Theophano Martinakia (; 866/67 – 10 November 897) was a Byzantine empress by marriage to

Leo VI the Wise Leo VI, also known as Leo the Wise (; 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 read, leading to his epithet. During ...

. She is venerated as a saint by the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

Family

Born in , she was a daughter of Constantine Martinakios and Anna. Her family, the Martinakioi, were related to the

Amorian dynasty The Amorian dynasty (or Phrygian dynasty) ruled the Byzantine Empire from 820 to 867. The Amorian dynasty continued the policy of restored iconoclasm (the "Second Iconoclasm") started by the previous non-dynastic emperor Leo V in 813, until its ...

, which ruled the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

from 820 to 867, and claimed imperial ancestry to

Heraclius Heraclius (; 11 February 641) was Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exarch of Africa, led a revolt against the unpopular emperor Phocas. Heraclius's reign was ...

' sister and second mother-in-law. In the decades prior to Theophano's birth, a

prophecy In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain di ...

had predicted that the family of Martinakios would take the throne. In reaction, the Amorian emperor Theophilos forced his kinsman Martinakes to become a monk and convert his personal house into a monastery.

Empress

The chronicle of

Symeon Metaphrastes Symeon or Simeon (died ), distinguished as Symeon Metaphrastes (Latin) or Symeon the Metaphrast (, ''Symeṓn ho Metaphrastḗs''), was a Byzantine writer and official regarded as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. His feast day is celebrated ...

places the marriage of Leo VI and Theophano in the sixteenth year of the reign of

Basil I Basil I, nicknamed "the Macedonian" (; 811 – 29 August 886), was List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine emperor from 867 to 886. Born to a peasant family in Macedonia (theme), Macedonia, he rose to prominence in the imperial court after gainin ...

, that is, between September 882 and September 883. The marriage was arranged by Basil I and forced on Leo VI, and its eventual failure may have been influenced by the poor relation of father and son. Basil died on 29 August 886. Leo succeeded him to the throne and Theophano became his empress. Symeon records Leo falling in love with Zoe Zaoutzaina in the third year of his reign (). Zoe became his mistress and replaced Theophano in his affections.

Monastic life

In the seventh year of Leo's reign (), Theophano retired to a monastery in the

Blachernae Blachernae () was a suburb in the northwestern section of Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine Empire. It is the site of a water source and a number of prominent churches were built there, most notably the great Church of St. Mary of ...

suburb of

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 ...

. She is considered to have been particularly devoted to the church throughout her life, but both Theophanes and Symeon are vague about whether her retirement was voluntary. Zoe replaced her in the palace and court life. There is a contradiction on her particular status from to 897. According to Symeon, the marriage of Leo VI to Theophano was officially void, allowing Leo and Zoe to marry within the year. According to Theophanes, the original marriage was still valid and Zoe remained the imperial mistress.

Death and canonization

Theophano died in her monastery on 10 November 897. According to Theophanes, Leo and Zoe married at this point, while Symeon reports them married earlier. Both Symeon and Theophanes agree that Zoe was only crowned augusta following the death of her predecessor. Theophano was glorified (

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sa ...

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

) by the

following her death. Her feast day is

16 December Events Pre-1600 * 714 – Pepin of Herstal, mayor of the Merovingian palace, dies at Jupille (modern Belgium). He is succeeded by his infant grandson Theudoald, while his widow Plectrude holds actual power in the Frankish Kingdom. * 755 ...

of the

Eastern Orthodox Church calendar The Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar describes and dictates the rhythm of the life of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Passages of Holy Scripture, saints and events for commemoration are associated with each date, as are many times special rule ...

. After her death, her husband built a church, intending to dedicate it to her. When he was forbidden to do so, he decided to dedicate it to "All Saints," so that if his wife were in fact one of the righteous, she would also be honored whenever its

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

was celebrated. According to

tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...

, it was Leo who expanded the celebration on the Sunday following

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

from a commemoration of All Martyrs to a general commemoration of All Saints, whether martyrs or not.

Children

Leo VI and Theophano only had one daughter, Eudokia (after

Eudokia Ingerina Eudokia (or Eudocia) Ingerina (; c. 840 – c. 882) was a Byzantine empress as the wife of the Byzantine emperor Basil I, the mistress of his predecessor Michael III, and the mother of emperors Leo VI and Alexander, as well as the mother of Patri ...

), who died young. Eudokia was buried in the

Church of the Holy Apostles The Church of the Holy Apostles (, ''Agioi Apostoloi''; ), also known as the Imperial Polyandrion (imperial cemetery), was a Byzantine Eastern Orthodox church in Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The first structure dated to ...

along with her father and mother.

References

Sources

External links

Listing and brief biography among other Orthodox saints by the Dailyreadings Listserver of the Greek Orthodox Archiochese of America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinakia, Theophano 860s births 897 deaths Macedonian dynasty Byzantine saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox royal saints 9th-century Byzantine empresses Burials at the Church of the Holy Apostles 9th-century Christian saints 9th-century empresses consort Byzantine royal saints