See also
| Husband: | Theophilus + (813-842) | |
| Wife: | Theodora BINT MARINOS (815-aft867) | |
| Children: | Thekla (831-867) | |
| Anna (832- ) | ||
| Anastasia (833- ) | ||
| Pulcheria (836- ) | ||
| Maria (838- ) | ||
| Michael III + (840-867) | ||
| Constantine ( -835) | ||
| Marriage | 0820 | Byzantium, Istanbul, Turkey |
| Name: | Theophilus + | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Father: | Michael II + (775-829) | |
| Mother: | Thekla + (785-823) | |
| Birth | 0813 | Byzantium, Istanbul, Turkey |
| Occupation | Emperor of the Byzantine Empire | |
| Title | frm 2 Oct 0829 to 20 Jan 0842 (age 15-29) | Emperor of the Byzantine Empire |
| Death | 20 Jan 0842 (age 28-29) | Byzantium, Istanbul, Turkey |
| Name: | Theodora BINT MARINOS | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Father: | Marinos BEN ARTAVAZD (755-815) | |
| Mother: | Amina BINT ALKAMA AL-KINANITTA (795-831) | |
| Birth | 0815 | Byzantium, Istanbul, Turkey |
| Occupation | Empress of the Byzantine Empire | |
| Title | Empress of the Byzantine Empire | |
| Death | aft 0867 (age 51-52) | |
| Name: | Thekla | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Spouse: | Basil I THE MACEDONIAN (830-886) | |
| Birth | 0831 | |
| Death | 0867 (age 35-36) | |
| Name: | Anna | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Birth | 0832 | |
| Name: | Anastasia | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Birth | 0833 | |
| Name: | Pulcheria | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Birth | 0836 | |
| Name: | Maria | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Spouse: | Alexios MOSELE (c. 835- ) | |
| Birth | 0838 | |
| Name: | Michael III + | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Spouse 1: | Eudokia + INGERINA (835- ) | |
| Spouse 2: | Eudokia DEKAPOLITISSA (c. 845- ) | |
| Birth | 19 Jan 0840 | Byzantium, Istanbul, Turkey |
| Occupation | Emperor of the Byzantine Empire | |
| Title | frm 0842 to 0867 (age 1-27) | Emperor of the Byzantine Empire |
| Death | 23 Sep 0867 (age 27) | Byzantium, Istanbul, Turkey |
| Cause: assinated at the orderof Basil, his co-emperor | ||
| Name: | Constantine | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Death | 0835 | |
Theophilos (or Theophilus) (813 – 20 January 842) was Byzantine emperor from 829 to 842. He was the second emperor of the Phrygian dynasty, and the last emperor supporting iconoclasm.
Theophilos (or Theophilus) (Greek: Te?f????) (813 – 20 January 842) was Byzantine emperor from 829 to 842. He was the second emperor of the Phrygian dynasty, and the last emperor supporting iconoclasm.
Theophilos was the son of the Byzantine Emperor Michael II and his wife Thekla, and the godson of Emperor Leo V the Armenian. Michael II crowned Theophilos co-emperor in 822, shortly after his own accession. Unlike his father, Theophilos received an extensive education, and showed interest in the arts. On October 2, 829, Theophilos succeeded his father as sole emperor.
Theophilos continued in his predecessors' iconoclasm, though without his father's more conciliatory tone, issuing an edict in 832 forbidding the veneration of icons. He also saw himself as the champion of justice, which he served most ostentatiously by executing his father's co-conspirators against Leo V immediately after his accession. His reputation as a judge endured, and in the literary composition Timarion Theophilos is featured as one of the judges in the Netherworld.
Theophilos on a coin of his father, Michael II, founder of the Phrygian dynasty.
Follis of a new type, minted in large quantities in celebration of Theophilos' victories against the Arabs from ca. 835 on. On the obverse he is represented in triumphal attire, wearing the toupha, and on the reverse the traditional acclamation "Theophilos Augustus, you conquer".At the time of his accession, Theophilos was obliged to wage wars against the Arabs on two fronts. Sicily was once again invaded by the Arabs, who took Palermo after a year-long siege in 831, established the Emirate of Sicily and gradually continued to expand across the island. The invasion of Anatolia by the Abbasid Caliph Al-Ma'mun in 830 was faced by the emperor himself, but the Byzantines were defeated and lost several fortresses. In 831 Theophilos retaliated by leading a large army into Cilicia and capturing Tarsus. The emperor returned to Constantinople in triumph, but in the Autumn was defeated by the enemy in Cappadocia. Another defeat in the same province in 833 forced Theophilos to sue for peace (Theophilos offered 100,000 gold dinars and the return of 7,000 prisoners),[1] which he obtained the next year, after the death of Al-Ma'mun.
During the respite from the war against the Abbasids, Theophilos arranged for the abduction of the Byzantine captives settled north of the Danube by Krum of Bulgaria. The rescue operation was carried out with success in c. 836, and the peace between Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire was quickly restored. However, it proved impossible to maintain peace in the East. Theophilos had given asylum to a number of refugees from the east in 834, including Nasr (who was Persian [2]), baptized Theophobos, who married the emperor's aunt Irene, and became one of his generals. With relations with the Abbasids deteriorating, Theophilos prepared for a new war.
In 837 Theophilos led a vast army of 70,000 men towards Mesopotamia, and captured Melitene and Samosata.[3] The emperor also took Zapetra (Zibatra, Sozopetra), the birthplace of the Caliph al-Mu'tasim, destroying it. Theophilos returned to Constantinople in triumph. Eager for revenge, Al-Mu'tasim assembled a vast army and launched a two prong invasion of Anatolia in 838. Theophilos decided to strike one division of the caliph's army before they could combine. On July 21, 838 at the Battle of Anzen in Dazimon, Theophilos personally led a Byzantine army of 25,000 men (possibly 40,000 men?) against the troops commanded by Afshin.[4][5] Afshin withstood the Byzantine attack after which he then counter attacked and won the battle. The Byzantine survivors fell back in disorder and did not interfere in the caliph's continuing campaign.
Caliph Al-Mu'tasim took Ancyra. Al-Afshin joined him there. The full Abbasid army advanced against Amorium, the cradle of the dynasty. Initially there was determined resistance. Then a Muslim captive escaped and informed the caliph where there was a section of the wall that had only a front facade. Al-Mu'tasim concentrated his bombardment on this section. The wall was breached. Having heroically held for fifty-five days, the city now fell to al-Mu'tasim on 12 or 15 August 838.
And in 838, in order to impress the Caliph of Baghdad, Theophilus had John the Grammarian distribute 36,000 nomismata to the citizens of Baghdad.[6] Around 841, the Republic of Venice sent a fleet of 60 galleys (each carrying 200 men) to assist the Byzantines in driving the Arabs from Crotone, but it failed.[7]
During this campaign some of Al-Mu'tasim's top generals were plotting against the caliph. He uncovered this. Many of these leading commanders were arrested, some executed, before he arrived home. Al-Afshin seems not to have been involved in this, but he was detected in other intrigues and died in prison in the spring of 841. Caliph al-Mu'tasim fell sick in October, 841 and died on January 5, 842.
The image of Theophilos on a contemporary gold solidus.Theophilos never recovered from the blow; his health gradually failed, and he died on January 20, 842. His character has been the subject of considerable discussion, some regarding him as one of the ablest of the Byzantine emperors, others as an ordinary and not a particularly significant ruler. There is no doubt that he did his best to check corruption and oppression on the part of his officials, and administered justice with strict impartiality. His personal leadership into battle with his troops indicates he was not afraid to command and put his life alongside that of his soldiers.
In spite of the drain of the war in Asia and the large sums spent by Theophilos on building, commerce, industry, the finances of the empire were in a most flourishing condition, the credit of which was in great measure due to the highly efficient administration of the department. Theophilos, who had received an excellent education from John Hylilas, the grammarian, was a great admirer of music and a lover of art, although his taste was not of the highest. He strengthened the Walls of Constantinople, and built a hospital, which continued in existence till the twilight of the Byzantine Empire.
[edit] Family
Solidus depicting Theophilos, with his father Michael II and his eldest son Constantine in the reverseBy his marriage with Theodora, Theophilos had seven children:
Constantine, co-emperor from c. 833 until his death in c. 835.
Michael III, who succeeded as emperor.
Maria, who married the Caesar Alexios Mousele.
Thekla, who was a mistress of Emperor Basil I the Macedonian.
Anna
Anastasia
Pulcheria
Theodora c. 815 - after 867) was a Byzantine Empress as the spouse of the Byzantine emperor Theophilos, and regent of her son, Michael III, from Theophilos' death in 842 to 855. For her restoration of the veneration of icons, which ended the Byzantine Iconoclasm, she is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church; her Feast Day is February 11. She is The patron Saint of Churches.
Originally from Paphlagonia, Theodora was of Armenian aristocratic descent.
The names of her parents were preserved in Theophanes Continuatus, the continuation of the chronicle started by Theophanes the Confessor. They were Marinos, a drungarios, and Theoktiste Phlorina. Genealogies attribute Mamikonian ancestry to Marinos; he is an alleged son of Artavazd Mamikonian, who was head of the House in the 770s. Manuel the Armenian, a leading general of Theophilos, was her uncle.
Theodora was a sister of Bardas and Petronas. Theophanes also records three sisters: Kalomaria, Sophia and Irene. Irene reportedly married Sergios, brother of Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople.
[edit] Marriage
Theodora as depicted in the Menologion of Basil IIIn 829, Theophilos succeeded to the throne. He was sixteen-years-old and unmarried. The following year his stepmother, Euphrosyne, proclaimed a bride-show. Potential brides from every theme travelled from their homelands to Constantinople, Theodora among them. The poet Kassia was said to have taken part.
The bride-show took place in May, 830, and Theodora was chosen to become empress, probably by her new mother-in-law. The marriage took place on 5 June 830, in Hagia Sophia. Euphrosyne soon retired to a convent and Theodora remained the only Augusta.
[edit] Empress consortThe family of Theodora seems to have followed her to court. Her brothers became officials and her sisters married into the court aristocracy. During her own marriage she bore Theophilus five daughters and two sons, the younger of whom became the future Michael III.
Despite the fact that Theophilus was an iconoclast, Theodora held fast to the veneration of icons which she kept in her chambers in the imperial palace. One story holds that a servant witnessed her venerating her icons and reported her to the emperor. When her husband confronted her about the incident she stated that she had merely been "playing with dolls." Two of her icons are kept at the monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos to this day and are referred to as "Theodora's Dolls". They are displayed annually on the Sunday of Orthodoxy.
Theodora is said to have intervened to save Lazarus Zographos from further torture under her husband. Whether their opposing religious beliefs strained their relationship is unclear. Theophilus' health however eventually failed and he died on 20 January 842. He was about twenty-nine years old.
[edit] Regent
Gold solidus of Theodora's regency, with her on the obverse and her son Michael, the nominal emperor, and her daughter Thekla on the reverse.Following the death of her husband, Theodora served as regent for her son Michael. She overrode Theophilus' ecclesiastical policy and summoned a council under the patriarch Methodius, in which the veneration, but not worship, of icons (images of Jesus Christ and the saints) was finally restored and the iconoclastic clergy deposed.
She carried on the government with a firm and judicious hand; she replenished the treasury and deterred the Bulgarians from an attempt at invasion. However, it was during her regency that a vigorous persecution of the Paulician 'heresy' commenced.
In order to perpetuate her power she purposely neglected her son's education, and therefore must be held responsible for the voluptuous character which he developed under the influence of his uncle Bardas, who was Theodora's brother and likewise of Mamikonian heritage.[1]
Theodora endeavoured in vain to combat Bardas's authority; in 855 she was displaced from her regency at his prompting, and being subsequently convicted of intrigues against him was relegated to the monastery of Gastria. She died after his assassination at the hands of Basil I, thus witnessing the end of the dynasty she had worked so hard to preserve. She was sainted in recompense for her zeal on behalf of the restoration of icons as objects of veneration. Her feast day is February 11.
[edit] Children
The daughters of Theodora being instructed in the veneration of the icons by their grandmother Theoktiste. Miniature from the Madrid SkylitzesTheodora and Theophilos had seven children. Listed here in the order given by Theophanes:
Constantine, co-emperor from c. 833 to c. 835.
Thekla (born c. 831 - after 867). She was named Augusta and her image appears in coinage during the regency of her mother. Later exiled to a monastery by her brother Michael. She was recalled and was a mistress of Emperor Basil I the Macedonian.
Anna (born c. 832). Exiled into the monastery of Gastria. Never recalled.
Anastasia (born c. 833). Exiled into the monastery of Gastria. Never recalled.
Pulcheria (born c. 836). Exiled into the monastery of Gastria. Never recalled.
Maria (born c. 838). Married the Caesar Alexios Mosele. Her husband was placed in command of Byzantine Sicily but was later accused of conspiring to gain the throne. Forced to retire into a monastery. Maria was not alive in 856 when her sisters were exiled from the court.
Michael III (19 January 840 - 23 September/24 September 867), who succeeded as emperor.