Renier of Montferrat ¹

  General Notes:

Renier of Montferrat was the fifth son of William III of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg. He became son-in-law of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus and Caesar in 1179, and was later murdered in a Byzantine power-struggle.

It was Manuel who suggested the marriage of his daughter Maria to a son of William III. The only eligible son was the youngest, 17-year-old Renier, whom the Byzantine chronicler Nicetas Choniates described as blond and beardless. With his marriage to the 30-year-old princess, Renier was given the title Caesar, renamed "John", and (it is believed) granted Thessalonica as an estate for life, a pronoia. Maria was second in line to the throne, and had only been deprived of the succession by the birth of her much younger half-brother Alexius. Thus, Renier became entangled in the perpetual power struggle around the Byzantine throne.

With the death of Manuel I in September 1180, the throne fell to the boy Alexius II, with his mother, the empress dowager Maria, acting as regent. Maria caused a scandal by taking the protosebastos Alexius as a lover. This, combined with her Latin-friendly views triggered a plot to overthrow the Emperor, and install Maria and Renier on the throne. The plot was discovered, and several conspirators arrested. Maria and Renier sought refuge in the Hagia Sofia cathedral with some 150 of their followers. Fighting ensued, later dubbed the Holy War as it took place in that most holy church. Eventually, the conspirators were offered an amnesty to end the hostilities.

Both the Emperor and the conspirators fell victims to another usurper though, as Andronicus Comnenus returned from his exile with an army in support. Alexius II was forced to recognice Andronicus as his co-Emperor, and was later murdered. Renier, as a contender to the throne, shared his fate, as did Maria. Andronicus' takeover was marred by the massacre of the Latin population that followed. It is believe that this massacre was one of the reasons later used as an excuse by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade. Renier's surviving older brother Boniface seems to have based his claim to Thessalonica on his late brother's title.

Renier married Maria Comnena, daughter of Manuel I Comnenus and Bertha von Sulzbach, circa 1180. (Maria Comnena was born in 1152 and died in 1182.)