On the first marriage of King Milutin

Abstract

The paper deals with the problem of the first marriage of the Serbian king Stephen Uroš II (Milutin), mentioned by the Byzantine author George Pachymeres, with the aim to reinforce the existing thesis that it was a marriage with a Serbian noble Helen, concluded in the 1270-ies, but divorced soon after he came to the Serbian throne in 1282. It also provides an overview of the nature and character of that marriage and the possible reasons why it was dissolved and declared invalid.

Keywords

• stephen uroš ii (milutin)
• andronicus ii palaeologus
• george pachymeres
• royal marriage
• morganatic marriage