Simonida
Simonida Nemanjić (; c. 1294 – after 1336), born Simonis Palaiologina (, sr. Симонида Палеолог, Simonida Paleolog), was a Byzantine princess and queen consort of the Kingdom of Serbia, wife of Serbian king Stefan Milutin (r. 1282–1321). Queen Simonida was a daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos (r. 1282–1328) and Irene of Montferrat. In Medieval Serbia Queen Simonida is best remembered as a patron of Fine Arts, Arts and Letters. Life Princess Simonida was born in Constantinople ca. 1294. In 1298, when a result of a Byzantine defeat, Emperor Andronikos II promised a marriage alliance to the Serbian ruler Milutin. The Orthodox Diocese in Constantinople opposed the marriage, but the emperor was determined to do so, and in late 1298 he sent his trusted minister Theodore Metochites to Serbia to conduct the negotiations. On his part, King Milutin too was eager to accept, and even divorced his wife, Ana Terter, the daughter of the Bulgarian tsar George Terter. Queen Simonida and King Milutin's marriage was celebrated in Thessalonica springtime of 1299, and the couple departed for Serbia. As a wedding present, Byzantines recognized Serbian rule north of the line Ohrid—Prilep—Štip. Queen Simonida showed great interest in theology at