Περίληψη : Empress Theodora Holds an Important Place in 9Th-C
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IΔΡΥΜA ΜΕΙΖΟΝΟΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ Συγγραφή : Stankovic Vlada Μετάφραση : Κούτρας Νικόλαος Για παραπομπή : Stankovic Vlada , "Theodora (Empress, 842-855)", Εγκυκλοπαίδεια Μείζονος Ελληνισμού, Μ. Ασία URL: <http://www.ehw.gr/l.aspx?id=8473> Περίληψη : Empress Theodora holds an important place in 9th-C. Byzantine history. When in 842 she came to power as the head of the regency council of her son Michael III (who was then only 2 years old), Theodora had to deal, already in the first year of her reign, with the issue of Iconoclasm. She put an end to the iconoclastic dispute by affirming the restoration of the icons, an act which led to her canonization by the Orthodox Church. Άλλα Ονόματα Augusta Theodora, St. Theodora Τόπος και Χρόνος Γέννησης 815, Ebissa, Paphlagonia Τόπος και Χρόνος Θανάτου after 867, Constantinople, Gastria monastery Κύρια Ιδιότητα Empress (842-855) 1. Birth - family Theodora originated from an eminent family of Asia Minor. She was born in 815 in the village Ebissa of Paphlagonia.1 The location of the place-name remains uncertain. Her father, Marinos, of Armenian descent, was drougarios or tourmarch, while her mother Theoktiste (aka Phlorina) was the first to receive the honorary title of patrikia zoste. Both of them were iconophiles, and had been persecuted for their beliefs. Her two brothers, Bardas and Petronas, later received high offices, the former in the state administration, and the latter in the army. Petronas was commander of the army that defeated the Arabs in the 863 battle at Poson, by the river Lalakaon, a victory which heralded the gradual re-capturing of Asia Minor by the Byzantines. Bardas rose through the ranks in Constantinople, and under Michael III's (his nephew) reign, he received the honorary title of caesar. Theodora also had three sisters: Kalomaria, Sophia and Eirene. Eirene or Kalomaria probably married the brother of Photios’ mother. In this manner Empress Theodora became a relative of the future patriarch (858-867, 877-887). From her marriage to Emperor Theophilos, Theodora had five daughters, Thekla, Anna, Anastasia, Poulcheria and Maria, and two sons, Constantine, who died during childhood, and Michael, the future emperor Michael III (842-867). 2. Education - upbringing All that we know of Theodora’s education mainly pertains to her iconophile beliefs, which she maintained even after the marriage to Emperor Theophilos. No other information has survived. 3. Theodora’s activites during Theophilos’reign As soon as emperor Theophilos ascended to the throne, on October 2nd 829, Theodora was sent to Constantinople to participate in the process through which the imperial bride was to be selected. Thanks to her beauty and intelligence, Theodora was the one selected among all the other girls to become the emperor’s wife by a joint decision of Theophilos and his step-mother Euphrosyne, second wife of Michael II Traulos. The imperial couple was married on June 30th 830,2 and after a short period empress Euphrosyne was driven out of the palace, and thus the young Theodora became the prime augusta. Δημιουργήθηκε στις 2/10/2021 Σελίδα 1/6 IΔΡΥΜA ΜΕΙΖΟΝΟΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ Συγγραφή : Stankovic Vlada Μετάφραση : Κούτρας Νικόλαος Για παραπομπή : Stankovic Vlada , "Theodora (Empress, 842-855)", Εγκυκλοπαίδεια Μείζονος Ελληνισμού, Μ. Ασία URL: <http://www.ehw.gr/l.aspx?id=8473> In the following twenty-two years, throughout Theophilos’reign, Empress Theodora was not involved in politics. It is known, however, that the Empress developed an interest in trade and that she owned or rented merchant ships. An episode has been preserved from the time of Theophilos’reign, who was remembered as a just ruler. The emperor, seeing a ship sailing into the Golden Horn inlet, loaded with expensive merchandise became curious and wanted to know the identity of the merchant that possessed such wealth. When he was informed that it was his spouse he ordered the shipment to be burned, and forbade the empress to continue her mercantile activities, deeming them unfit for a woman donning the imperial purple. 4. Regency 4.1. Internal policy After Theophilos’death on January 20th 842, Theodora and her oldest daughter Thekla assumed the regency of her son Michael, who was then only two years old (he was born on the 9th or 10th of January 840). Thus Theodora became in fact supreme ruler, remaining in power until 856. Her main aide was the logothetes Theoktistos, who received the offices of the epi tou kanikleiou and logothetes tou dromou. His influence on Theodora was great, and his views counted the most when a decision was to be taken. He gradually managed to accumulate all political power in his hands. The first years of Theodora’s regency became identified with the final end of the iconoclastic dispute. The patriarch of Constantinople John VII Grammatikos Morocharzanios (837-843) was replaced by an iconophile monk championed by Theodora, Methodios (843-847), who had been persecuted during the period of iconoclasm. Methodios’election made Theodora’s intentions to reverse Theophilos’iconoclastic policy clear to all. Nonetheless, Theodora did not ratify the restoration of the icons before she made certain that her late husband Theophilos, who while in life constantly rebuked his wife’s iconophile beliefs, would not be excommunicated after death.3 The restoration of the icons was finally ratified on March 11th 843. To commemorate this act, hailed as a victory of orthodoxy over what it denounced as ‘imperial heresy’, the Church established the feast of Sunday of Orthodoxy, celebrated on the first Sunday of Lent. Nonetheless, the empresses' policy did not fully satisfy the monastic circles. Some prominent monks (especially those of the Stoudion monastery in Constantinople) considered Theodora’s and Theoktistos’stance vis-à-vis the iconoclasts over-temperate and confronted the patriarch, but Theodora managed to defend Methodios effectively in that feud. Notwithstanding this feud, the restoration of the icons secured the ecclesiastical posthumous fame not only of Empress Theodora and patriarch Methodios, but also of the logothetes Theoktistos, who in the Synaxarion of the Constantinopolitan Church is also commemorated as a saint. In the same council that decided the restoration of the icons, Theodora recalled from exile a whole host of iconophiles, clerics and lay people alike. Theodora also commanded the extermination of those Paulicians that refused to follow her behest and disown their heretical religious beliefs (843-844). She also continued her interventionist ecclesiastical policy. Following Methodios’death in 847, with an arbitrary decision the empress appointed the monk Ignatios as the new patriarch of Constantinople; Ignatios was the son of the former emperor Michael I Rangabe (811-813), who following his father’s death had been castrated and forced into becoming a monk. 4.2. External policy During her regency, Theodora had to contend with the Bulgarian threat. According to Genesios, Theophanes’continuator, and Symeon Magistros, after ascending to the throne Theodora received in Constantinople the envoys of the Bulgarian ruler Boris (852- 889), who informed her that he intended to dissolve the treaties that had been agreed between Byzantines and Bulgarians and to wage a campaign against Byzantium. Theodora’s steadfast resolve finally made Boris to cancel his plans of attack against the empire and renew his peace treaty with the Byzantines. 5. Downfall Δημιουργήθηκε στις 2/10/2021 Σελίδα 2/6 IΔΡΥΜA ΜΕΙΖΟΝΟΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ Συγγραφή : Stankovic Vlada Μετάφραση : Κούτρας Νικόλαος Για παραπομπή : Stankovic Vlada , "Theodora (Empress, 842-855)", Εγκυκλοπαίδεια Μείζονος Ελληνισμού, Μ. Ασία URL: <http://www.ehw.gr/l.aspx?id=8473> Theodora’s and logethetes Theoktistos’administration caused the animosity of her brothers, primarily of Bardas, who felt he had been pushed aside and was very disgruntled with his sister’s preference for Theoktistos. Bardas managed to place the underage, but not so young anymore, Emperor Michael III under his influence. On November 20, 855 carrying out a premeditated plan, they murdered logothetes Theoktistos, who was proclaimed a martyr and saint of the Constantinople Church.4 Soon after, on March 15th 856, Theodora was removed from the throne. Thus ended the period of Theodora’s joint rule with her son, Michael III; Bardas was now in control, and Michael III conferred upon him the title of caesar. In 858 Theodora was forced to retire to the monastery of Gastria, in the southern part of Constantinople, which was apparently constructed by her mother. Following her forced retirement from court and political life, Empress Theodora is only mentioned in a half-mythical episode, which perhaps suggests her return to the palace. This is a story relating some prophecy of Theodora that the protostator Basil, the future emperor Basil I, which was presented to her by Michael III, will be responsible for the extinction of their dynasty. Charmed by the power of Basil, Michael III following their common plan, arranged in 866 the murder of his uncle Bardas; Basil, however, murdered Michael on September 24th 867 becoming the sole ruler. In this way the supposed "prophecy" of the empress was fulfilled. Theodora’s precise date of death is not known. She passed away soon after the murder of her son and Basil's accession to the throne; she was buried at the monastery of Gastria, which became something like a family resting place: her daughter Thekla, Anastasia and Pulcheria were also buried there, as well as her brother Petronas, her mother Theoktiste and Barda’s daughter Eirene.5 Because of her part in the final settling of the iconoclastic dispute and the restoration of the icons, Empress Theodora was proclaimed a saint and the Church celebrates her memory on February 11th. Perhaps already by the period of Leo VI (886-912), there was a Vita composed by an anonymous author;6 this work was largely concerned with her actions against the iconoclasts.