Utilisateur:Aeleftherios/Brouillon3
Un article de Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre.
Théodore Ier Paléologue (en Grec: Θεόδωρος Α΄ Παλαιολόγος, Theodōros I Palaiologos) (vers 1355 - 1407) fut despote de Morée de 1382 à sa mort le 24 juin 1407. Il était le fils cadet de l'empereur Jean V Paléologue et d'Hélène Cantacuzène et le frère des empereurs Andronic IV et Manuel II.
Son père le nomme despote de Thessalonique en 1376, mais est arrêté et emprisonné par son grand-frère Andronic en même temps que son père et son frère manuel. Il est retenu prisonnier jusqu'à la fin du règne d'Andronic en 1379. Alors que Jean V Paléologue remonte sur le trône, il charge Manuel de la direction de Thessalonique et Thédore se voit confier le despotat de Morée (1382).
La Morée est alors dirigé par Mathieu Cantacuzène depuis 1380. Celui-ci ne s'oppose pas à la nomination de Théodore, mais son fils Démétrios Cantacuzène soulève la Morée et contrôle la région jusqu'à sa mort en 1383.
The young despotēs soon commenced wars for the expansion of his province. His military campaigns were arguably the most successful Byzantine military operations since the annexation of large regions of Thessaly and Epirus by his paternal grandfather Andronikos III Palaiologos earlier in the 14th century. In order to increase the potential manpower of his army, Theodore encouraged the settlement of Albanians in Morea, and recruited them as troops against local landowners, the Latin possessions surrounding his province, and against the encroaching Ottomans.
Theodore's first successes came in 1388, soon followed by his conquest of Argos. However the Republic of Venice intervened and took control of Argos from him while also offering protection to Patras. The situation was resolved with the signing of a military alliance between Morea and Venice in 1394. Bayezid I of the Ottoman Empire was starting to expand his control over the Balkans and both rivals for control over the Peloponnese had to defend it against a possible invasion by the Ottomans. The new alliance was accompanied by a decision to build a fortification wall across the Isthmus of Corinth.
The military genius of Theodore would soon become evident. Not only did he defeat invading Ottoman forces but successfully counter-attacked and conquered both Corinth (1395) and Athens (1396). His victories attracted the attention of Bayezid I who started considering him a dangerous opponent. Bayezid personally led a full military invasion against Morea.
Unlike his older brother Manuel II, Theodore did not attempted to submit and continued to fight till the end. When he was no longer able to prevent Mystras and Corinth from falling into Ottoman control, Theodore instead offered both cities (Corinth in 1397, Mystras in 1400) to the Knights Hospitaller of Rhodes. This ensured their continued resistance to the Ottomans even when not under his own control.
In the end his methods proved successful. Bayezid I declared the Peloponnese an Ottoman province but failed to fully establish his control before calling off his campaign and returning to his capital in Edirne. Theodore soon managed to restore his control in Morea and most of his former conquests. The Knights Hospitaller even returned to him Mystras and Corinth once their forces were no longer needed to secure the area, in 1404.
In 1400, Bayezid I had turned his attention to Constantinople and was besieging the city. Manuel II managed to escape his capital along with most of the Imperial family. He set out in person to seek help from the forces of Western Europe. Meanwhile he left his family in the protection of Theodore. Theodore secured his visiting kin in his new provincial capital in Monemvasia.
Theodore I had married Bartolomea Acciaioli, a daughter of Duke Nerio I Acciaioli of Athens but is not known to have sons. Shortly before his death, Theodore took monastic orders under the name "Theodoret", and died on June 24, 1407. The succession problem caused by his death was resolved when Manuel II named his own underage son Theodore II Palaiologos as the new despotēs of Morea.
Some sources consider an unnamed daughter of Theodore to be the wife of Suleyman Çelebi, the Edirne Sultan during the Ottoman Interregnum. There are no known descendants of Suleyman.
