upon the deaths of her aunts mara and kantakouzene in 1487 and 1490 respectively, maria inherited their possessions in accordance with the sharia law. she immediately launched a claim to icons left by mara to the monastery of great lavra on mount athos. since her sex precluded her from accessing the holy mountain, it took bayezid's intervention in 1492 for her to receive the icons. shortly afterwards she called to sharia court the monks of xeropotamou monastery, alleging that one of them stole money from her aunt kantakouzene while in her service, but could not prove this.