List of Trapezuntine emperors
List of Emperors

List of Trapezuntine emperors

Section Title: List of Emperors
Table Section Text: None

Name	Reign	Notes

Alexios I Megas Komnenos (Αλέξιος Α΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός)	1204 – 1 February 1222	Founded the Empire of Trebizond shortly prior to the fall of Constantinople in 1204 to the Fourth Crusade. Alexios and his brother David were the last male descendants of Byzantine Emperor Andronikos I, who had been deposed in 1185, and thus claimed to represent the legitimate Roman government in opposition to both the Latin Empire and the Empire of Nicaea.

-	Andronikos I Gidos (Ανδρόνικος Α΄ Γίδος)	1222 – 1235	The only emperor not to share blood relation with the founder of the Empire, Alexios I. Became emperor through marriage with a daughter of Alexios I.

John I Axouchos (Ιωάννης Α΄ Αξούχος)	1235 – 1238	The eldest son of Alexios I. Little is recorded of the reign of John I, he died while playing tzykanion, a variant of polo fashionable among the Byzantine nobility, when he fell from his horse and was trampled to death.

-	Manuel I Megas Komnenos (Μανουήλ Α΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός)	1238 – March 1263	Known as "The Most Fortunate" and "The Great Captain". Lead a joint defensive campaign against the Mongol Empire, assisting forces of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm and the Empire of Nicaea.

Andronikos II Megas Komnenos (Ανδρόνικος Β΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός)	March 1263 – 1266	Son of Manuel I. The reign of Andronikos II saw the permanent loss of Sinope to the Seljuk Turks, which gave them access to the best port on the Black Sea and allowed for the construction of a powerful Turkish navy that competed with the Trapezuntine state for control and influence in the Black Sea.

George Megas Komnenos (Γεώργιος Μέγας Κομνηνός)	1266 – 1280	Son of Manuel I and half-brother of Andronikos II. Was betrayed and deposed by his brother John II, but returned in 1284 in a failed attempt at recovering his throne.

-	John II Megas Komnenos (Ιωάννης Β΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός)	1280 – 1284 1285 – 1297	Son of Manuel I, half-brother of Andronikos II and brother of Georgios. John II changed the imperial title from the traditional "Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans" to "Emperor and Autocrat of all the East, of the Iberians and of Perateia" to appeal to the resurgent Byzantine Empire under the Palaiologos dynasty.

Theodora Megale Komnene (Θεοδώρα Μεγάλη Κομνηνή)	1284 – 1285	Daughter of Manuel I and younger sister of John II. Usurped the throne of Trebizond from her brother with the aid of Imeretian king David VI.

-	Alexios II Megas Komnenos (Αλέξιος Β΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός)	16 August 1297 – 3 May 1330	Eldest son of John II and his wife Eudokia Palaiologina. The Empire of Trebizond reached the climax of its prosperity under Alexios II, who also rebuffed invasions from the Seljuk Turks and handled encroachment from the Italian merchant republics of Genoa and Venice.

Andronikos III Megas Komnenos (Ανδρόνικος Γ΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός)	October 1330 – 8 January 1332	Son of Alexios II. Ruled for fifteen months.

Manuel II Megas Komnenos (Μανουήλ Β΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός)	8 January 1332 – September 1332	Son of Andronikos III, ruled for eight months during 1332 before Basil, brother of Andronikos III, returned to Trebizond and took over the government and exiled the eight-year old Manuel to a monastery.

-	Basil Megas Komnenos (Βασίλειος Μέγας Κομνηνός)	September 1332 – 6 August 1340	Son of Alexios II and brother of Andronikos III. Secured a marriage alliance with Byzantine Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos by marrying his illegitimate daughter Irene Palaiologina.

-	Irene Palaiologina (Ειρήνη Παλαιολογίνα)	6 August 1340 – 17 July 1341	Widow of Basil. Possibly poisoned Basil to seize the throne.

Anna Anachoutlou (Αννα Αναcηοθτλοθ)	17 July 1341 – 4 September 1342	Daughter of Alexios II and sister of Basil. Deposed Irene Palaiologina, but was after just over a year of rule deposed herself in a popular revolt in favor of John III, son of Michael who was in turn the son of Emperor John II.

-	John III Megas Komnenos (Ἰωάννης Γ΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός)	4 September 1342 – 3 May 1344	Grandson of John II. Was deposed in favor of his father Michael in 1344, being banished to the monastery of St.

-	Michael Megas Komnenos (Μιχαήλ Μέγας Κομνηνός)	3 May 1344 – 13 December 1349	Father of John III and son of John II. The reign of Michael saw a severe weakening of the Empire due to the Black Death raging within its borders, increasing conflicts with the Genoese who came to dominate more and more of the lucrative Black Sea trade and invasions by the Turkmen.

-	Alexios III Megas Komnenos (Αλέξιος Γ΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός)	13 December 1349 – 20 March 1390	Nephew of Michael and son of Basil. Alexios III is perhaps the best documented Trapezuntine emperor due to the large number of religious grants and literary creations composed during his reign.

-	Manuel III Megas Komnenos (Μανουήλ Γ΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός)	20 March 1390 – 5 March 1417	Son of Alexios III. The reign of Manuel saw the growing Ottoman Empire becoming an increasing threat.

Alexios IV Megas Komnenos (Αλέξιος Δ΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός)	5 March 1417 – October 1429	Son of Manuel III. Though he had received the title of "Despot" by his father as early as 1395, Alexios was eager to assume supreme power and is believed by some to have hastened the death of his father.

John IV Megas Komnenos (Ιωάννης Δ΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός)	October 1429 – 1460	Son of Alexios IV. The reign of John saw increasing threats from the Turkmen neighbors of the Empire and the Ottoman Empire in the west.

David Megas Komnenos (Δαβίδ Μέγας Κομνηνός)	1460 – 15 August 1461	Son of Alexios IV and brother of John IV. David surrendered after a siege of Trebizond by the Ottomans, in return for a comfortable retirement in Thrace with his family.

Sentence(s)

Anna Anachoutlou of Trebizond ruled from July 17, 1341 to September 4, 1342.

final_sentence: Anna Anachoutlou of Trebizond ruled from July 17, 1341 to September 4, 1342.