Maria of Alania

Maria of Alania (born Princess Martha of Georgia; Georgian: მართა) was an empress consort of the Byzantine Empire. She was married to emperors Michael VII Doukas and later, Nikephoros III Botaneiates. At the time of her marriage, Georgian Maria was one of only two non-Byzantine princesses to marry a Byzantine heir, along with Bertha (Eudoxia) of Italy, and the only one to give birth to an heir. It must be added, though, that Theodora of Khazaria had been married to Justinian II, though he was no longer heir at the time of their marriage, and that she had given birth to an heir, though he did not succeed his father. Her accession to the Imperial throne of the Eastern Roman Empire was considered a significant success for a newly-unified kingdom like Georgia, which would achieve regional influence comparable to that of Byzantium only during the reign of Martha's nephew, King David IV, who refused to carry a Byzantine title.