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Theodora (9th Century)

 
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Theodora (Greek: Te?d??a, c. 815 - after 867) was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Theophilus.

inally from Paphlagonia
Paphlagonia

Paphlagonia was an ancient area on the Black Sea coast of north central Anatolia, situated between Bithynia to the west and Pontus to the east, and separated from Phrygia by a prolongation to the east of the Bithynian Olympus....
, Theodora was of Armenian
Armenians

The Armenians are a nation and ethnic group originating in the Caucasus and in the Armenian Highlands. A large concentration of them has remained there, especially in Armenia, but many of them are also scattered elsewhere throughout the world ....
 aristocratic descent.

The names of her parents were preserved in Theophanes Continuatus, the continuation of the chronicle started by Theophanes the Confessor
Theophanes the Confessor

Saint Theophanes Confessor was a member of the Byzantine Empire aristocracy, who became a monk and chronicler. He is venerated on March 12 in the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church ....
.






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Solidus Michael Iii Sb1686
Theodora (Greek: Te?d??a, c. 815 - after 867) was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Theophilus.

Family

Originally from Paphlagonia
Paphlagonia

Paphlagonia was an ancient area on the Black Sea coast of north central Anatolia, situated between Bithynia to the west and Pontus to the east, and separated from Phrygia by a prolongation to the east of the Bithynian Olympus....
, Theodora was of Armenian
Armenians

The Armenians are a nation and ethnic group originating in the Caucasus and in the Armenian Highlands. A large concentration of them has remained there, especially in Armenia, but many of them are also scattered elsewhere throughout the world ....
 aristocratic descent.

The names of her parents were preserved in Theophanes Continuatus, the continuation of the chronicle started by Theophanes the Confessor
Theophanes the Confessor

Saint Theophanes Confessor was a member of the Byzantine Empire aristocracy, who became a monk and chronicler. He is venerated on March 12 in the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church ....
. They were Marinos, a drungarios
Drungarios

A droungarios, also spelled drungarios or, in its English form, drungary, was a military rank of the late Roman Empire and Byzantine Empires....
, and Theoktiste Phlorina. Genealogies attribute Mamikonian
Mamikonian

Mamikonian or Mamikoneans was a noble family which dominated Armenian politics between the 4th and 8th century. They ruled the Armenian regions of Taron , Sasun, Bagrevand and others....
 ancestry to Marinos; he is an alleged son of Artavizd Mamikonian, who was head of the House in the 770s.

Theodora was a sister of Bardas
Bardas

Bardas was the regent of Byzantine Emperor Michael III. Bardas was the purported son of Marinos Mamikonian and the brother of Theodora, wife of Theophilus, the wife of Byzantine Emperor Theophilus ....
 and Petronas
Petronas (The Patrician)

Petronas the Patrician , was a Byzantine general and the brother of Theodora and Bardas, uncle to the Byzantine emperor Michael III. After the death of Theophilus , young Michael ascended to the throne with the regency of Theodora and the assistance of Bardas and Petronas....
. Theophanes also records three sisters: Kalomaria, Sophia and Irene. Irene reportedly married Sergios, brother of Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople
Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople

Photios I also spelled Photius or Fotios and known by the Eastern Orthodox Church as St. Photios the Great, was Patriarch of Constantinople from 858 to 867 and from 877 to 886....
.

Marriage


In 829, Theophilos
Theophilos (emperor)

Theophilos or Theophilus or Theophilou , was Byzantine emperor from 829 to 842. He was the second emperor of the Phrygian dynasty....
 succeeded to the throne. He was sixteen-years-old and unmarried. The following year his stepmother, Euphrosyne
Euphrosyne (9th century)

Euphrosyne , a daughter of Byzantine emperor Constantine VI, the last representative of the Isaurian dynasty, and Maria of Amnia....
, proclaimed a bride-show
Bride-show

Bride-show ? a custom of Byzantine emperors and Russian tsars to choose a wife among the most beautiful maidens of the country.Notable marriages: Theophilos and Theodora , three wives of Ivan IV of Russia, Peter the Great's mother....
. Potential brides from every theme
Theme (Byzantine administrative unit)

The themes or themata were the main administrative divisions of the middle Byzantine Empire. They were established in the seventh century in the aftermath of the Muslim conquests of Byzantine territory and replaced the earlier Roman province#Diocletian's reforms established by emperors Diocletian and Constantine the Great....
 travelled from their homelands to Constantinople
Constantinople

Constantinople was the empire capital of the Roman Empire , the Byzantine Empire , the Latin Empire , and the Ottoman Empire . Strategically located between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara at the point where Europe meets Asia, Byzantine Constantinople had been the capital of a Christendom empire, successor to ancient ancient Greece...
, Theodora among them. The poet Kassia
Kassia

Kassia was a Byzantine Empire abbess, poet, composer, and wiktionary:hymnographer. She is one of the first medieval composers whose scores are both extant and able to be interpreted by modern scholars and musicians....
 was said to have taken part.

The bride-show took place in May, 830, and Theodora was chosen to become empress, probably by her new mother-in-law. The marriage took place on 5 June, 830
830

Events...
, in Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia is a former Patriarchate basilica, later a mosque, now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture....
. Euphrosyne soon retired to a convent and Theodora remained the only Augusta.

Empress consort


The family of Theodora seems to have followed her to court. Her brothers became officials and her sisters married into the court aristocracy. During her own marriage she bore Theophilus five daughters and two sons, the younger of whom became the future Michael III
Michael III

Michael III the Drunkard , , Byzantine Emperor from 842 to 867. Michael III was the third and traditionally last member of the Phrygian Dynasty....
.

Despite the fact that Theophilus was an iconoclast
Iconoclast

An iconoclast is someone who performs iconoclasm ? destruction of religious symbols, or, by extension, established dogma or conventions.Iconoclast may also refer to:...
, Theodora held fast to the veneration of icon
Icon

An 'icon' is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity. More broadly the term is used in a wide number of contexts for an image, picture, or representation; it is a sign or likeness that stands for an object by signifying or representing it either concretely or by analogy, as in semiotics; by extension, ...
s which she kept in her chambers in the imperial palace. One story holds that a servant witnessed her venerating her icons and reported her to the emperor. When her husband confronted her about the incident she stated that she had merely been "playing with dolls." Two of her icons are kept at the monastery of Vatopedi
Vatopedi

The Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopedi on the Mount Athos was built during the second half of the 10th century, by three monks, Athanasius, Nicholas, and Antonius from Edirne, who were the pupils of Athanasius the Athonite....
 on Mount Athos
Mount Athos

Mount Athos is a mountain on the peninsula of the same name in Macedonia , of northern Greece, called in Greek language Agion Oros , or in English, "Holy Mountain"....
 to this day and are referred to as "Theodora's Dolls". They are displayed annually on the Sunday of Orthodoxy.

Theodora is said to have intervened to save Lazarus Zographos
Lazarus Zographos

Saint Lazarus Zographos was a monk and Painting from Constantinople who opposed the iconoclasm#The second iconoclastic period: 814-842 during the reign of Theophilus ....
 from further torture under her husband. Whether their opposing religious beliefs strained their relationship is unclear. Theophilus' health however eventually failed and he died on 20 January, 842
842

Events...
. He was about twenty-nine years old.

Regent


Following the death of her husband, Theodora served as regent for her son Michael. She overrode Theophilus' ecclesiastical policy and summoned a council under the patriarch Methodius, in which the veneration, but not worship, of icons (images of Jesus
Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the Incarnation ....
 Christ
Christ

Christ is the English language term for the Greek meaning "the anointing", which is a title given to the Reigning Messiah in the given age of the Zodiac....
 and the saints) was finally restored and the iconoclastic
Iconoclasm

Iconoclasm, Greek for "image-breaking," is the deliberate destruction of important symbolic images recognized within a culture, religion, or society....
 clergy deposed.

She carried on the government with a firm and judicious hand; she replenished the treasury and deterred the Bulgarians
Bulgars

The Bulgars were a seminomadic people, probably of Turkic peoples descent, originally from Southern Central Asia, who from the 2nd century onwards dwelled in the steppes north of the Caucasus and around the banks of river Volga ....
 from an attempt at invasion. However, it was during her regency that a vigorous persecution of the Paulician 'heresy' commenced.

In order to perpetuate her power she purposely neglected her son's education, and therefore must be held responsible for the voluptuous character which he developed under the influence of his uncle Bardas
Bardas

Bardas was the regent of Byzantine Emperor Michael III. Bardas was the purported son of Marinos Mamikonian and the brother of Theodora, wife of Theophilus, the wife of Byzantine Emperor Theophilus ....
, who was Theodora's brother and likewise of Mamikonian
Mamikonian

Mamikonian or Mamikoneans was a noble family which dominated Armenian politics between the 4th and 8th century. They ruled the Armenian regions of Taron , Sasun, Bagrevand and others....
 heritage.

Theodora endeavoured in vain to combat Bardas's authority; in 855 she was displaced from her regency at his prompting, and being subsequently convicted of intrigues against him was relegated to the monastery of Gastria
Sancaktar Hayrettin Mosque

Sancaktar Hayrettin Mosque is part of a former Eastern Orthodox monastery converted into a mosque by the Ottoman Empire. It is generally believed that the small building belonged to the Byzantine Empire Monastery of Gastria ....
. She died after his assassination at the hands of Basil I
Basil I

Basil I, called the Macedonian was a Byzantine Empire. He was perceived by Byzantines as one of their greatest emperors, the founder of one the most splendid imperial dynasties of Byzantium, the Macedonian dynasty , and the initiator of a Macedonian Renaissance of Byzantine art....
, thus witnessing the end of the dynasty she had worked so hard to preserve. She was sainted in recompense for her zeal on behalf of the restoration of icons as objects of veneration. Her feastday is February 11.

Children

Theodora and Theophilus had seven children. Listed here in the order given by Theophanes:

  • Constantine, co-emperor from c. 833 to c. 835.
  • Thekla (born c. 831 - after 867). She was named Augusta and her image appears in coinage during the regency of her mother. Later exiled to a monastery by her brother Michael. She was recalled and was a mistress of Emperor Basil I the Macedonian
    Basil I

    Basil I, called the Macedonian was a Byzantine Empire. He was perceived by Byzantines as one of their greatest emperors, the founder of one the most splendid imperial dynasties of Byzantium, the Macedonian dynasty , and the initiator of a Macedonian Renaissance of Byzantine art....
    .
  • Anna (born c. 832). Exiled into the monastery of Gastria. Never recalled.
  • Anastasia (born c. 833). Exiled into the monastery of Gastria. Never recalled.
  • Pulcheria (born c. 836). Exiled into the monastery of Gastria. Never recalled.
  • Maria (born c. 838). Married the Caesar Alexios Mouseles. Her husband was placed in command of Byzantine Sicily
    Sicily

    Sicily is an Autonomous regions with special statute of Italy. Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest land area at 25,708 km? and currently has just over five million inhabitants....
     but was later accused of conspiring to gain the throne. Forced to retire into a monastery. Maria was not alive in 856 when her sisters were exiled from the court.
  • Michael III
    Michael III

    Michael III the Drunkard , , Byzantine Emperor from 842 to 867. Michael III was the third and traditionally last member of the Phrygian Dynasty....
     (19 January, 840
    840

    Events...
     - 23 September/24 September, 867
    867

    Events...
    ), who succeeded as emperor.


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