Caterina Gattilusio (died August 1442) was the second wife of

Constantine XI Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos or Dragaš Palaeologus (; 8 February 140429 May 1453) was the last reigning Byzantine emperor from 23 January 1449 until his death in battle at the fall of Constantinople on 29 May 1453. Constantine's death ...

, the last

Byzantine emperor The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...

, while he was still

Despot of the Morea The Despotate of the Morea () or Despotate of Mystras () was a province of the Byzantine Empire which existed between the mid-14th and mid-15th centuries. Its territory varied in size during its existence but eventually grew to include almost a ...

. She was a daughter of Dorino of Lesbos and Orietta Doria. In 1440, Caterina was betrothed to Constantine Palaiologos. The Chronicle of

George Sphrantzes George Sphrantzes, also Phrantzes or Phrantza ( or Φραντζῆς; 30 August 1401 – 1478), was a late Byzantine Greek historian and Imperial courtier. He was an attendant to Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos, '' protovestiarites'' ("Lord of the I ...

records the author himself arriving in

Lesbos Island Lesbos or Lesvos ( ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of , with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece and the eighth largest in the Mediterranean. It is separated from ...

on 6 December 1440 to negotiate for the hand of Caterina. The following year Constantine sailed for Lesbos with Sphrantzes and

Loukas Notaras Loukas Notaras (; 5 April 1402 – 3 June 1453) was a Byzantine Greek statesman who served as the last '' megas doux'' or grand duke (commander-in-chief of the Byzantine navy) and the last '' mesazon'' (chief minister) of the Byzantine Empire, unde ...

, and in August the marriage took place at

Mytilene Mytilene (; ) is the capital city, capital of the Greece, Greek island of Lesbos, and its port. It is also the capital and administrative center of the North Aegean Region, and hosts the headquarters of the University of the Aegean. It was fo ...

in August, then the next year Constantine sailed to the

Morea Morea ( or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used by the Principality of Achaea, the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the O ...

to resume his duties. However, the marriage lasted about a year: Constantine, returning to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

in July 1442, stopped at Mytilene to collect his wife, and proceeded to

Lemnos Lemnos ( ) or Limnos ( ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos (regional unit), Lemnos regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean modern regions of Greece ...

where he was caught by, as Sphrantes describes, "the whole Turkish fleet". Although the Turkish fleet left after a few days, Caterina fell ill and suffered a miscarriage that August. She died not long afterwards at Palaiokastron on Lemnos.''The Fall of the Byzantine Empire: a Chronicle by George Sphrantzes, 1401-1477'', translated by Marios Philippides (Amherst: University of Massachusetts, 1980), p. 53 Constantine never remarried.

References

External links

* 1442 deaths Palaiologos dynasty Caterina Year of birth unknown 15th-century Genoese people 15th-century Italian women Deaths in childbirth People from Lesbos {{Byzantine-bio-stub