Family
Theodora is considered a daughter of Nikephoros Kantakouzenos, sebastokratÅr. According to the chronicle of their kinsman John VI Kantakouzenos, Nikephoros was imprisoned by orders of Alexios Apokaukos, one of the main advisors of Anna of Savoy in the civil war against John VI, in 1341. Nikephoros was later released and recorded being the governor of Adrianople in the 1350s. The identity of her mother is unknown.
The available Latin translations of the chronicle mention Nikephoros as a Patruelis of John VI, a paternal first cousin. Assuming this was not an error in translation, Theodora's paternal grandfather would be a sibling of Michael Kantakouzenos.
Read more about this topic: Theodora Kantakouzene
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