Zoë Porphyrogenita
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Zoe Porphyrogenita (also spelled Zoë; , "life"; 978 – 1050) was a member of the
Macedonian dynasty The Macedonian dynasty () Byzantine Empire under the Macedonian dynasty, ruled the Byzantine Empire from 867 to 1056, following the Byzantium under the Amorian dynasty, Amorian dynasty. During this period, the Byzantine state reached its greates ...
who briefly reigned as Byzantine empress in 1042, alongside her sister Theodora. Before that she was enthroned as
empress consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but historically she does not formally ...
or empress mother to a series of co-rulers, two of whom were married to her. Zoe was born when her father Constantine was nominal co-emperor to his brother,
Basil II Basil II Porphyrogenitus (; 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer (, ), was the senior Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025. He and his brother Constantine VIII were crowned before their father Romanos II died in 963, but t ...
. After a planned marriage to Holy Roman Emperor Otto III in 996 failed to materialise, Zoe spent subsequent years in the imperial palace. Her uncle Basil died in 1025 when Zoe was 47, and her father acceded the Byzantine throne as Constantine VIII. As he had no sons, Constantine hoped to continue the dynasty by marrying off one of his daughters. Zoe, aged 50, was married to
Romanos Argyros Romanos III Argyros (; Latinized Romanus III Argyrus; 968 – 11 April 1034), or Argyropoulos, was Byzantine Emperor from 1028 until his death in 1034. He was a Byzantine noble and senior official in Constantinople when the dying Constantine ...
. She and Romanos took the throne the next day on her father's death. Zoe's marriage to Romanos III was troubled, and Romanos was found dead in his bath in 1034. His death has been variously attributed to Zoe, her lover
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
, or both. Zoe and Michael were married on the same day as the supposed murder, and he was crowned Emperor Michael IV on the following day. In 1041, Zoe was persuaded to adopt her dying husband's nephew, Michael Kalaphates. Once Michael V became emperor, he promptly exiled Zoe. This action sparked a popular revolt which dethroned him and installed Zoe and her sister Theodora as joint empresses. After a two-month joint reign, Zoe married a former lover who was installed as
Constantine IX Constantine IX Monomachos (; 980/ 1000 – 11 January 1055) reigned as Byzantine emperor from June 1042 to January 1055. Empress Zoë Porphyrogenita chose him as a husband and co-emperor in 1042, although he had been exiled for conspiring again ...
, transferring power to him. However, she continued to rule the empire as its heir and as the Byzantine empress. Eight years later, Zoe died aged 72. Her reign saw the decline of the Roman army, and the first incursions by the Turks into eastern Anatolia.


Early life: 978–1028

Zoe was '' Porphyrogenita'', "born into the purple"; this was the appellation for a child born in the capital to a reigning emperor. She was the second daughter of
Constantine VIII Constantine VIII (;Also called Porphyrogenitus (), although the epithet is almost exclusively used for Constantine VII. 960 – 11/12 November 1028) was ''de jure'' Byzantine emperor from 962 until his death. He was the younger son of Empe ...
and his wife Helena. Her father had become co-emperor, at the age of two, in 962. His brother
Basil II Basil II Porphyrogenitus (; 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer (, ), was the senior Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025. He and his brother Constantine VIII were crowned before their father Romanos II died in 963, but t ...
, the senior co-ruler, prevented his nieces from marrying any of the Byzantine nobility, as this would have given their husbands a claim on the imperial throne. As women they were unable to exercise any state authority; their only say in this was in choosing, or more likely accepting or not, a husband who would acquire their authority upon marriage. Consequently, Zoe lived a life of virtual obscurity in the imperial '' gynaeceum'' (women's quarters) for many years. As an eligible imperial princess Zoe was considered a possible bride for the
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...
,
Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was the Holy Roman emperor and King of Italy from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was c ...
, in 996. A second embassy sent in 1001, headed by
Arnulf II, Archbishop of Milan Arnulf II (died 25 February 1018, in Milan) was Archbishop of Milan from 998 to 1018. He descended from the noble family of Arsago, being the son of Dagibert of Arsago. Among his brothers, Landulf of Arsago was Bishop of Brescia and Lanfrank ...
, was tasked with selecting Otto's bride from among Constantine's three daughters. The eldest, Eudocia, was disfigured by
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
, while the youngest, Theodora, was a very plain girl. Arnulf, therefore, selected the attractive 23-year-old Zoe, to which Basil II agreed. In January 1002 she accompanied Arnulf back to Italy, only to discover when the ship reached
Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...
that Otto had died, forcing her to return home. When Basil II died, Constantine VIII took the throne. His reign as sole emperor lasted less than three years, from 15 December 1025 to 11 November 1028. Another opportunity for Zoe to marry arose in 1028 when an embassy from the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
arrived in
Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
with a proposal for an imperial marriage. Constantine and Zoe rejected the idea out of hand when it was revealed that the intended groom,
Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...
, the son of Conrad II, was only ten years old. Constantine determined that the ruling house would be continued by one of his daughters being married to an appropriate aristocrat. The first potential match was the distinguished noble Constantine Dalassenos, the former '' dux'' of
Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...
. The emperor's advisors preferred a weak ruler whom they could control and they persuaded him to reject Dalassenos after he had already been summoned to the capital.
Romanos Argyros Romanos III Argyros (; Latinized Romanus III Argyrus; 968 – 11 April 1034), or Argyropoulos, was Byzantine Emperor from 1028 until his death in 1034. He was a Byzantine noble and senior official in Constantinople when the dying Constantine ...
, the
urban prefect The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, an ...
of Constantinople, was the next to be considered as a match. Theodora defied her father by refusing to marry Romanos, arguing that he was already marriedhis wife having been forced to become a nun to allow Romanos to marry into the imperial familyand that as third cousins they had too close a blood relationship for marriage to occur. Consequently, Constantine VIII chose Zoe to be Romanos's wife. Zoe and Romanos married on 10 November 1028 in the imperial chapel of the palace. The next day Constantine died and the newlyweds were seated on the imperial throne.


From Romanos III to Michael V: 1028–1042

Spending years in the same restrictive quarters with her sister, Zoe had come to loathe Theodora. Zoe convinced Romanos to appoint one of his own men as the chief of Theodora's household, with orders to spy on her. Shortly afterwards, Theodora was accused of plotting to usurp the throne, first with Presian in 1030, followed by Constantine Diogenes, the governor of
Sirmium Sirmium was a city in the Roman province of Pannonia, located on the Sava river, on the site of modern Sremska Mitrovica in the Vojvodina autonomous province of Serbia. First mentioned in the 4th century BC and originally inhabited by Illyrians ...
, in 1031. Zoe accused her of being part of the conspiracy, and Theodora was forcibly confined in the
monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
of Petrion. Zoe later visited her sister and forced her to take religious vows. Zoe was obsessed with continuing the Macedonian dynasty. Almost immediately upon marrying Romanos the fifty-year-old Zoe tried desperately to become pregnant. She used magic charms, amulets, and potions, all without effect. This failure to conceive helped alienate the couple, and soon Romanos refused to share the marriage bed with her. Romanos limited his wife's spending and paid her little attention. Zoe, furious and frustrated, engaged in a number of affairs. Romanos tolerated these and took a mistress himself. In 1033 Zoe became enamoured of a low-born servant called
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
. She flaunted her lover openly and spoke about making him emperor. Rumours of her conduct led Romanos to confront Michael, who denied aspiring to the throne. In early 1034 Romanos became ill and it was widely believed that Zoe and Michael were conspiring to have him poisoned. On 11 April Romanos was found dying in his bath. According to court official and later chronicler
Michael Psellus Michael Psellos or Psellus (, ) was a Byzantine Greek monk, savant, writer, philosopher, imperial courtier, historian and music theorist. He was born in 1017 or 1018, and is believed to have died in 1078, although it has also been maintained tha ...
some of his retinue had "held his head for a long time beneath the water, attempting at the same time to strangle him".
John Scylitzes John Skylitzes, commonly Latinized as Ioannes Scylitzes (, ; , ; early 1040s – after 1101), was a Byzantine historian of the late 11th century. Life Very little is known about his life. The title of his work records him as a '' kouropalat ...
writes as a simple fact that Romanos was drowned on Michael's orders.
Matthew of Edessa Matthew of Edessa (; late 11th century – 1144) was an Armenian historian in the 12th century from the city of Edessa. Matthew was the superior abbot of Karmir Vank, near the town of Kaysun, east of Marash (Germanicia), the former seat of ...
's account has Zoe poisoning Romanos. Zoe and Michael were married on the same day that Romanos III died. The next day they summoned the
Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...
Alexios I to officiate at the coronation of the new emperor. Although he initially refused to co-operate, the payment of 50 pounds of gold helped change his mind. Zoe's new husband took power as Michael IV. His abrupt rise to power had left him unprepared to rule, and he delegated much of the business of governing to his brother, the eunuch John the Orphanotrophos. Although Zoe believed Michael would prove to be a more devoted husband than Romanos, she was mistaken. Fearing that Zoe would turn on him as she had turned on his predecessor, Michael excluded her from politics and sent her back to the ''gynaeceum'', where she was kept under strict surveillance. The disgruntled empress tried to alter the balance of power by conspiring against John, without success. Michael's health was bad throughout his reign, and by 1041 it was obvious that he was dying. Eager to ensure that power remained in his hands, John the Eunuch forced Zoe to adopt his nephew Michael Kalaphates. On 10 December 1041, Michael IV died, refusing to the last to see his wife who begged that she be allowed to visit him one more time. Kalaphates was crowned emperor as Michael V. Although he had pledged to respect Zoe, Michael V promptly banished her to a monastery on Principus, an island in the Sea of Marmara, on charges of attempted regicide. She was forcibly tonsured and sworn into a religious order. This treatment of the legitimate heir to the Macedonian Dynasty caused a popular uprising in Constantinople. Michael V, desperate to keep his throne, brought Zoe back from Principus and displayed her to the people, but his insistence that he continue to rule alongside her was in vain. On 19 April 1042, the mob revolted against Michael V in support of not only Zoe but also Theodora. A delegation headed by Patrician Constantine Cabasilas went to the monastery at Petrion to convince Theodora to become co-empress alongside her sister. Theodora had become accustomed to a life of religious contemplation and tried to refuse the proposal, but the delegates brought her forcibly back to the capital. At an assembly in
Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia (; ; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque (; ), is a mosque and former Church (building), church serving as a major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The last of three church buildings to be successively ...
the people escorted a furious Theodora and proclaimed her empress along with Zoe. They were both crowned on 21 April and Michael V was forced to take refuge in a monastery.''
Georgius Cedrenus George Kedrenos, Cedrenus or Cedrinos (, fl. 11th century) was a Byzantine Greeks, Byzantine Greek historian. In the 1050s he compiled ''Synopsis historion'' (also known as ''A concise history of the world''), which spanned the time from the Bible, ...
'' − '' CSHB'' 9
540-2
"Michaelus in monasterium Elegmorum, 21 die Aprilis ... Augusta Zoe nupsit ... die Iunii undecima anni eius quem supra indicavimus. postridie coronatus est a patriarcha."


Ruling with Theodora and Constantine IX: 1042–1050

Zoe immediately assumed power and tried to force Theodora back to her monastery, but the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and the people demanded that the sisters should jointly reign. As her first act, Theodora was called upon to deal with Michael V. Zoe wanted to pardon and free Michael, but Theodora was clear and adamant. She initially guaranteed Michael's safety, but then ordered him to be blinded and to spend the rest of his life as a monk. Officially Zoe was the senior empress, and her throne was situated slightly in front of Theodora's on all public occasions. In practice, Theodora was the driving force behind the joint administration. The sisters proceeded to administer the empire, focusing on curbing the sale of public offices and on the administration of justice. Although contemporary historian Michael Psellus claimed the joint reign was a complete failure, John Scylitzes stated that they were very conscientious in rectifying the abuses of the previous reigns. Theodora and Zoe appeared together at meetings of the Senate and gave public audiences, but it was soon apparent that their joint reign was under strain. Zoe was still jealous of Theodora and had no desire to administer the empire; but she would not allow Theodora to conduct public business alone. The court began to split, with factions forming behind each empress. After two months of increasing acrimony, Zoe decided to search for a new husbandthereby denying Theodora the opportunity to increase her influence. By the rules of the Orthodox Church her next marriage, her third, was the last she was permitted. Her preference was for Constantine Dalassenos, who had been her father's first choice as her husband back in 1028. He was brought for an audience before the Empress, but during their conversation his independent and forceful manner displeased Zoe, and he was dismissed from her presence. Her next choice was the married Constantine Atroklines, a court official with whom it was rumoured that she had had an affair during the reign of Romanos III. He died under mysterious circumstances a few days before the wedding was to take place, possibly poisoned by his own soon to be ex-wife. Zoe then remembered the handsome and urbane Constantine Monomachos, another former lover. The pair were married on 11 June 1042, without the participation of Patriarch Alexios, who refused to officiate over a third marriage (for both spouses). Constantine was crowned by the patriarch the next day. The coinage of Zoe and Theodora came to an end as soon as Zoe married Constantine IX, because the empress-consort's association on the coins depended on the senior emperor's pleasure. Zoe got more than she bargained for when Constantine decided to bring with him to his new station his long-standing mistress Maria Skleraina. Not content with bringing her to court, he insisted that he be allowed to publicly share his life with her, and that she obtain some official recognition. The 64-year-old Zoe did not object to sharing her bed and her throne with Skleraina. Skleraina was given the title of '' sebaste'', ranking behind Zoe and Theodora, and was addressed as mistress or empress, like them. At official events Skleraina took position immediately behind the sisters. In the eyes of the public, however, Constantine IX's preferential treatment of Skleraina was a scandal, and eventually rumours began to spread that Skleraina was planning to murder Zoe, and possibly Theodora. This led to a popular uprising by the citizens of Constantinople in 1044, which came dangerously close to actually harming Constantine, who was participating in a religious procession along the streets of Constantinople. The mob was only quieted by the appearance on a balcony of Zoe and Theodora, who reassured the people that they were not in any danger of assassination. It is said that Zoe was stunningly beautiful, and Michael Psellos in his ''Chronographia'' commented that "every part of her was firm and in good condition". Recognising her own beauty and its use as a tool of statecraft, Zoe attempted to maximise and prolong its effect with a variety of treatments. She operated a cosmetics laboratory in the ''gynaeceum'', and was said to have carried out experiments to improve the efficacy of the perfumes and unguents prepared there. Psellus reports that her face looked youthful into her sixties. Zoe died in 1050, aged 72. She was buried in Constantinople.


See also

*
List of Byzantine emperors The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...


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Secondary sources

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zoe 970s births 1050 deaths Macedonian dynasty 11th-century Byzantine emperors 10th-century Byzantine women 11th-century Byzantine empresses Remarried empresses consort Byzantine empresses regnant Porphyrogennetoi Burials at the Church of the Holy Apostles 1040s in the Byzantine Empire 11th-century empresses regnant Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor Augustae Daughters of Byzantine emperors Forcibly monasticised