Anna Philanthropene was the second Empress consort of Manuel III of Trebizond.[1]
Her father was Manuel Angelos Philanthropenos, Caesar of the Byzantine Empire and ruler of Thessaly from c. 1390 to 1394. The provincial capital of her father was in Trikala.[1] Thessaly was conquered by Bayezid I of the Ottoman Empire in 1394.
Her paternal grandfather was Alexios Angelos Philanthropenos, also a Caesar. He was governor of Thessaly from c. 1373 to 1390. Her maternal grandmother was Maria Radoslava.[2] Alexios succeeded his kinsman John Uroš after the latter abdicated in order to enter a monastery.
Maria was a daughter of Radoslav Hlapen.[2] Radoslav was lord of Kastoria and Edessa.[3] Radoslav is better known as a rival of Simeon Uroš. His wife was Irene, widow of Caesar Gregorios Preljub, the Serbian governor of Thessaly, who died in late 1355 or early 1356. Irene was the mother of Thomas II Preljubović by her previous wedding.
According to "The Late Medieval Balkans, A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest" (1994) by J. V. A. Fine, Irene was a daughter of Stefan Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia and Helena of Bulgaria.[4]
In 1395, Gulkhan-Eudokia of Georgia, Empress consort of Trebizond died. Manuel III of Trebizond, her widower, married Anna within the same year. Anna was a stepmother to his son, Alexios IV of Trebizond. Their marriage is considered childless. Manuel died on 5 March 1417. Whether Anna survived him is unknown.[1]
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gulkhan-Eudokia of Georgia |
Empress consort of Trebizond 1395–c. 1417 |
Succeeded by Theodora Kantakouzene |