Simonida Nemanjić ( sr-cyr, Симонида Немањић; c. 1294 – after 1336), born Simonis Palaiologina ( el, Σιμωνίς Παλαιολογίνα, sr. Симонида Палеолог, ''Simonida Paleolog''), was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

princess and queen consort of the

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Краљевина Србија, Kraljevina Srbija) was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Prin ...

, wife of

Serbian king This is an archontological list of Serbian monarchs, containing monarchs of the medieval principalities, to heads of state of modern Serbia. The Serbian monarchy dates back to the Early Middle Ages. The Serbian royal titles used include Knyaz ...

Stefan Milutin Stefan Uroš II Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Урош II Милутин, Stefan Uroš II Milutin; 1253 – 29 October 1321), known as Stefan Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Милутин, Stefan Milutin), was the King of Serbia between 1282&nd ...

(r. 1282–1321). Queen Simonida was a daughter of the

Byzantine Emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as l ...

Andronikos II Palaiologos (r. 1282–1328) and Irene of Montferrat. In

Medieval Serbia Serbia in the Middle Ages refers to the medieval period in the history of Serbia. The period begins in the 6th century with the Slavic migrations to Southeastern Europe, and lasts until the Ottoman conquest of Serbian lands in the second hal ...

Queen Simonida is best remembered as a patron of Fine Arts, Arts and Letters.

Life

Princess Simonida was born in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

ca. 1294. In 1298, when a result of a Byzantine defeat, Emperor Andronikos II promised a marriage alliance to the

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also

* * * Old Serbian (disambiguat ...

ruler Milutin. The Orthodox Diocese in Constantinople opposed the marriage, but the emperor was determined to do so, and in late 1298 he sent his trusted minister Theodore Metochites to Serbia to conduct the negotiations. On his part, King Milutin too was eager to accept, and even divorced his wife, Ana Terter, the daughter of the Bulgarian tsar George Terter. Queen Simonida and King Milutin's marriage was celebrated in

Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region ...

springtime of 1299, and the couple departed for Serbia. As a wedding present, Byzantines recognized Serbian rule north of the line

Ohrid Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording a population of over 42,000 inh ...

—

Prilep Prilep ( mk, Прилеп ) is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko. Name The name of Prilep appea ...

—

Štip Štip ( mk, Штип ) is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of North Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities. As of the 2002 census, the city ...

. Queen Simonida showed great interest in theology at a rather young age and wanted to become a nun. After her mother Irene died in 1317, Queen Simonida decided not to return to Serbia. When King Milutin's entourage came for his wife, she appeared in monastic habit. King Milutin's people were astounded, yet her own half-brother Constantine Palaiologos ordered for civil dress. Queen Simonida went to Serbia with King Milutin's entourage, although she was reluctant to do so. After King Milutin threatened to start a war, Queen Simonida came back with him. Queen was 22 years old. When Milutin fell ill, she was beside him all the time, much to the surprise of the rest of the court. King Milutin died on 19 October 1321, and already on 29 October, Queen Simonida returned to Constantinople, where she entered the monastery of Saint Andrew in Krisei as a nun. There is very little information about her later life. Queen Simonida was last mentioned in historical documents in 1336, as a part of an assembly of civil and religious dignitaries who were stopping the conspirators. It is said that Queen Simonida died some time after 1345.

Legacy

Queen Simonida's beauty was well known, and she was known as a figure of clarity and beauty in Serbian tradition. A fresco of her in Gračanica monastery is regarded as one of the most valuable frescos in Serbian art. Unfortunately, the fresco is partially ruined since the Muslim invasions of those times, so that the fresco of Queen Simonida has damages at eyes. Queen Simonida brought a large entourage to Serbia, and with her arrival, Serbia received a boost of Byzantine culture. Byzantine-style court ceremonials and dress were adopted, Byzantine honorary, functional titles appeared, and court offices, legal institutions were renewed. ''Byzantine ways'' were further expanded by Serbia's newly won populous Greek-speaking regions, in which the King Milutin retained all former Byzantine political, social and cultural activities. A famous Serbian poet Milan Rakić wrote a lyric poem about the Byzantine Queen, titled ''Simonida'', and Milutin Bojić wrote a psychological drama called ''Kraljeva Jesen'' ("King's autumn") about the Byzantine Queen. One of the asteroids

1675 Simonida 1675 Simonida, provisional designation , is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers in diameter. Discovered by Milorad Protić in 1938, it was later named after the medieval Byzantine prin ...

discovered by Serbian astronomer

Milorad B. Protić Milorad B. Protić ( sr-cyr, italic=yes, Милорад Б. Протић; 19 September 1911, Belgrade – 29 October 2001, Belgrade) was a Serbian astronomer, discoverer of comets and minor planets, and three times director of the Belgrade Obser ...

was named after Byzantine Queen (Simonida).

Ancestry

References

External links

, - {{Authority control 1294 births 1340s deaths 14th-century Serbian royalty 14th-century Byzantine nuns Serbian queens consort Greek women of the Byzantine Empire Medieval Serbian royal consorts Medieval Serbian people of Greek descent Palaiologos dynasty Nemanjić dynasty Year of death unknown Daughters of Byzantine emperors 14th-century Serbian women

Life

Legacy

Ancestry

See also

References

Further reading

External links