THE IDEOLOGY OF THE FEMININE IN BYZANTINE HISTORICAL NARRATIVE: THE ROLE OF JOHN SKYLITZES'SYNOPS/S OF H/STOR/ES BY LINDA L. WHITE A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfìlment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of History University of Manitoba WÌnnipeg, Manitoba @ August 2003 Permission has been gr9¡te! to the Library oflhe University of ManÍtoba to lend or sell copies of this thesis/practicum,lo the Nat¡onal Library of Canada to microfilm this thesis and to lend or sell copies of the film, and to UniversÍty Microfilms lnc. to publish an abstract of thís thes'rsipracticum. This reproduction or copy of this thesis has been made available by authority of the copyright owner solely purpose for the of private study and research, ano mãy only bá reproduced and copied permitted as by copyright laws or with express written .,. iie¡¿¿1¡in from the copyright owner- THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA FACULTY OF GI.A-DUATE STUDIBS COPYRIGHT PERMISSION PAGE THE IDEOLOGY OF THE FBMININE IN BYZANTINB HISTORICAL NARRATIVE: THE ROLB OF JOHN SKYLITZES'SY¡/OP'SI,S OF HISTORIES BY LII\DA L. WHITB A Thesis/Practicum submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The [.lniversity of Manitoba in partial fulfÏllment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts Linda L. White O 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 larvs or with express written authorization from the copyright owner. Table of Contents Abstract. ..........iii Ackowledgements. ......v Chapter I lntroduction and Rationale. .. .. ... ... .1 Ghapter 2 Sources for the Ninth to Eleventh Centuries...... ..........12 Primary Sources... ....12 Secondary Sources. ..........26 Chapter 3 The Byzantine ldeology of Feminine Behaviour .....39 The ldeal Byzantine Empress.. .. .. .. .S3 Chapter 4 Skylitzes' Portrayals of lmperÍal Women. .. ... .TT The Not Quite ldeal-The Blessed Theodora .. ... ... .83 The Footnote Empress - Eudocia Dekapolitissa. ....94 lmages of Eudocia lngerina.. ......95 Studies in Contrast - The Wives of Leo V1.... ....97 The Lecapenid Women.... ..113 The New Helena... ....117 Theophano - The Archetypical 'Bad' Empress. ......12O Anna Porphyrogenita - The Marriage Pawn . ... .133 Zôê and Theodora - The Last Macedonians. .... ... .134 Chapter 5 Conclusions. 1s0 Bibliography 165 ilt 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 ideofogy 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, synopsrs o/ Histories. skylitzes' portrayals of imperiar 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 modern scholars). This ideology consists of a system of images, ideas and beliefs that articulates an ideal that has an historical effect. lt can also be shown that in conforming to an acceptable ideology of feminine behavíour, Skylitzes may have perpetuated the ideology rather than a more accurate representation of real ity. Acknowledqements 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 enc¡uragement, wiihout wfi¡cn the completion of this thesis would not have been possible. Who once sliced men more sharply than the sword ls victim of a woman...1 Epitaph for Emperor Nicephoros Il phocas According to John Skylitzes, the author of the 11th century historical narrative A Synopsr's of Historie.s, these lines began the inscription found on the sarcophagus of the great Byzantine general and later emperor Nicephoros ll 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 milÍtary leaders of his day. Once the companion in arms of Nicephoros, Tzimisces had recenly fallen out with his relative and mentor, had been relieved of hís 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 ' John skylitzes, A synopsis of His-tories (811-10574.D./ English trans. John woriley (winnipeg: Centre for Hellenic Civilization, 2000), p. 153. Prof. Wortley ñas also generously made available to the author of this paper the annotated version of the English translation óf ,q Synopsis of annotations by Jean-Claude Cheynet, in advance of general publication. 'Johnl,:f:tu^",with Skylitzes, A Synopsis of Histories, trans. John Wortley (hereãfter givån 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 capital, Skylitzes asserts that it was Theophano herself who smuggled Tzimisces into the palace's private quarters.a Thus the reputation of one of the great 'bad women' of history is confirmed. With his portrayal of Theophano Skylitzes had perpetuated a powerful archetyp e, a topos. of feminine betrayal. The question is, however, how much of thÍs 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 highry visible in the narrative sources.s Skylitzes mentions several in his A Synopsis of Histories- They feature as actors in signifìcant events and frequenfly they assume control of the imperiaf 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 contemporaries t sH, p. tst. 'SH, p' 151' "'..the Empress sent and brought him into the port that had been hoilowed out palace, from which she had him and 3:iä,11" alt those who were wilh him brought up in a tln the context of this paper a narrative source is the type of written narration of connected events commonly refened to as a history or a historical chron¡cle. r¡re term 'narrative source, has been deliberately chosen over the term 'lÍterary source' as the term literary source can also be applied to poems, plays and novels, and often implies a fictionalisáJ treaíment or t¡re iuo¡ect matter. Even though much can be learned about ideologies rrom ãn examination of theée types of sources, they are not the subject of paper. this Nairative source has also been chosen over the term documentary source as documentary sources include alltypes of documents, not just historical nanatives. written 3 in Western European or Muslim societies.o Scratching below the surface, however, reveals a more complex portrait. Those studying Byzantine history soon come to understand that Byzantine historicaf narratives are the product of a tradition of didactic scholarship dating back hundreds of years. \¡r/hile invariably stating their respect for truth and accuracy, Byzantine historians make no secret of their view of history, in all forms, primarily as a tool of persuasion.T Thus the tale of Nicephoros and rheophano was more than the relation of facts. lt is an object lesson in human nature and the inclusion of a woman seryes a didactic purpose' Skylitzes' portrayal of Theophano was fulfilling a function as a bad example, as the opposite of the ideal. The objectivity (or lack thereof) of Byzantine historical narrative has been the'focus of much debate.s ln many cases topoi and dubious incidents have found their way into modern histories without question. As Mark whittow asserts the "obvious unreliability'' of the sources is still ignored by many modern Byzantinists.e Th¡s lack of objectivity is especially apparent in the treatment of women by the narrative sources of Byzantine history.