Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat

Who was Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat?

Theodore I Palaiologos or Palaeologus was Marquess of Montferrat from 1306 until his death.

He was a son of Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos and Irene of Montferrat. When his uncle John I died in 1305, the male line of the Aleramici Marquesses of Montferrat went extinct. The March of Montferrat was passed to Irene's children. Patriarch Athanasius I of Constantinople blocked the candidacy of the elder son John, so Theodore went to Italy instead.

Theodore sailed to Genoa in 1306. In 1307 he married Argentina Spinola, daughter of Genoese magnate Opicino Spinola, Capitani del Popolo of the Republic of Genoa. Spinola used his wealth to back Theodore's claim to Montferrat.

Theodore was opposed by Manfred IV of Saluzzo. Manfred was a cadet of the House of Savoy, and several marquesses of Montferrat had Savoyard wives. King Charles II of Anjou also claimed parts of the March. He gradually overcame these foes and secured the whole March. In 1310 he received the imperial investiture from Emperor Henry VII.

Theodore and Argentina had two children, John and Yolande, who married Aimone, Count of Savoy.