• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoe_Porphyrogenita

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• http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/BYZANTIUM.htm#Zoedied1050

2. ZOE (980-1050). Psellos records that Emperor Konstantinos hastily arranged the marriage of his second daughter to "Romanus…Argyropulos" when dying, calling her "Zoe" in a later passage and stating that she was "in her fiftieth year when she married him" and that "he was more than twenty years older than she was"[1213]. Psellos states that, after her first marriage, "two things…vexed her: the fact that Romanus did not love her, and that herself was unable to squander money" because of his controls[1214]. Ioannes the Orfanotrophos introduced the royal couple to his brother Mikhael, who became Empress Zoe's lover. Psellos records that "a certain eunuch, a man of mean and contemptible fortune, but endowed with an extremely active and ingenious mind" introduced his "brother…in his early manhood" to the emperor and empress "who at once fell victim to his charms"[1215]. Emperor Romanos drowned in his bath[1216], presumably murdered on the orders of his wife and her lover, whom she married as her second husband later the same day. While Emperor Mikhael IV was dying, his nephew Mikhael Kalafatis was escorted to the palace by his uncles to ensure his succession[1217]. Having gained the support of Empress Zoe, he was proclaimed emperor as Mikhael V. He exiled Empress Zoe to Prinkipo island in the sea of Marmora 18 Apr 1042 on fabricated charges[1218]. During the general uprising which followed in Constantinople, her younger sister Theodora was proclaimed empress[1219]. Putting aside her rivalry with her sister, Zoe accepted her as co-empress but took precedence herself[1220], and was confirmed by the senate as Empress ZOE in [late Apr] 1042. The joint rule started with a period of extravagance, largesse being distributed widely. However, Empress Zoe saw the need for another powerful man with whom to share the throne. Her first choice was Konstantinos Katapanos "Artoclinas" (although he was then married), whom Emperor Mikhael IV had imprisoned as a potential rival and Emperor Mikhael V had compelled to enter the church. Psellos records that he was recalled from exile, but died suddenly, possibly poisoned by his wife[1221]. Her second choice was Konstantinos Monomachos, whom she recalled from exile on Lesbos and married, despite the Byzantine church's prohibition of third marriages[1222]. His coronation the next day marked the end of Empress Zoe's personal rule as empress regnant. Psellos records her death at the age of 72 but does not name the year[1223].

m firstly (12 Nov 1028) as his second wife, ROMANOS Argyros, son of --- (968-murdered 11 Apr 1034). He succeeded his father-in-law in 1028 as Emperor ROMANOS III. He was murdered by his wife and her lover, whom Empress Zoe married later the same day.

m secondly (11 Apr 1034) MIKHAEL, son of --- (-Monastery of the Holy Anagyroi 10 Dec 1041, bur Monastery of the Holy Anagyroi). He succeeded as Emperor MIKHAEL IV immediately on his marriage.

m thirdly (11 Jun 1042) as his third wife, KONSTANTINOS Monomachos, son of THEODOSIOS Monomachos & his wife --- ([1005/10]-11 Jan 1055). He was crowned 12 Jun 1042 as Emperor KONSTANTINOS IX.

http://genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00027726&tree=LEO

Zoë, Empress of Constantinople was the daughter of Constantine VIII, Emperor of Constantinople. She married, firstly, Romanus III Argyrus, Emperor of Constantinople. She married, secondly, Michael IV 'the Paphlagonian', Emperor of Constantinople after 1034. She married Constantine IX Monomachus, Emperor of Constantinople after 1041. Zoë, Empress of Constantinople held the office of Co-regent of Constantinople between 1028 and 1050. She succeeded to the title of Empress Zoë of Constantinople in 1042, suo jure.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoe_Porphyrogenita Zoe (empress)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Zoe (in Greek: Ζωή, Zōē, meaning "Life"), (c. 978–June 1050) was Empress of the Byzantine Empire with co-rulers November 15, 1028–1050, and senior reigning Empress from April 19 to June 11, 1042.

Zoe was one of the few Byzantine empresses who was Porphyrogenita, or "born into the purple" (that is, as the child of a reigning emperor). She was the daughter of Constantine VIII and Helena, daughter of Alypius. Her father had become co-emperor in 962, and sole emperor in 1025. He reigned for only three years between December 15, 1025 and November 15, 1028.

Worried by the prospect of associating another man with the imperial house, Constantine VIII prevented his daughters from marrying until the very end of his life. Before dying, Constantine had married Zoe to his chosen heir Romanos III Argyros, the prefect (eparch) of Constantinople, on November 12, 1028. By this time, Zoe had reached 50 and had failed to produce any heir. Romanos III succeeded to the throne together with Zoe three days after they married, but this failure helped alienate the couple. Romanos incurred his wife's animosity by paying little attention to her and limiting her spending, while Zoe herself became enamoured of her courtier Michael.

On April 11, 1034, Romanos III was found dead in his bath, and there was speculation that Zoe and Michael had had him strangled or drowned. Zoe married Michael later the same day, and he reigned as Michael IV until his death in 1041. Although Michael proved to be a more uxorious husband than Romanos, Zoe remained excluded from politics by the monopoly on government enjoyed by Michael's brother John the Eunuch. The disgruntled empress conspired in vain against John in 1037 or 1038.

Shortly before the death of Michael IV in December 1041, the couple adopted as their son Michael V, the son of Michael IV's sister. After several months of rule, the new emperor exiled his adoptive mother to a convent on Principus (one of the Princes' Islands near Constantinople). The population of the city, loyal to Zoe, quickly forced him to recall the empress and her younger sister Theodora in April 1042. The sisters deposed Michael V, blinded him, and exiled him to a monastery, where he died later the same year. For two months, Zoe shared power with Theodora, until she could find yet another husband, her third, and the last she was permitted according to the rules of the Orthodox Church. Her choice was Constantine IX Monomachos (reigned 1042–1055), who outlived her by four years. Zoe died in 1050.

Zoe was fifty when she first married. Despite her age, she married twice more. Ironically, the most capable of her husbands was the one who was least well prepared to be emperor, Michael IV. It is said she was stunningly beautiful, and one writer even commented that, like a well baked chicken, "every part of her was firm and in good condition." She was aware of her charms and meant to keep and use them for as long as possible. With typical Byzantine ingenuity, she had many rooms in her chambers converted into laboratories for the preparation of secret ointments, and she was able to keep her face free of wrinkles until she was sixty.

Bibliography

(primary source) Michael Psellus, Chronographia.

The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, 1991.

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Constantine IX Monomachos

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Family

Constantine Monomachos was married three times:

to a wife of unknown identity.

to Helena Sklerina, daughter of Basil Sklerus and niece of Emperor Romanus III

to the Empress Zoe

After the death of his second wife, Constantine also took her niece Maria Skleraine as his mistress.

He had no children with his first wife or with the aging Zoe. With either Helena or Maria Sklerina he had a daughter named Anastasia, who married Vsevolod I of Kiev in 1046.

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Zoë was one of the few Byzantine empresses who was Porphyrogenita, or "born into the purple" (that is, she was born to a reigning emperor). She was the second daughter of Constantine VIII and Helena, daughter of Alypius. Her father had become co-emperor in 962 and sole emperor in 1025. His reign as sole emperor lasted less than three years, from December 15, 1025 to November 15, 1028.

As an eligible imperial princess she was considered as a possible bride for the Holy Roman Emperor, Otto III in 996. A second embassy sent in 1001, headed by Arnulf, Archbishop of Milan, was tasked with selecting Otto’s bride from among Constantine’s three daughters. The eldest, Eudocia, was disfigured by smallpox, while the youngest, Theodora, was a very plain girl. Arnulf therefore selected the attractive 23-year-old Zoë, to which her uncle Basil II agreed. In January 1002 she accompanied Arnulf back to Italy, only to discover when the ship reached Bari that Otto III had died, forcing her to return home. Another opportunity arose in 1028, when an embassy from the Holy Roman Empire arrived in Constantinople with a proposal for an imperial marriage. Constantine VIII and the fifty-year-old Zoë rejected the idea out of hand when it was revealed that the intended groom Henry, the son of Conrad II, was only ten years old.

Worried by the prospect of associating another man with the imperial house, Basil II prevented his nieces from marrying any of the Byzantine nobility until the very end of his life. Consequently, Zoë lived a life of virtual obscurity in the imperial gynaeceum until circumstances (her uncle Basil II dying childless and her dying father not siring any sons) forced her into the centre of imperial politics. The first potential match for Zoë was the distinguished noble Constantine Dalassenos, the former dux of Antioch. He was eventually overlooked for Romanos III Argyros, the urban prefect of Constantinople., her third cousin. They married on November 10, 1028 in the imperial chapel of the palace, and by November 12 they were seated on the imperial throne.

Spending years in the same restrictive quarters with her sister, Zoë came to loathe Theodora. She had never forgiven Theodora for being their father’s first choice to marry Romanos, so Zoë convinced Romanos to appoint one of his own men as the chief of Theodora’s household, with orders to spy on her. Shortly afterwards, Theodora was accused of plotting to usurp the throne, first with Presian of Bulgaria, followed by Constantine Diogenes, the Archon of Sirmium, in 1031. Zoë accused her of being part of the conspiracy, and Theodora was forcibly confined in the monastery of Petrion. Zoë later visited her sister and forced her to take religious vows.

Zoë was similarly obsessed with continuing the Macedonian dynasty. Almost immediately upon marrying Romanos, the fifty-year-old Zoë tried desperately to become pregnant. She tried using magic charms, amulets, and potions, all without effect. This failure to conceive helped alienate the couple, and soon Romanos refused to share the bed with her. Romanos incurred his wife's animosity by paying little attention to her and limiting her spending, while he tolerated her various affairs. Eventually however, in 1033, Zoë became enamoured of her courtier Michael, flaunted her lover openly, and spoke about making him emperor. Hearing the rumours, Romanos was concerned and confronted Michael, but he denied the accusations.

On April 11, 1034, Romanos III was found dead in his bath, and there was speculation that Zoë and Michael had conspired to have him poisoned, then strangled or drowned. Zoë married Michael later the same day, and he reigned as Michael IV until his death in 1041. Although Zoë believed Michael would prove to be a more devoted husband than Romanos, she was sadly mistaken. Michael IV was concerned about Zoë turning on him the way she had turned on Romanos, so he excluded Zoë from politics by placing all power in the hands of his brother John the Eunuch. Zoë was confined again to the palace gynaeceum, and kept under strict surveillance, while Michael’s visits grew more and more infrequent. Nevertheless, the disgruntled empress conspired in vain against John in 1037 or 1038.

By 1041 it was obvious that Michael IV was dying. John the Eunuch, eager to ensure that power remained in his hands, forced Zoë to adopt Michael V, the son of Michael IV's sister. On 10 December 1041, Michael IV died, refusing to the last to see his wife who begged that she be allowed to see him one more time before he died, and Michael V was crowned emperor. Although he promised to respect Zoë, he promptly banished her to a monastery on Principus (one of the Princes' Islands) on charges of attempted regicide. This treatment of the legitimate heir to the Macedonian Dynasty caused a popular uprising in Constantinople, and on April 19, 1042, the people dethroned Michael V in support of not only Zoë, but also Theodora. Michael V, desperate to keep his throne, initially brought Zoë back from Princes’ Island and displayed her to the people, but his insistence that he continue to rule alongside her was in vain. Key members of the court decided that Zoë needed a co-ruler, and that it should be her sister Theodora. A delegation headed by the Patrician Constantine Cabasilas went to the monastery at Petrion to convince Theodora to become co-empress alongside her sister. At an assembly at Hagia Sophia, the people escorted a furious Theodora from Petrion and proclaimed her empress along with Zoë. After crowning Theodora, the mob stormed the palace, forcing Michael V to escape to a monastery.

Zoë immediately assumed power and tried to force Theodora back to her monastery, but the Senate and the people demanded that the two sisters should jointly reign. In her first act, Theodora was called upon to do what her sister would not: deal with Michael V. Zoë, weak and easily manipulated, wanted to pardon and free Michael, but Theodora was clear and adamant. She initially guaranteed Michael’s safety before ordering him to be blinded and to spend the rest of his life as a monk. With Michael V dealt with, Theodora refused to leave Hagia Sophia until she had received word from Zoë, some 24 hours after Theodora had been crowned. Officially, while Theodora was the junior empress, and her throne was situated slightly behind Zoë’s in all public occasions, she was the driving force behind the joint administration. Both sisters then proceeded to administer the empire, focusing on curbing the sale of public offices and on the administration of justice. Although Michael Psellus claimed the joint reign was a complete failure, John Scylitzes stated that they were very conscientious in rectifying the abuses of the previous reigns.

Although Theodora and Zoë appeared together at meetings of the Senate, or when they gave public audiences, it was soon apparent that their joint reign was under considerable strain. Zoë was still jealous of Theodora and had no desire to administer the empire, but she would not allow Theodora to conduct public business alone. The court soon began to split, with factions forming behind each empress. After two months of increasing acrimony, Zoë decided to search for a new husband—her third, the last she was permitted according to the rules of the Orthodox Church—thereby denying Theodora the opportunity to increase her influence, stemming from her sister’s obvious talents for governing.

Her first preference was Constantine Dalassenos, who had been her father’s first choice as her husband back in 1028, but after he displayed his contempt for the empress, she threw him out of her presence. Her next choice was the married Constantine Atroklines, a court official, with whom it was rumoured that she had had an affair with during the reign of Romanos III. He died under mysterious circumstances a few days before the wedding was to take place, possibly poisoned by his own soon to be ex-wife.

Zoë then remembered the handsome and urbane Constantine Monomachos, another former lover. The pair were married on June 11, 1042, without the participation of Patriarch Alexius I of Constantinople, who refused to officiate over a third marriage (for both spouses). On the following day Constantine was formally proclaimed emperor together with Zoë and her sister Theodora.

Zoë got more than she bargained for when Constantine decided to bring with him into his new station his long standing mistress, Maria Skleraina. Not content with bringing her to court, he insisted that he be allowed to publicly share his life with her, and further that she obtain some official recognition. Surprisingly, the 64-year-old Zoë did not object to sharing her bed and her throne with Skleraina. The sisters granted Skleraina the title of sebaste and she took rank after Zoë and Theodora, being called despoina, mistress or empress, like them and taking her place behind them in official processions and ceremonies.

In the eyes of the public however, Constantine IX’s preferential treatment of his mistress was a scandal, and eventually rumours began to spread that Skleraina was planning to murder both Zoë and Theodora. This led to a popular uprising by the citizens of Constantinople in 1044, which came dangerously close to actually harming Constantine who was participating in a religious procession along the streets of Constantinople. The mob was only quieted by the appearance at a balcony of Zoë and Theodora, who reassured the people that they were not in any danger of assassination.

During Constantine’s reign, Zoë gladly handed over all imperial power and responsibility to him. Until her death in 1050, she enjoyed various amusements, and her rooms in the palace were filled with boiling pots and pans for the manufacture of ointments and perfumes.

Zoë was fifty when she first married, yet despite her age, she married twice more. Ironically, the most capable of her husbands was the one who was least well prepared to be emperor, Michael IV. It is said she was stunningly beautiful, and Michael Psellos in his Chronographia commented that "every part of her was firm and in good condition." She was aware of her charms and meant to keep and use them for as long as possible. With typical Byzantine ingenuity, she had many rooms in her chambers converted into laboratories for the preparation of secret ointments, and it was said she was able to keep her face relatively youthful until she was sixty.

Зоя (грец. Ζωή, * 978 — † червень 1050 у Константинополі) — візантійська імператриця з 21 квітня по 12 червня 1042 року (разом з її сестрою Феодорою).

Зоя була дочкою візантійського імператора Костянтина VIII та, ймовірно, принцесою, яку обіцяли імператору Оттону III. Однак весілля внаслідок його ранньої смерті не відбулося. По смерті батька у 1028 році вона одружується із престарілим сенатором Романом ІІІ Аргиром, таким чином продовжуючи македонську імператорську династію. У квітні 1034 її чоловіка втопили. Вона знову одружується, можливо з реалізатором вбивства, наступним імператором Михайлом IV Пафлагонським. Однак шлюб не був щасливим. Її змусили всиновити племінника чоловіка, який по смерті Михайла IV у 1041 став наступним імператором. Михайло V пробує її заслати у монастир (18/19 квітня 1041), що закінчується повстанням і скиненням його з трону. Після цього Зою та її молодшу сестру Феодору проголошено імператрицями. Після трьох місяців їхнього правління Зоя одружується із Костянтином IX Мономахом, який і перебирає владні обов'язки на себе. Цариця Зоя померла 1050 року у віці 72 років після нетривалої агонії. Її поховали у збудованій нею константинопольській церкві Христа Антіфоніта.

References

• John Skylitzes: A Synopsis of Byzantine History, 811–1057: Translation and Notes By John Skylitzes, John Wortley. Page 398. GoogleBooks