Theodosia (Greek: Θεοδοσία; born c. 755 – died after 24 December 820) was the Empress consort of

Leo V the Armenian Leo V the Armenian ( gr, Λέων ὁ ἐξ Ἀρμενίας, ''Leōn ho ex Armenias''; 775 – 25 December 820) was the Byzantine emperor from 813 to 820. A senior general, he forced his predecessor, Michael I Rangabe, to abdicate and assumed ...

. Theodosia was the daughter of

Arsaber Arsaber ( el, , from Armenian '' Arshavir''), was a Byzantine noble who attempted an unsuccessful usurpation of the Byzantine imperial throne in 808. Biography Arsaber was a noble of Armenian origin, holding the rank of ''patrikios'', and served ...

, a Byzantine patrician. The name and rank of her father were recorded by both Genesius and

Theophanes Continuatus ''Theophanes Continuatus'' ( el, συνεχισταί Θεοφάνους) or ''Scriptores post Theophanem'' (, "those after Theophanes") is the Latin name commonly applied to a collection of historical writings preserved in the 11th-century Vat. g ...

, the continuer to the chronicle of

Theophanes the Confessor Theophanes the Confessor ( el, Θεοφάνης Ὁμολογητής; c. 758/760 – 12 March 817/818) was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy who became a monk and chronicler. He served in the court of Emperor Leo IV the Khazar before taking u ...

. The name of her mother is unknown.Charles Cawley, "Medieval Lands" Theodosia (August 2012)
/ref>

Family

Arsaber led a failed revolt against

Nikephoros I Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I ( gr, Νικηφόρος; 750 – 26 July 811) was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811. Having served Empress Irene as '' genikos logothetēs'', he subsequently ousted her from power and took the throne himself. In r ...

in 808. According to

George Finlay George Finlay (21 December 1799 – 26 January 1875) was a Scottish historian. Biography Finlay was born in Faversham, Kent, where his Scottish father, Captain John Finlay FRS, an officer in the Royal Engineers, was inspector of government powde ...

: "In the year 808, however, a conspiracy was really formed to place Arsaber a patrician, who held the office of questor, or minister of legislation, on the throne. Though Arsaber was of an Armenian family, many persons of rank were leagued with him; yet Nicephorys only confiscated his estates, and compelled him to embrace the monastic life." The name of her father indicates

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

origins. However the names of his ancestors are not known. Genealogical theories suggest

Kamsarakan Kamsarakan ( hy, Կամսարական) was an Armenian noble family that was an offshoot of the House of Karen, also known as the Karen-Pahlav. The Karens were one of the Seven Great Houses of Iran and were of Parthian origin. In the Byzantine-S ...

ancestry.

Marriage

Theodosia married

. Leo was a ''

strategos ''Strategos'', plural ''strategoi'', Linguistic Latinisation, Latinized ''strategus'', ( el, στρατηγός, pl. στρατηγοί; Doric Greek: στραταγός, ''stratagos''; meaning "army leader") is used in Greek language, Greek to ...

'' under

. His support for the Emperor against the revolt of

Bardanes Tourkos Bardanes, nicknamed ''Tourkos'', "the Turk" ( gr, Βαρδάνης ὁ Τοῦρκος, Bardanēs ho Tourkos, ), was a Byzantine general of Armenian origin who launched an unsuccessful rebellion against Emperor Nikephoros I () in 803. Although ...

was decisive for the victory of the former. Leo managed to rise to the throne upon the abdication of

Michael I Rangabe Michael I Rhangabe ( gr, Μιχαὴλ Ῥαγγαβέ; ''c''. 770 – 11 January 844) was Byzantine emperor from 811 to 813. Michael was the son of the patrician Theophylact Rhangabe, the admiral of the Aegean fleet. He married Prokopia, th ...

in 813. Theodosia is the only wife of Leo mentioned by primary sources. However an interpretation of the text of Theophanes Continuatus has Leo marrying a daughter of Bardanes Tourkos. An interpretation which would make Leo a brother-in-law of Thekla, first wife of

Michael II Michael II ( gr, Μιχαὴλ, , translit=Michaēl; 770–829), called the Amorian ( gr, ὁ ἐξ Ἀμορίου, ho ex Amoríou) and the Stammerer (, ''ho Travlós'' or , ''ho Psellós''), reigned as Byzantine Emperor from 25 December 820 to ...

. Warren Treadgold for example uses this theory in ''The Byzantine Revival 780–842'' (1988). Genesius records that

Prokopia Prokopia (Greek: Προκοπία; c. 770 – after 813) was the Empress consort of Michael I Rhangabe of the Eastern Roman Empire. She was a daughter of Nikephoros I. The name of her mother is not known. Her only known sibling is Staurakios. M ...

, wife of Michael I, referred to her successor Empress as "Barca". Treatgold has suggested this was the actual name of a first wife of Leo, which would mean Theodosia married Leo once he was already emperor. However the word is also the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

word for "

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

", suggesting it was only a derisive nickname for Theodosia.Chris Bennett, "The Relationship of Basil I to Leo V" (1995)
/ref> Whatever her status as wife was, Theodosia was the Empress when Leo V was assassinated on

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

, 820. Michael II rose to the throne and exiled Theodosia and the sons of Leo V to the island of Proti.

Joannes Zonaras Joannes or John Zonaras ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης Ζωναρᾶς ; 1070 – 1140) was a Byzantine Greek historian, chronicler and theologian who lived in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey). Under Emperor Alexios I Komnenos he held th ...

records that they were not forced to take monastic vows. Instead they were allowed to inherit part of the personal property of Leo V and the associated revenue. They were also able to have their own attendants.

Theodore the Studite Theodore the Studite ( grc-x-medieval, Θεόδωρος ό Στουδίτης; 759–826), also known as Theodorus Studita and Saint Theodore of Stoudios/Studium, was a Byzantine Greek monk and abbot of the Stoudios Monastery in Constantinople. H ...

sent a letter to the deposed Empress sometime between 821 and his own death in 826.

Children

All known children of Leo V are traditionally attributed to Theodosia as well. Genesius records four sons: * Symbatios (Συμβάτιος), renamed Constantine, co-emperor from 814 to 820.

Castrated Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which an individual loses use of the testicles: the male gonad. Surgical castration is bilateral orchiectomy (excision of both testicles), while chemical castration uses pharmaceut ...

and exiled following the assassination of his father. * Basil. Castrated and exiled following the assassination of his father. Still alive in 847, recorded to have supported the election of

Patriarch Ignatius of Constantinople St. Ignatius or Ignatios ( el, Ιγνάτιος), (c. 798 – 23 October 877) was a Patriarch of Constantinople from July 4, 847, to October 23, 858, and from November 23, 867, to his death on October 23, 877. In the Catholic Church and Eas ...

. * Gregory. Castrated and exiled following the assassination of his father. Still alive in 847, recorded to have supported the election of

. * Theodosios (died in 820). Died soon after his castration. * Anna, who married Hmayeak, a Mamikonian prince (died c. 797), by whom she had Konstantinos, an officer at the court of Emperor Michael III.Koushagian, Torkom. ''Saints & Feasts of the Armenian Church''. Translated by Haigazoun Melkonian. (2005), p. 5, New York: Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern).

Possible descendants

Nicholas Adontz Nicholas Adontz (, ''Nikoghayos Adonts’'', also spelled Adonts; ; January 10, 1871 – January 27, 1942) was an Armenian historian, specialist of Byzantine and Armenian studies, and philologist. Yuzbashyan, Karen. s.v. Adonts', Nikoghayos G ...

in his book ''The age and origins of the emperor Basil I'' (1933) expressed a theory that Leo V and Theodosia were ancestors of

Basil I Basil I, called the Macedonian ( el, Βασίλειος ὁ Μακεδών, ''Basíleios ō Makedṓn'', 811 – 29 August 886), was a Byzantine Emperor who reigned from 867 to 886. Born a lowly peasant in the theme of Macedonia, he rose in the ...

. The theory was partly based on the account of his ancestry given by

Constantine VII Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Kar ...

, a grandson of Basil I. Also the accounts given by Theophanes Continuatus. Basil I, according to this accounts, was a son of peasants. His mother is named by Constantine VII as "Pankalo". The name of his father was not recorded. The names Symbatios and Constantine have been suggested. Both were names used by the eldest sons of Basil. With eldest sons of Byzantines typically named after their grandfathers. The paternal grandfather of Basil is named as Maiactes. The paternal grandmother was not named but was identified as a daughter of "Leo", a citizen of

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

. Adontz identified this Leo as Leo V. Which would make Leo V and Theodosia great-grandparents of Basil I. Adontz also suggested Constantine VII had made a mistake in the generations separating Maiactes and Basil. Suggesting Basil was a great-grandson of Maiactes and not old enough to have seen the wars with

Krum of Bulgaria Krum ( bg, Крум, el, Κροῦμος/Kroumos), often referred to as Krum the Fearsome ( bg, Крум Страшни) was the Khan of Bulgaria from sometime between 796 and 803 until his death in 814. During his reign the Bulgarian territor ...

. Making Leo V and Theodosia actually fourth-generation ancestors of Basil. The theory has been accepted by several genealogists, including

Christian Settipani Christian Settipani (born 31 January 1961) is a French genealogist, historian and IT professional, currently working as the Technical Director of a company in Paris. Biography Settipani holds a Master of Advanced Studies from the Paris-Sorbo ...

in his search for

descent from antiquity In European genealogy, a descent from antiquity (DFA or DfA) is a proven unbroken line of descent between specific individuals from ancient history and people living today. Descents can readily be traced back to the Early Middle Ages, but beyond ...

. The name "Anna" has been suggested for the daughter of Leo V and Theodosia, because it was given to daughters of

Leo VI the Wise Leo VI, called the Wise ( gr, Λέων ὁ Σοφός, Léōn ho Sophós, 19 September 866 – 11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), he was very well r ...

and

Romanos II Romanos II Porphyrogenitus ( gr, Ρωμανός, 938 – 15 March 963) was Byzantine Emperor from 959 to 963. He succeeded his father Constantine VII at the age of twenty-one and died suddenly and mysteriously four years later. His son Bas ...

. Almost every emperor that would claim descent from this woman.

References

Sources

, ''The age and origins of the emperor Basil I'' (1933) . *Warren Treadgold, ''The Byzantine Revival 780–842'' (1988).

External links

"The Relationship of Basil I to Leo V", an article by Chris Bennet, summarizing the main arguments for and against this theory
*

* ttp://www.american-pictures.com/genealogy/persons/per00545.htm#0 A genealogical profile of Theodosiabr>A family tree for Theodosia
, - {{s-end 770s births 9th-century deaths 9th-century Byzantine empresses Byzantine people of Armenian descent Kamsarakan family 9th-century Armenian women 8th-century Armenian women