Theodora Doukaina Komnene Palaiologina (Greek: Θεοδώρα Δούκαινα Κομνηνή Παλαιολογίνα; c. 1240 – 4 March 1303), also known as Theodora Vatatzaina (Greek: Θεοδώρα Βατάτζαινα), was the empress consort of the Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos.
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Life
Theodora was a daughter of John Doukas and Eudokia Angelina. Her paternal grandfather was sebastokrator Isaac Doukas Vatatzes (died 1261), the older brother of the Nicaean emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes (r. 1221–1254). Theodora's maternal grandfather was protostrator John Angelos; his name indicates he was a member of the Angelos family, but his exact relations to the reigning members of the family are not known.
Empress of Nicaea
Acropolites mentions that the father of Theodora died in young adulthood. Her mother died in the early 1250s. Leaving Theodora to be raised by her great-uncle John III who was said to have "loved her like a daughter". In 1253, John III arranged the marriage of Theodora to Michael Palaiologos, who had been steadily rising in distinction due to a combination of familial connections and military abilities.