principality · Poland, Lithuania and Russia

Principality of Theodoro

1357 CE – 1475 CE (approx.) · capital Mangup

An Orthodox Greek principality in the mountains of south-western Crimea, the last remnant of Byzantine rule there until 1475.

Origins

The south-western Crimea, known as Gothia after the Goths who settled there in late antiquity, came under a local Greek-speaking dynasty in the 14th century. The fortress of Mangup, called Theodoro, became its capital. Its rulers may have been linked to the Gabras family of Trebizond, though their origins are uncertain.

Rule and society

The principality was a mountain state of Greeks, Goths, Alans and others, living from vineyards, farming and trade. Prince Alexios I fought the Genoese of Genoese Gazaria for the coast and built a port at Kalamita. Theodoro's princes married into the ruling families of Trebizond and Moldavia; Maria of Mangup became the wife of Stephen the Great.

Decline and legacy

In 1475 the Ottoman Empire, having taken Caffa, besieged Mangup for months. The fortress fell in December 1475 and the princely family was taken to Istanbul and killed. The Ottomans ruled the area directly, and Crimean Gothic, once spoken there, died out.

Connections (2)

  • Principality of Theodoro paid tribute to Golden Horde1357 CE – 1441 CE
  • Principality of Theodoro was conquered by Ottoman Empire1475 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Theodoro. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-theodoro
MLA
“Principality of Theodoro.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-theodoro. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Theodoro.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-theodoro.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Theodoro’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-theodoro (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻