Simonida

Simonida
Queen Simonida of Serbia, a fresco from Gračanica monastery
Queen consort of Serbia
Tenure	1299–1321
Born	1294 Constantinople, Byzantine Empire
Died	after 1336 Constantinople
Spouse	King Stefan Milutin
Dynasty	Nemanjić (by marriage) Palaiologos
Father	Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos
Mother	Irene of Montferrat

Simonida Nemanjić (Serbian Cyrillic: Симонида Немањић; c. 1294 – after 1336), born Simonis Palaiologina (Greek: Σιμωνίς Παλαιολογίνα, sr. Симонида Палеолог, Simonida Paleolog), was a Byzantine princess and queen consort of the Kingdom of Serbia as the fourth wife of Serbian king Stefan Milutin (r. 1282–1321). She was a daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos (r. 1282–1328) and Irene of Montferrat.

Simonida was born in Constantinople ca. 1294. In 1298, as a result of a Byzantine defeat, Emperor Andronikos II promised a marriage alliance to the Serbian ruler Milutin. Initially, Andronikos II intended to wed his sister Eudokia, the empress-dowager of Trebizond, but after she refused, Simonida was proposed instead. Church circles in Constantinople opposed the marriage, but the emperor was determined to push the deal through, and in late 1298 he sent his trusted minister to Serbia to conduct the negotiations. On his part, Milutin too was eager to accept, and even divorced his third wife, Ana Terter, the daughter of the Bulgarian tsar George Terter. Simonida was five years old, and Milutin was almost 50, was married three times, with adult children. The marriage was celebrated in Thessalonica in spring 1299, and the couple departed for Serbia in April. As a wedding present, Byzantines recognized Serbian rule north of the line Ohrid—Prilep—Štip.