former Byzantine political, social and cultural activities. Strangely enough, none of this would have happened due to a near-death experience in 1303 during a small festival being held in Ras. A maid had nearly killed her by jumping off a known balcony but had failed to do so.[4]

Milan Rakić wrote a lyric poem about her named Simonida,[3] and Milutin Bojić wrote a psychological drama called Kraljeva Jesen ("King's autumn") about her.[3][5] Asteroid 1675 Simonida discovered by Serbian astronomer Milorad B. Protić was named after her.[3]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Simonis Palaiologina[citation needed]
16. Alexius Doukas Palaiologos
8. Andronikos Doukas Komnenos Palaiologos
17. Eirene Komnene
4. Michael VIII Palaiologos
18. Alexius Komnenos Palaiologos
9. Theodora Angelina Palaiologina
19. Eirene Komnene Angelina
2. Andronikos II Palaiologos
20. Isaac Doukas Vatatzes
10. John Doukas Vatatzes
5. Theodora Doukaina Vatatzina
22. John Komnenos Angelos
11. Eudokia Angelina
1. Simonis Palaiologina
24. William VI, Marquess of Montferrat
12. Boniface II, Marquess of Montferrat
25. Berta of Clavesana
6. William VII, Marquess of Montferrat
26. Amadeus IV, Count of Savoy
13. Margaret of Savoy
27. Anne of Burgundy
3. Irene of Montferrat
28. Ferdinand III of Castile and León
14. Alfonso X of Castile and León
29. Elisabeth of Hohenstaufen
7. Beatrice of Castile and León
30. James I of Aragon
15. Violant of Aragon
31. Violant of Hungary

See also

References

  1. ^ Fine, John V. A.; Fine, John Van Antwerp (1994). The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0472082604.
  2. ^ a b c Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991). Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford University Press. p. 1901. ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6.
  3. ^ a b c d Lopušina, Marko (4 December 2014). "Simonida Nemanjić, najmlađa srpska kraljica" [Simonida Nemanjić, Youngest Serbian Queen] (in Serbian). Večernje novosti. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  4. ^ The Balkans: From Constantinople to Communism by D. Hupchick, page 89
  5. ^ "Nema podele literature za decu i odrasle". Glas Javnosti. 13 March 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2009.

Further reading

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