Sophia of Montferrat
Sophia of Montferrat or Sophia Palaiologina (died 21 August, 1434) was the second wife of John VIII Palaiologos. She was briefly the senior Empress consort of the Byzantine Empire.
Family
Sophia Palaiologina was a daughter of Theodore II Palaiologos, Marquess of Montferrat and his second wife, Joanna of Bar. Joanna's parents were Robert I, Duke of Bar and Marie Valois, the latter a daughter of John II of France and Bonne of Bohemia. Also, through her father, Sophia was a relative of the reigning Byzantine Palaiologi dynasty.
Marriage
On 26 January, 1404, Sophia was betrothed to Filippo Maria Visconti. He was a son of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan and his second wife Caterina Visconti. The marriage contract was eventually broken.
On 19 January, 1421, Sophia was married to John VIII Palaiologos. He was the eldest surviving son of Manuel II Palaiologos and Helena Dragaš. He was at the time co-ruler with his father. The marriage was recorded by both Doukas and George Sphrantzes in their respective chronicles. Sphrantzes records Hagia Sophia as its location.
According to The Last Centuries of Byzantium 1261-1453 (1972) by J.M. Nicol, Manuel had send ambassadors to the Council of Constance while seeking Papal permission for the marriage. The issue being the conversion of the Roman Catholic bride to the Eastern Orthodox Church. The permission was granted by Pope Martin V.
Apparently although Sophia was a particularly pious individual, unfortunately for her marriage, she was also considered unattractive by the standards of her time, being described by Michael Doukas as "Lent in front and Easter behind"[1] [2]. John VIII, not contented in his marriage, made every effort to avoid her, and, as a result, Sophia spent much of her time in Constantinople isolated from her husband.
On 21 July, 1425, Manuel II died and John VIII succeeded him. Sophia replaced her mother-in-law as senior Empress. However Doukas records the marriage to have ended in August 1426. Sophia never remarried and died eight years later.
Footnotes
Sources
- Doukas, Historia Bizantina
- George Sphrantzes, Chronicle
- Nicol, D.M., The Last Centuries of Byzantium 1261-1453 (Cambridge University Press, 1993)
- Vasiliev, A.A., History of the Byzantine Empire, 324-1453 (University of Wisconsin Press, 1958)