Anna of Trebizond, Queen of Georgia

Anna Megale Komnene (Greek: Άννα Μεγάλη Κομνηνή, Anna Megalē Komnēnē), (6 April 1357 - after 31 November 1406),^[1] was a Trapezuntine Queen consort of Georgia as the second wife of King Bagrat V. She was the mother of his youngest son, Constantine I of Georgia, who would later in 1407 succeed his half-brother, King George VII and reign as king.

She was a member of the powerful Byzantine Greek Komnenos dynasty which was founded by Isaac I Komnenos in 1057.

Family and betrothal

Anna was born in Trebizond on 6 April 1357, which was the day before Good Friday,^[1][2] the eldest daughter and child of Emperor Alexios III of Trebizond and Theodora Kantakouzene. The Chronicle of Michael Panaretos records the birth on "April 6, around Good Friday" in 1357, of "Lady Anna to the Emperor by our empress the Lady Theodora".^[1] She had two younger brothers, Basil and Manuel; and three younger sisters: Eudokia, Maria, and another whose name is not known; all three were later married to Muslim Turkmen rulers. Anna had also at least two illegitimate half-brothers by her father's liaison with an unnamed mistress.

In April 1362, in Constantinople, she was betrothed to Andronikos Palaiologos who would later rule as Byzantine Emperor Andronikos IV. For unknown reasons, the betrothal was annulled, and another husband was later chosen for her.

Queen of Georgia

In June 1367, at the age of 10 years and two months,^[3] she married as his second wife, King Bagrat V of Georgia, also known as Bagrat the Great. They were related, both of them being descendants of the Jaqeli noble family of Georgia. His first wife, Helena had died the previous year of bubonic plague, leaving behind two sons. Anna was accompanied to Georgia by her father and formidable paternal grandmother, Irene of Trebizond.

On an unknown date, sometime after 1369, Anna gave birth to a son, Constantine (died 1411/1412). He would later reign as King Constantine I of Georgia, succeeding his childless half-brother, King George VII in 1407. His wife was Natia Amirejibi, by whom he had issue. It is not recorded if Anna had other children besides Constantine.

In November 1386, Tbilisi was besieged and captured by the invading forces of Mongol warlord Tamerlane; and she, along with her husband and son were taken prisoner.^[1] As a means of securing their release, King Bagrat agreed to become a Muslim, and Tamerlane sent them back to Georgia with 20,000 Mongol troops. However, Prince George, her husband's son from his first marriage, was able to completely destroy the Mongol army and released the king and queen from captivity. In the end they didn't convert to Islam, although further battles were fought with Tamerlane before he allowed the kingdom of Georgia to remain Christian.

In 1393, Anna's husband died; she herself died on an unknown date sometime after 1406.

References