empress irene byzantine
Officially, Irene may have been a regent for her son the Emperor, but … She is best known for ending Iconoclasm. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University and Michigan State University and University of Missouri. The same was true in ancient Rome, which began producing its first coinage in the late 4th century BC. Byzantine Coinage of the Empress Irene – CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series. Called “Irene of Athens” in honor of her birthplace, Irene is mainly remembered for two dramatic events. John Kantakouzenos was a Byzantine prince. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2021) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. Aetios or Aetius (Greek: Ἀέτιος) was a Byzantine eunuch official and one of the most trusted advisers of Byzantine empress Irene of Athens (r. 797–802). The Ancient History Encyclopedia logo is a registered EU trademark. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. Empress Irene and the Silk Trade (752-803 CE). IRENE, BYZANTINE EMPRESS Coregnant 780–797, sole ruler from 797 to Oct. 31, 802; b. Athens, c. 752; d. Lesbos, Aug. 9, 803. The persecution of iconophiles had been a key feature of previous emperors' reigns, especially Irene’s father-in-law Constantine V, so the Empress could not be too harsh on the perpetrators and risk alienating family members at court. The Emperor Theophilus (r. 829–842) had two-winged bronze doors with his monograms installed at the southern entrance of … Leo’s short reign came to an end when he died of fever, aged 30, while campaigning against the Bulgars, but Irene’s appetite for power needed further feeding. Much like Empress Theodora, Empress Irene was not born into royalty – it was the beauty of the young orphan that caught the eye of Emperor Constantine V. Emperor Constantine brought Irene to Constantinople to marry his son (and heir to the Byzantine Empire), Leo. Ten years later, he assumed the throne as Constantine VI. Portraits of important people appear on local currency all around the world. Empress Irene of Athens was the first female ruler of the Byzantine Empire. One led by Constantine’s uncle Nikephoros was quashed, and the emperor blinded the ringleader in an all too familiar act of imperial Byzantine brutality. The same was true in ancient Rome, which began producing its first coinage in the late 4th century BC. 0. Irene Palaiologina was the eldest daughter of Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos and empress Theodora Palaiologina, and empress consort of Ivan Asen III of Bulgaria. In 798 she opened diplomatic relations with the Western emperor Charlemagne, and in 802 a marriage between her and Charlemagne was reportedly contemplated. When he died in 780, she became regent because his son, Constantine, was only nine years old. Due to his young age, his mother Irene and her chief minister Staurakios ruled in his stead. Books Serious and immediate defeats against the Bulgars and a shameful truce against the Arabs did nothing to aid his popularity, and conspiracies at court were rife. Empress Irene was a strong proponent of the use of Icons in the Christian church, a practice that had been prohibited for 60 years. As empress, Irene made determined efforts to stamp out iconoclasm everywhere in the empire, including within the ranks of the army. Irene Doukaina or Ducaena (Greek: Εἰρήνη Δούκαινα, Eirēnē Doukaina; c. 1066 – 19 February 1138) was a Byzantine Empress by marriage to the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos, and the mother of the emperor John II Komnenos and of the historian Anna Komnene. 1 Early Life (752 AD-768 AD) 2 Empress Consort (786 AD-780 AD) 3 Empress Regent (780 AD-797 AD) 4 Empress (797 AD-802 AD) 5 Referring literature to Eirene Irene Sarantapechos was born into a wealthy patrician family in Athens in the year 752 AD. Her daughter, the erudite Anna Comnena, wrote glowingly of her mother in her history, The Alexiad – extolling her beauty, wisdom, and care for her family. By her marriage to Emperor Leo IV the Khazar, Irene had only one son Constantine VI, whom she succeeded on the throne. Her daughter, the erudite Anna Comnena, wrote glowingly of her mother in her history, The Alexiad – extolling her beauty, wisdom, and care for her family. i'm doing a report on infamous people and want to know whether or not she is infamous. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. He holds an MA in Political Philosophy and is the Publishing Director at AHE. https://www.ancient.eu/Empress_Irene/. From 797 to 802 CE she ruled as emperor in her own right, the first woman to do so in Byzantine history. An attempt to seize power was crushed by the Empress, who demanded that the military oath of fidelity should recognize her as senior ruler. Anger at the demand prompted the themes (administrative divisions) of Asia Minor to open resistance in 790. He was crowned co-emperor in 776, and became sole emperor in 780, aged only nine. 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