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The Ideology of the Feminine in Byzantine Historical Narrative: The THE IDEOLOGY OF THE FEMININE IN BYZANTINE HISTORICAL NARRATIVE: THE ROLE OF JOHN SKYLITZES' SYNOPSIS OF HISTORIES BY LINDA L. WHITE A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of History University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba ©August 2003 Permission has been granted to th~ Library of the University of Manitoba to lend or sell cQpies of this thesis/practicum, to the National Library of Canada to microfilm this thesis and to lend or sell copies of the film, and to University Microfilms Inc. to publish an abstract of this thesis/practicum. This reproduction or copy of this thesis has been made available by authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research, and may only be reproduced and copied as permitted by copyright laws or with express written autholization from the copyright owner. THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES MASTER'S THESIS/PRACTICUM FINAL REPORT The undersigned certify that they have read the Master's Thesis/Practicum entitled The Ideology of the Feminine in Byzantine Historical Narrafive: The Role of John Skylitzes' Synopsis of Histories submitted by Linda L. White in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts The Thesis/Practicum Examining Committee certifies that the thesis/practicum (and oral examination if required) is: (Approved or Not Approved) Thesis Practicum 0 ~---- Henry He!~ /_ · ..·· ... ·/ ..•, ~ <' ' // ' . _./'6 · /~~".CkacL Eric Annandale Date: August 8,2003 THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES ***** COPYRIGHT PERMISSION PAGE THE IDEOLOGY OF THE FEMININE IN BYZANTINE HISTORICAL NARRATIVE: THE ROLE OF JOHN SKYLITZES' SYNOPSIS OF HISTORIES BY LINDA L. WHITE A Thesis/Practicum submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts Linda L. White © 2003 Permission has been granted to the Library of The University of Manitoba to lend or sell copies of this thesis/practicum, to the National Library of Canada to microfilm this thesis and to lend or sell copies of the film, and to University Microfilm Inc. to publish an abstract of this thesis/practicum. This reproduction or copy of this thesis has been made available by authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research, and may only be reproduced and copied as permitted by copyright laws or with express written authorization from the copyright owner. Table of Contents Abstract. ..............................................................................iii . Ackowledgements ..................................................................v Chapter 1 Introduction and Rationale ........................................................ 1 Chapter2 Sources for the Ninth to Eleventh Centuries ................................. 12 Primary Sources ............................................................12 Secondary Sources ........................................................26 Chapter3 The Byzantine Ideology of Feminine Behaviour ............................ 39 The Ideal Byzantine Empress ............................... ······:· .... 53 Chapter4 Skylitzes' Portrayals of Imperial Women ...................................... 77 The Not Quite Ideal-The Blessed Theodora ................................. 83 The Footnote Empress - Eudocia Dekapolitissa ..............................94 Images of Eudocia lngerina ................. : ...................................... 95 Studies in Contrast - The Wives of Leo VI ......................................97 The Lecapenid Women ............................................................113 The New Helena ....................................................................117 Theophano - The Archetypical 'Bad' Empress .............................. 120 Anna Porphyrogenita - The Marriage Pawn .................................. 133 Zoe and Theodora - The Last Macedonians ................................. 134 Chapters Conclusions ......................................................................... 150 Bibliography .................................. ~ ...................................... 165 iii Abstract The medieval Eastern Roman Empire (commonly referred to as the Byzantine Empire) is the least well documented of all the early medieval Christian societies. Modern historians studying the Byzantine world are inordinately dependent on a small number of histories and chronicles that are themselves secondary products. As a further impediment to modern scholars, Byzantine authors made no secret of their view that history, in all its forms, was primarily a tool of persuasion. Feminist historians have examined the effects of this tradition of didactic scholarship on the portrayals of women in the Byzantine histories and chronicles. They have proposed that Byzantine historians and chroniclers were engaged in the transmission of an ideology of the feminine and the feminine exercise of power that may or may not have reflected historical reality. They further propose that this ideology is a cultural construct can be discerned through a close examination of the narrative sources for Byzantine history and that it ·can be . deconstructed because it is not natural. What has not been explored up to now is the extent to which the portrayal of women according to an accepted ideology by Byzantine historians obscures what actually occurred and how this may influence modern interpretations of Byzantine history. This thesis explores the transmission of the Byzantine ideology of feminine behaviour with particular reference to John Skylitzes' Synopsis of Histories. Skylitzes' portrayals of imperial women can be seen to conform to an iv ideology of imperial women that has been articulated in the documentary and other sources for Byzantine history (and that has been perceived and described by other modem scholars). This ideology consists of a system of images, ideas and beliefs that articulates an ideal that has an historical effect. It can also be shown that in conforming to an acceptable ideology of feminine behaviour, Skylitzes may have perpetuated the ideology rather than a more accurate representation of reality. v Acknowledgements I would like to thank Professor John Wortley for his assistance and advice. I would also like to thank my daughter Kathryn and my husband Dave for their unflagging support and encouragement, without which the completion of this thesis would not have been possible. 1 Chapter 1 - Introduction and Rationale Who once sliced men more sharply than the sword Is victim of a woman ... 1 Epitaph for Emperor Nicephoros II Phocas According to John Skylitzes, the author of the 11th century historical narrative A Synopsis of Histories, these lines began the inscription found on the sarcophagus of the great Byzantine general and later emperor Nicephoros II Phocas (963-969). This emperor was cruelly dispatched as he lay sleeping in his chamber at the heart of the imperial palace complex in Constantinople on the night of 11 December 969. Nicephoros's murder was the culmination of a plot probably masterminded by the general John Tzimisces, scion of an aristocratic Anatolian family and one of the most outstanding military leaders of his day. Once the companion in arms of Nicephoros, Tzimisces had recently fallen out with his relative and mentor, had been relieved of his commands and exiled to his estates where, as Skylitzes put it, he was "kicking his heels."2 Although the mortal blow was struck by Tzimisces or one of his co-conspirators, it was logical that they could not have gained entry to the tightly guarded palace· compound without help from someone inside. Suspicion quickly fell on Nicephoros's 1 John Skylitzes, A Synopsis of Histories (811-1057 A.O.} English trans. John Wortley (Winnipeg: Centre for Hellenic Civilization, 2000), p. 153. Prof. Wortley has also generously made available to the author of this paper the annotated version of the English translation of A Synopsis of Histories, with annotations by Jean-Claude Cheynet, in advance of general publication. 2 John Skylitzes, A Synopsis of Histories, trans. John Wortley (hereafter given as SH). p. 151. 2 beautiful widow, the Empress Theophano. Skylitzes calls her an "adulteress"3 and she was suspected of having begun an affair with the handsome Tzimisces. According to Skylitzes' account, Theophano summoned her lover to Constantinople, providing him with a safe conduct that she had arranged. Once Tzimisces was in the capit~lf, Skylitzes asserts that it was Theophano herself who smuggled Tzimisces into the palace's private quarters.4 Thus the reputation of one of the great 'bad women' of history is confirmed. With his portrayal of Theophano Skylitzes had perpetuated a powerful archetype, a topos, of feminine betrayal. The question is, however, how much of this description was based in reality and how much was the product of a deliberately constructed ideology of the feminine in Byzantine historical narrative. Empresses of the Eastern Roman Empire, such as Theophano, are highly visible in the narrative sources.5 Skylitzes mentions several in his A Synopsis of Histories. They feature as actors in significant events and frequently they assume control of the imperial administration. On first impression, it would appear from this that Byzantine historians such as Skylitzes were particularly inclusive and enlightened in their portrayal of women when compared to their
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