Anna Diogenissa

For other uses, see Anna of Serbia.

Anna Diogenissa (Greek: Ἄννα Διογένισσα; ca. 1074–1145) was a Byzantine noblewoman of the Diogenes house who became the Grand Princess consort of Serbia as wife of Uroš I, Grand Prince of Serbia (r. 1112–1145). She had five children with Uroš I, including the successor, Uroš II (r. 1145–1162).

Anna Ана
Grand Princess of Serbia
Tenure	ca. 1112–1145
Born	before 1075 Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey)
Spouses	Uroš I of Serbia
Issue	Uroš II, Desa, Beloš, Helena, Marija, Zavida
House	Diogenes (by birth) Vukanović (by marriage)
Father	Constantine Diogenes (son of Romanos IV)
Mother	Theodora Komnene

Life

Anna Diogenissa was born in the Byzantine capital Constantinople the year after the death of her father Constantine Diogenes at Antioch in 1074. Her mother was Theodora Komnene, a daughter of the powerful noblewoman Anna Dalassena and John Komnenos, and hence sister to the future emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118). Her paternal grandparents were Romanos IV Diogenes (r. 1068–1071) and Anna of Bulgaria.

It is not recorded when Anna married Uroš I, the Serbian Grand Prince, who reigned from ca. 1112 to 1145. It most likely took place during Urošʻs captivity in Byzantium, where he had been sent as a hostage by his uncle Vukan following the capture of Lipljan in 1094 by the troops of Alexios I Komnenos. Uroš is credited with having unified most of the Serbian territories after retaking them from Byzantine occupation. Rascia was the first independent state of the Serbs which had been formed in the 8th century.

Together they had at least five children:

• Uroš II, Grand Prince of Serbia
• Desa
• Beloš
• Helena, Queen of Hungary and Croatia (d. after 1146), married King Béla II of Hungary
• Marija, married Conrad II of Znojmo, mother of Helen of Znojmo

Possible child of Anna and Uroš:

• Zavida, Lord of Ribnica

Marija of Rascia