Isaac II Angelos, Byzantine emperor

Greek: Ισαάκιος Β’ Άγγελος

Isaac was emperor from 1085 to 1095, and again in 1203-1204.

Events

Date of Birth: about 1156.

Place of Birth: unknown.

The date is given by Brand and Cutler. Varzos gives September 1156.

Date of Death: 28/9 January 1204.

Place of Death: Constantinople (in prison).

The date and place is given by Brand and Cutler. Hiestand states that Isaac died between 28/29 January and 8 February 1204.

Relationships

Father: Andronikos Doukas Angelos.

This relationship is given by Radić, by Schreiner, by Varzos, and by Kazhdan.

Mother: Euphrosyne Kastamonitissa.

This relationship is given by Kazhdan, by Varzos, and by Schreiner.

(probable) Spouse: Eirene Tornikina.

Irene Tornikaina is given by Don Stone and Charles Owens, who argue that the most likely parents for Irene were Demetrios Tornikes and a daughter of Euthymios Malakes (see Eirene’s page for more information). Varzos (p. 814 n) argued that she was a member of the Palaiologos family, since Isaac is known to have been called gambros (brother-in-law or son-in-law) of Andronikos Palaiologos Komnenodukas. Decker-Hauff suggested that she was a daughter of Andronikos I Komnenos, based on the same evidence. Hiestand reviews the evidence, and concludes that her family origin cannot be stated with certainty, but probably she was from the Palaiologoi Komnenodoukai family (perhaps her father was Georgios Palaiologos Komnenodoukas).

Spouse: Margaret of Hungary.

This relationship is given by Kazhdan, and by Brand and Cutler.

Children (by Isaac’s first wife):

(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)

Euphrosyne, a nun.

Alexios IV (born about 1080 to 1083, died 1204, after 28 January), co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

Irene (born about 1080 to 1084, died 27 August 1208) married (1) Roger III, king of Sicily; married (2) Philip, king of Germany.

Children (by Margaret):

Manuel.

Ioannes married Mathilde von Vianden.

References

Brand, Charles M. and  Anthony Cutler, “Isaac II Angelos” in the Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (Oxford University Press, 1991).

Hiestand, Rudolf. “Die erste Ehe Isaaks II. Angelos und seine Kinder” in Jahrbuch der österreichischen Byzantistik (volume 47, Vienna, 1997) pp. 199-208.

Kazhdan, Alexander P. “Angelos” in the Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (Oxford University Press, 1991).

M. Jeffreys et al., Prosopography of the Byzantine World (2011) “Isaakios 2” [consulted 31 July 2014].

Radić, Radivoj.  "Angelid dynasty (1185-1204)", 2008, Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World, Constantinople

Schreiner, P. Dynastie der Angeloi genealogical table in volume 9 of Lexikon des Mittelalters. Munich: LexMA-Verlag, 1980-1998.

Stone, D C and Charles R Owens. “[Eirene?], First Wife of Emperor Isaakios II Angelos, is a Probable Tornikina and Gateway to Antiquity” in Foundations (Jan. 2011). 

Varzos (Barzos), Konstantinos. Η Γενεαλογία των Κομνηνών. The Centre for Byzantine Studies of the School of Philosophy, University of Thessaloniki:1984.