Nicholas Orsini
Nicholas Orsini (, "Nikolaos Orsini") was count palatine of Cephalonia from 1317 to 1323 and ruler of Epirus from 1318 to 1323.

Nicholas was the son of Count John I Orsini of Cephalonia by Maria, a daughter of Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas of Epirus by Anna Palaiologina Kantakouzene. His father governed Cephalonia as a vassal of King Charles II of Naples, and had acquired Leukas as his wife's dowry. Nicholas succeeded to the county on his father's death in 1317, but unlike his predecessors was more interested in intervening in Epirus than in the Latin possessions in southern Greece. In 1318 he surprised and murdered his uncle Thomas I Komnenos Doukas of Epirus and easily subdued the entire southern portion of the principality around Arta. To solidify his position Nicholas also married his uncle's widow, Anna Palaiologina, daughter of Michael IX Palaiologos, and was conferred the title of "despotes".

Nicholas paid nominal homage to his Angevin overlord, John of Gravina, a son of King Charles II of Naples and Maria of Hungary. He otherwise oriented himself towards the East. He publicly adopted the Orthodox faith and the local clergy raised no serious objection to his usurpation. Northern Epirus, however, with Ioannina, refused to recognize Nicholas' rule and accepted Byzantine rule. Nicholas waited until the death of his wife in 1320 or 1321 and the outbreak of the Byzantine civil war to attack. Failing in his attempt to secure an alliance with the Republic of Venice, Nicholas was unable to take Ioannina. In 1323 he was murdered by his brother John II Orsini.
Q178488
Cephalonia
LOC
Q762457
ruler
ORG
Q187684
Epirus
LOC
Q3556477
John I Orsini
PER
Q889914
Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas
PER
Q3624855
Anna Palaiologina Kantakouzene
PER
Q314331
Charles II of Naples
PER
Q190138
Leukas
LOC
Q41
Greece
LOC
Q878381
Thomas I Komnenos Doukas
PER
Q208573
Arta
LOC
Q21003760
Anna Palaiologina
PER
Q37098
Michael IX Palaiologos
PER
Q889870
despotes
Concept
Q576665
John of Gravina
PER
Q614258
Maria of Hungary
PER
Q35032
Orthodox
Concept
Q183199
Ioannina
LOC
Q12544
Byzantine
LOC
Q3499292
Byzantine civil war
Concept
Q4948
Republic of Venice
LOC
Q552601
John II Orsini
PER
Q576971
Nicholas Orsini
PER
1317-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1317
DATE
1323-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1323
DATE
1318-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1318
DATE
1323-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1323
DATE
1317-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1317
DATE
1318-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1318
DATE
1320-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1320
DATE
1321-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1321
DATE
1323-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1323
DATE
position held
child
spouse
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spouse
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