The family of the Maliasenoi first appears with Constantine, but it is possible that a certain pansebastos sebastos Nicholas Maliases, attested in 1191, was his father or otherwise a relative.
[1] In addition, his epitaph, composed by Manuel Holobolos, claims that his ancestors were scions of members of the Komnenian dynasty "born in the purple", and of a person with the rank of Caesar.
According to the modern prosopographer of the Doukas family, Demetrios Polemis, the obvious candidates are Caesar Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger and Anna Komnene, daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118).
[4] Maliasenos is attested for the last time in c. 1252, when Michael II sent him on a diplomatic mission to the Nicaean emperor John III Vatatzes.
At about the same time, his son Nicholas married a relative of the Nicaean nobleman (and future emperor) Michael Palaiologos, possibly indicating a shift in Maliasenos' allegiance away from Epirus to Nicaea.