Teodora Branković: Difference between revisions

Teodora Branković
Princess consort of Albania and Lady of Durazzo
Princess consort of Albania
Tenure	1388-1392
Predecessor	Voisava of Zeta
Successor	Marco Barbarigo
Born	c. after 1345 Serbian Empire
Died	unknown
Spouse	George Thopia
Dynasty	Branković (by birth) Thopia (by marriage)
Father	Branko Mladenović
Religion	Serbian Orthodox Christianity

Teodora Branković, (c. 1340s), was a Serbian noblewoman and Princess of Albania and Lady of Durazzo by marriage to George Thopia. Her father was Sevastokrator Branko Mladenović, founder of the Branković dynasty.^[1]

Teodora was the only daughter, and likely the youngest child, of Branko Mladenović, a Serbian magnate and sevastokrator serving emperors Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–55), and Stefan Uroš V(r. 1355–71). Her mother, on the other hand is unknown. She had three older brothers: Nikola, Grgur and Vuk Branković. The latter would go on to become the most powerful de facto ruler of late 14th century Serbia. Teodora's paternal grandfather, Mladen, is the earliest known predecessor of the Branković, who in later chronicles were mentioned as descendants of the Nemanjić dynasty, through Vukan Nemanjić, son of Stefan Nemanja.

The exact date of the marriage between Teodora and George Thopia, Prince of Albania remains unknown. The Thopia were a powerful Albanian noble family, who rose into prominence under the reign of Karl Thopia, George's father. He defeated and took over Angevin controlled territories in Albania, most notably the Duchy of Durazzo, at the time held by his cousin Joanna of Durazzo. Through Karl's mother Hélène of Anjou, all later members of the Thopia were related to the Anjou dynasty. After her father-in law's death in 1388, Teodora's husband George, inherited the titles Prince of Albania and Lord of Durazzo, thus making her a Princess consort. The city of Kruja, on the other hand, was inherited by her sister-in law Helena, as per Karl's wishes. When George died in 1392, his possessions were passed down to Helena and her Venetian husband, Marco Barbarigo. This led to continuous territorial conflicts with their half-brother Niketa Thopia.^[2] After her husband's death, Teodora's life remains a mystery caused by a lack of historical sources. She had no surviving issue by George.^[3]