women in the byzantine empire

7/30/2019 Women in the Byzantine Empire

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Women in the Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire is without a doubt a fascinating culture that has received

mixed reviews from scholars over the decades as very important or as a

backward oriental culture. It was literally the Roman Empire in the East with its

capital at Constantinople on the Bosporus in Europe and just across the Golden

Horn was Asia or Asia Minor as it was known then. Constantinople was

established in the early fourth century by the Roman Emperor Constantine when

political and military activities were responding to the invasion of the Huns who

caused the Germanic Barbarian tribes to press against the Roman Empire

boundaries of the Danube and Rhine Rivers in Europe. For a time, Ravenna and

Milan in the Italian Peninsula served as temporary capitals, but they were never

situated as geographically advantageous as Constantinople. Today, it is called

Istanbul and the country of Turkey has jurisdiction. This Byzantine Empire as it

became known lasted until 1453, when the Ottomans finally conquered the city.

The rest of the huge Byzantine Empire had both slowly and rapidly declined in

size with the conquest of them by Muslims, Mongols, and Turks. This Empire

lasted for about 1100 years, and is considered the longest-lived political

institution of the Middle Ages.

In the Early Middle Ages, the Byzantine Empire flourished under the

leadership of the Emperor Justinian (527-565), and his co-ruler for twenty years,

his wife the Empress Theodora (ca. 497/508-548). We are fortunate to have a

famous original source, Procopius, Secret History, to reconstruct this time

frame, although he was not impressed with Theodora or for that matter,


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Justinian. Justinian began his political career as the de factor emperor under

his uncle when he met Theodora. Her life before meeting Justinian was full of

low class undertakings. Her father was a circus performer, and when Theodora

was young she also performed on stage, and probably off stage as a prostitute.

While she was intelligent, her shady career had its drawbacks. She moved to

Alexandria in Egypt, where she became a Christian, although her belief was of

the Monophysite sect, which later was declared a heresy. Working her way

back to Constantinople, she met Justinian, and he fell hopelessly in love with

her. Marriage originally was not possible since she was not of the same social

status as he was. Roman law did not allow a patrician to marry beneath him (a

plebeian or a slave.) Justinian convinced his uncle the Emperor to get a law

passed in the Senate, and they were married.

Early in their reign, the Nika Rebellion broke out in 523 in Constantinople.

Mobs filled the streets, and Theodora and Justinian were besieged at the

Palace. Uncertain of the loyalty of his troops, Justinian decided to flee, but

Theodora refused. She rallied his courage with a speech reported by

Procopius: For one who has been an emperor it is unendurable to be a fugitive.

May I never be separated from this purple, and [may] I not live that day on which

those who meet me shall not address me as mistress [empress]. If now it is your

wish to save yourself, O Emperor, there is no difficulty for we have much money,

and there is the sea. Here are the boatsfor myself I approve of a certain

ancient saying that royalty is a good burial shroud. Justinian then commanded

his troops to attack the rebels, and the insurrection was quickly suppressed.


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When they were jointly crowned as rulers of the Eastern Roman or

Byzantine Empire in 527, they both began their remarkable patronage of

religious establishments, civic improvements, and codification of Roman law.

The impregnable Hagia Sophia or Holy Wisdom cathedral/mosque/museum is

undoubtedly the most famous and long-lasting achievement of their reign. To

ensure its swiftness in completion, columns and other architectural parts were

taken from other Roman Imperial sites, and thus the interior is breathtaking. It

was built on the Hippodrome Site that was destroyed in the Nika Rebellion.

When the Ottoman Turks captured the city in 1453 Hagia Sophia was turned into

a mosque, but the Muslim rulers did not deface the lovely Christian mosaics, but

covered them up with plaster. Thus, when Kemal Ataturk led the successful

Turkish Independence movement against Western Europe in the 1920s, he

vowed the city would not become another Jerusalem where many religions are

still fighting for dominance. Ataturk turned the mosque into a museum, where it

remains today. As Justinian had his Generals in the Roman Army recapture

northern Africa and much of Southern Europe during his reign, the rulers had

the opportunity to beautify some of the Italian cities like Ravenna with

impressive Christian Churches like San Vitale, where mosaic images of

Justinian and Theodora are still in situ. An impressive cistern system was built

to add to the assurance of safe water, more walls constructed around the city,

homes for former prostitutes and single mothers erected as well as hospitals

and monastic houses. Justinian allowed Theodora to maintain her Monophysite

belief, and even extended religious tolerance for Jews and other Christian sects.


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In the codification of Roman Law, Justinian and Theodora gathered the

best judges and lawyers to write a text book on Roman Law, Statue Law Codes,

and a Primer for Judges. Theodora was responsible for laws favorable to

women that prohibited trafficking in girls/women, and laws that altered divorce

regulations to benefit women. Statues were placed around the city in

Theodoras honor and her name was joined to her husbands in prayers.

Unfortunately she died long of breast cancer, but her influence on the Byzantine

Empire and Justinian was immense and long-lasting.

As the Byzantine Empire continued its rule aristocratic women who belonged to

powerful political or economic families, were able to contribute and participate

in many ways in Byzantine society. Social Status could be transmitted through

both the matrilineal and patrilineal lines. If ones mother offered greater social

prestige because of her family, then her children would take their mothers

surname. Marriage was the usual path for most all Byzantine women. Marriages

were arranged, and women tended to marry early, often in their mid-teens.

Procreation was the driving force for these marriages, and large families were

the desired goal. They ran business, participated in the church as nuns or

deaconesses, and occasionally took an active role in affairs of the state.

Contrary to Western European noble ladies, Byzantine women had equal rights

to bequeath and inherit property. Married women even maintained ultimate

ownership over their dowries. Women as were art and architecture

commissioners, and even doctors for other women. Furthermore, with the

arrival of Theophano Skleraina 955/960-991), to the Holy Roman Empire court,


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the sophistication of courtly manners, costumes, and customs, led to the

increased refinement of the Germanic peoples . One of the best known

Byzantine businesses belonged to Danelisan extremely wealthy widow. She

was also the benefactor of the future Emperor Basil I, who ruled from 867-886.

According to the records women served as owners of small shops and making

textiles, etc. Because of the precarious nature of the Byzantine Empires

borders, it is thought that some of these female regents and rulers even acted as

military commanders.

One of the most fascinating Byzantine women was the Empress Irene, ca. 753-

803. Born in Athens of a noble Greek family, it is believed that her beauty alone

gained her marriage in 769 to the Leo, who would become the Byzantine

Emperor in 775 as Leo IV. No information exists about her childhood, but since

by this time Latin was no longer the spoken language of the Byzantine Empire

(Justinian was the last Latin-speaking Emperor) Greek was the language of the

court, and the surrounding areas. When Leo died in 780 their son Constantine

VI was made emperor. Since he was only ten years old, Empress Irene was

made his co-emperor and regent. As Constantine grew older he struggled with

his mother for power. Irene or her supporters finally had him blinded, deposed,

and murdered, for any blemish or handicap made a man unacceptable for rule.

Irene thus became the first Byzantine Empress to rule in her own right, and she

took the male title Basileus (Emperor) in preference to the usual official status of

Empress. Since she could not claim dynastic connections to the emperor she

had deposed, she put her own portrait on both the obverse and reverse of her


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coins. Her reign coincided with the crowning of Charlemagne in the West as

Holy Roman Empire by the Pope. This was done as they did not recognize a

woman as a Roman Emperor. Her main achievement during her reign was the

settling of the Iconoclastic Controversy. Her predecessors had denounced and

destroyed icons, were the living pictures of the saints, and Mary and Christ.

The emperor had taken the Jewish and Muslim stance that these icons were

idols. She was responsible for the eventual most important festival known as the

Feast of Orthodoxy, which is still celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Otherwise, it is said that she did not rule effectively, and there were numerous

problems with the economy. She later was deposed by Nicephorus I and sent

into exile. However, because of her solving the Iconoclastic Controversy the

Orthodox church made her a saint.

With the arrival of the Macedonian dynasty to the Byzantine Imperial throne

(they ruled from 867 to 1056), the Byzantine Empire reached its apogee both in

political and cultural areas. Cities expanded, the population grew, and the

business climate was exceptional. Education and art flourished, although it is

doubtful that women benefited from this flourishing. However, Byzantine culture

and religion was spread among the Slavs and Balkan peoples.

Theophano was the niece by marriage of the newly acceded emperor John

Tzimiskes, was bethrothed in marriage to the Holy Roman Emperor, the German

Otto II. Theophano and Otto were married on April 14th, 972 by Pope John XIII at

St. Peters in Rome. Still in existence is the manuscript of the original marriage

charter, written in gold uncial and minuscule on purple vellum and illuminated


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with numerous mythological figures and scrollwork. Later that day she was

crowned empress, which brought the two empires surviving from the late

Roman Empire together into an alliance. Otto I had requested a Byzantine

princess for his son, Otto II to ensure this treaty between these two rival

empires. Having a Byzantine sophisticated wife conferred immense prestige in

the west. Arriving in grand Byzantine style with gold and lavish colored

costumes and jewellery, Theophano even came with a two-pronged fork, surely

a novelty in Europe. Theophano like to bathe once a day, for which she was

highly criticized for her decadence, as baths were an unusual event in Holy

Roman Empire.

The next famous Byzantine woman was Anna Comnena 1083-1148? She was the

daughter of an emperor, and received an excellent education, which was the

general custom for princesses in the Byzantine Empire. Her studies included

the Greek Classics, history, geography, mythology and philosophy. She was

married to Icephorus Bryennius, the son of a former pretender the Imperial

Office. In 1118 Anna joined in a conspiracy to place her husband on the throne.

Failure resulted, but Anna retired to a nunnery with her mother Irene, that they

had founded. While Anna was in the convent, she wrote fifteen books that make

up her famous work Alexiad, for which she is considered the first female

historian in history. Apparently, her husband had begun this work, but she

wrote the majority of the text, describing the career of her father. Basically, it

describes the Comneni family with many scintillating stories of daily life at court.

Women were expected to remain secluded in their quartersByneceum, and


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were to cover their faces with veils in public. Women could not even appear in

processions. Her writing even talked about her influential grandmother Anna

Dalassena. My Grandmother had an exceptional grasp of public affairs, with a

genius for organization and government; she was capable, in fact, of managing

not only the Roman Empire, but every other Empire under the sun as well. Anna

Dalessena was the mother of the Emperor Alexios Komnenos I, playing a critical

role in his rise to power. Even after his crowning, he continued to rely on her

political and administrative expertise in running the Empire. Anna was also an

eye-witness to the first Crusade that had been called by Pope Urban II, when her

father had requested help to fight off the Turkish raids. She remarked about the

extremely noticeable difference between the cosmopolitan Byzantines and the

Barbarian Franks of Western Europe. Looting and raiding for supplies became a

common sight of the crusaders, who decided that fighting the Turks was not

what God had called them to do, but to wipe out the Infidels or Muslims.

Historians down through the centuries have given her great reviews of her

historical writing and research. Some critics have tried to scorn her work as

unimportant because it was written by a woman, but the many editions of the

Alexiad, including Penguin Paperback Classics show otherwise.

women in the byzantine empire

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