Alexios I Komnenos marries Maria of Alania?

OTL, Alexios I Komnenos married Eirene Doukaina. I read on one or two forums that he was considering marrying the twice-widowed previous empress, Maria of Alania. Would Alexios even be able to marry her? What would the consequences be if they do marry?
 
That is an interesting POD Byzantine Lover!

Perhaps closer Byzantine-Georgian relations, but also perhaps a more difficult road for Alexios in taming the Byzantine nobility, as his OTL wife was the powerful Irene Doukas.
 
That is an interesting POD Byzantine Lover!

Perhaps closer Byzantine-Georgian relations, but also perhaps a more difficult road for Alexios in taming the Byzantine nobility, as his OTL wife was the powerful Irene Doukas.

I think it was the Doukas family that was (undeservedly) powerful at the time of Alexios's ascension. Eirene herself was 15 years old, Alexios was 25 and Maria of Alania was 28, and she had already had one son by Michael VII - Constantine.

I think, in OTL, before John II was born, Anna Komnene was betrothed to Constantine originally, but then he died and she was married to Nikephoros Bryennios te Younger.

Sorry, I'm just really biased towards the Doukas family. Constantine X did away with Isaac I's reforms and disbanded the army at the worst possible time, and none of his sons (Michael VII, Andronikos and Constantius) had any experience or interest in ruling.
 
I think it was the Doukas family that was (undeservedly) powerful at the time of Alexios's ascension. Eirene herself was 15 years old, Alexios was 25 and Maria of Alania was 28, and she had already had one son by Michael VII - Constantine.

I think, in OTL, before John II was born, Anna Komnene was betrothed to Constantine originally, but then he died and she was married to Nikephoros Bryennios te Younger.

Sorry, I'm just really biased towards the Doukas family. Constantine X did away with Isaac I's reforms and disbanded the army at the worst possible time, and none of his sons (Michael VII, Andronikos and Constantius) had any experience or interest in ruling.

Your right about Anna and Konstantine. They were originally betrothed, with Konstantine as heir presumptive, before John's birth. Then the betrothal was broken, though Konstantine himself was still favored by Alexios. And I agree with you about the Doukas family as well. They all tended to be relatively useless in government. Sure the family did produce a few capable generals, but being a good commander doesn't make you a good Emperor.
 
Your right about Anna and Konstantine. They were originally betrothed, with Konstantine as heir presumptive, before John's birth. Then the betrothal was broken, though Konstantine himself was still favored by Alexios. And I agree with you about the Doukas family as well. They all tended to be relatively useless in government. Sure the family did produce a few capable generals, but being a good commander doesn't make you a good Emperor.

I'm just wondering how the Doukai managed to build up so much support in the first place, and why no one succeeded in overthrowing Constantine X in his 8 incompetent years of mismanagement.
 
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