John Doukas (, ''Iōannēs Doúkas'') was a son of the

Despot of Epirus The Despot of Epirus was the ruler of the Despotate of Epirus, one of the rump states of the Byzantine Empire in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade. The name "Despotate of Epirus" and the title "despot of Epirus" are modern historiographical name ...

Michael II Komnenos Doukas Michael II Komnenos Doukas, Latinized as Comnenus Ducas (, ''Mikhaēl II Komnēnos Doukas''), often called Michael Angelos in narrative sources, was from 1230 until his death in 1266/68 the ruler of the Despotate of Epirus, which included Epirus ...

, and a general in

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

service. John was the second-born son of the

, and Theodora Petraliphaina. In 1261 his mother brought him as a hostage to the Byzantine court at

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 ...

, where he married Tornikina Komnene (of unknown first name), the second-born daughter of the ''

sebastokrator ''Sebastokrator'' (, ; ; ), was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers whose states bordered the Empire or were within its sphere of influence (Bulgarian Empire, Serbian Empire). The word is a compound ...

Constantine Tornikios Constantine Tornikes or Tornikios () was one of the most senior officials during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos (r. 1195–1203). He was a descendant of the prominent Tornikios clan, of Armenian or Georgian origin.. His fat ...

. The couple had at least one daughter, Helena, but the marriage was unhappy, with John apparently despising his wife. As a result, he was imprisoned and blinded in 1280, and committed suicide shortly after.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Doukas, John 1280s deaths 13th-century Byzantine people Komnenodoukas dynasty People from the Despotate of Epirus Suicides in the Byzantine Empire