His lover was:
Theodote (780-797).
Lady-in-waiting to Empress Maria of Amnia.
" . . . Constantine had taken as his mistress Theodote, a cubicularia of his mother and cousin of Theodore the Stoudite, and hence needed to divorce Maria to remarry. . . ." (Garland: 84)
Theodote (780-797).
Lady-in-waiting to Empress Maria of Amnia.
" . . . Constantine had taken as his mistress Theodote, a cubicularia of his mother and cousin of Theodore the Stoudite, and hence needed to divorce Maria to remarry. . . ." (Garland: 84)
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| Michael III of Byzantine Empire @Wikipedia |
(839-867)
Byzantine Emperor
842-867
Husband of:
His lover was:
Evdokia Ingerina.
Evdokia Ingerina.
Lover in 855
". . . Michael's interests as he grew up were more liberal and less conventional. Certainly he was precocious by modern (if not medieval =) standards, and in 855, at the age of fifteen, was devoted to hunting and chariot racing and had openly taken a mistress. This lady, Eudocia Ingerina, must have been born c. 840 or earlier and so was probably older than Michael. . . She was obviously of good family, perhaps a lady-in-waiting and one of Theodora's retinue, and her father Inger may have been related to the iconoclast bishop Inger of Nicaea, who held the see of Nicaea c. 825." (DIR)
"Though Bardas had governed capably for a decade, he never gained full control over his nephew Michael III. The irresponsible and extravagant emperor spent his time with athletes and drinking companions, and his favorite was the affable but cunning Basil the Macedonian. When Bardas had the emperor dismiss his grand chamberlain, Michael bestowed the post on Basil. Then, early in 866, Michael apparently discovered that his mistress of long standing, Eudocia Ingerina, was pregnant. Rather than divorce his neglected wife or let his child be born out of wedlock, the emperor had Basil divorce his own wife and marry Eudocia. This was a marriage in name only, since Eudocia continued to be the emperor's mistress, and Basil was assigned a mistress of his own, the emperor's eldest sister Thecla. Michael seems also to have wanted his child by Eudocia to be his heir instead of Bardas, who as Caesar was next in line for the throne." (A History of the Byzantine State and Society: 453)
". . . Michael's interests as he grew up were more liberal and less conventional. Certainly he was precocious by modern (if not medieval =) standards, and in 855, at the age of fifteen, was devoted to hunting and chariot racing and had openly taken a mistress. This lady, Eudocia Ingerina, must have been born c. 840 or earlier and so was probably older than Michael. . . She was obviously of good family, perhaps a lady-in-waiting and one of Theodora's retinue, and her father Inger may have been related to the iconoclast bishop Inger of Nicaea, who held the see of Nicaea c. 825." (DIR)
"Though Bardas had governed capably for a decade, he never gained full control over his nephew Michael III. The irresponsible and extravagant emperor spent his time with athletes and drinking companions, and his favorite was the affable but cunning Basil the Macedonian. When Bardas had the emperor dismiss his grand chamberlain, Michael bestowed the post on Basil. Then, early in 866, Michael apparently discovered that his mistress of long standing, Eudocia Ingerina, was pregnant. Rather than divorce his neglected wife or let his child be born out of wedlock, the emperor had Basil divorce his own wife and marry Eudocia. This was a marriage in name only, since Eudocia continued to be the emperor's mistress, and Basil was assigned a mistress of his own, the emperor's eldest sister Thecla. Michael seems also to have wanted his child by Eudocia to be his heir instead of Bardas, who as Caesar was next in line for the throne." (A History of the Byzantine State and Society: 453)
_from_the_Chronikon_of_Ioannis_Skylitzes.jpg/330px-Basil_I_(867-886)_from_the_Chronikon_of_Ioannis_Skylitzes.jpg)
(811-886)
Byzantine Emperor
867-886.
Son of: Bardas of Macedonia, a.k.a. Konstantinos of Macedonia.
Husband of:
1. Maria Maniakeissa.
2. Eudocia Ingerina.
Husband of:
1. Maria Maniakeissa.
2. Eudocia Ingerina.
[See below]
Basil I's lovers were:
1) Eirene N.
Basil I's lovers were:
1) Eirene N.
2) Thekla of Byzantine Empire (831-867)
a.k.a. Thecla Augusta.
Daughter of: Emperor Theophilus & Empress Theodora.
". . . Thekla, the sister of the Emperor Michael III, who had received the imperial crown from her father Theophilus, had been the concubine of Basil, with the consent of her brother. After Basil assassinated her brother, he neglected and probably feared the sister, but she consoled herself with other lovers."
" . . . Thecla became the mistress of John Neatokometes after Basil's accession. When Basil learned this, he ordered the latter to be beaten and tonsured: Thecla was also beaten and tonsured, and her property confiscated. Simeon ib. 842. She died bedridden in her house at Blachernae, Cont. Th. 147. If she became Basil's mistress in 865-866, she might have been then about 43 years old." (A History of the Eastern Roman Empire: 169)
a.k.a. Thecla Augusta.
Daughter of: Emperor Theophilus & Empress Theodora.
". . . Thekla, the sister of the Emperor Michael III, who had received the imperial crown from her father Theophilus, had been the concubine of Basil, with the consent of her brother. After Basil assassinated her brother, he neglected and probably feared the sister, but she consoled herself with other lovers."
" . . . Thecla became the mistress of John Neatokometes after Basil's accession. When Basil learned this, he ordered the latter to be beaten and tonsured: Thecla was also beaten and tonsured, and her property confiscated. Simeon ib. 842. She died bedridden in her house at Blachernae, Cont. Th. 147. If she became Basil's mistress in 865-866, she might have been then about 43 years old." (A History of the Eastern Roman Empire: 169)
(840-882)
a.k.a. Eudocia Ingerina.
Daughter of: Inger, Varangian Guard in the emperor's service & Martinakia.
Wife of: Basileos I of Byzantine Empire.
Her lover was:
Mikhael III of Byzantine Empire.
Lover in 855.
" . . . Michael grew up and gave proof of his wicked propensities. At the boyish age of fifteen he already led an immoral life with Eudoxia, a noble young lady, the daughter of one Ingerina, who belonged to the great family of the Martinacii; and his mother preferring under these circumstances to give him a lawful wife, he accepted with the greatest indifference Eudoxia, the daughter of Decapolita, continuing all the while his licentious intercourse with the other Eudoxia, his mistress. . . ." (A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, Volume 2: 1075)
"...As for Michael's love-life, it was alleged that although he was married to a certain Eudokia Dekapolitissa, he kept as a mistress another Eudokia, Eudokia Ingerina, whom he married to Basil the Macedonian...." (James, 2010, p. 141)
Keeping Appearances Up: "...The young emperor Michael III (r. 842-867) was forced by his mother to give up his mistress, Eudokia Ingerine, so that he could make a proper marriage. Michael arranged for Eudokia to marry his best friend and confidant, Basil, so she could continue to be available as needed. . . ." (Walthall, 2008, p. 67)
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| Leo VI of the Byzantine Empire |
(866-912)
Byzantine Emperor
886-912
Husband of:
1. Theophano (d.897)
2. Zoe Zaoutzaina (d.899)
3. Eudokia Baiana (d.901)
4. Zoe Karbonopsina, mar 905/906.
1) Zoe Karbonopsina of Byzantine Empire (886-911)
Lover in 901.
"Byzantine empress and regent. She became the mistress of Leo VI after his third wife died in 901 without an heir. In 905, she had a son, but she was forced to leave the palace in order to appease the patriarch, who then baptized the child. A few days later, she returned to the palace. The two married in order to make their son Constantine VII legitimate. When the secret marraige was announced, the Eastern Church, which condemned multiple marriages, furiously refused to recognize the marriage. A special dispensation was needed, and after appealing to the pope, to whom Leo promised military support, the dispensation was granted. . . ." (Encyclopedia of the Byzantine Empire: 309)
". . . Leo VI, known as the Wise, had a turbulent private life. For almost two decades a procession of three wives failed to grant him a surviving male heir. His son, Constantine, by his mistress Zoe Karbonopsina ('Eyes of Coal') was finally born in 905. It was imperative to marry Zoe and thus make Constantine legitimate, but it seemed impossible given that in canon law even a second marriage was viewed as unseemly, while a third was barely tolerated, and fourth (tetragamy) was out of the question. The Patriarch, Nicholas I Mystikos, a companion from Leo's schooldays, refused to grant him his wish, and so Leo removed him to attain his goal." (A Short History of the Byzantine Empire: 108)
"Patriarch Nicholas reacts negatively to Byzantine emperor Leo's marriage, his fourth, to his mistress Zoe Karbonopsina. He denies the emperor access to the church, which causes Leo promptly to depose him as patriarch and exile him to a monastery. . . ." (Faiths Across Time: 5,000 Years of Religious History: 634)
2) Zoe Zaoutzaina of Byzantine Empire.
Lady-in-waiting.
a.k.a. Zoe Zaoutze.
"In July 898 at the earliest Leo married Zoe, daughter of Zaoutzes and Leo's long-term mistress, despite the objections of the Patriarch Antony Kauleas . . . who contended that the timing of the marriage with the death of Gouzouniates, Zoe's first husband, was bound to arise suspicions. Zoe died some time after September 899 leaving a daughter, Anna, who took her place in the palace ceremonies until the emperor's third marriage. It is a matter of dispute whether Anna died before her marriage to Lewis III of Provence." (The Homilies of the Emperor Leo VI: 6)
Leo's love life.
" . . . The Emperor Leo VI contracted a fourth marriage to his mistress Zoe Karbonitsina in 906 against his own legislation but in the interests of securing the succession. His second marriage had been to another mistress, also by the name of Zoe, and he had then married a third time, against Church law and his own enactment. This fourth marriage went much further and led to a major crisis in relations between emperor and patriarch. Nevertheless, the outcome was far from predictable and in this case Zoe herself managed to rule as regent between 914 and 919/920 before she was forced to enter a convent and the marriage was anathematised. The son born to Zoe and Leo VI in 905, who had been legitimized by the notorious marriage, was to succeed eventually in coming to power as Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (945-59), one of the most notable of Byzantine emperors. . . ." (Cameron: 124) [Fam1:amjancestry]
His lover was:
Theophano of Byzantine Empire.
" . . . The prime mover in the affair was the handsome and popular general John Zimiskes, who made himself emperor the next day. Of course it was said that Theophano was his lover, and that she set him on to supplant an elderly and ascetic husband by the most effectual means. But it is clear that Nicephorus had other grounds for distrusting Zimiskes, whom he had deprived of his command and exiled to his estate. It is altogether probable that we have here to deal with a much wider and more remified conspiracy than can be confined to a mere sordid intrigue in the women's quarters of the palace." (Jenkins: 290)
Theophano of Byzantine Empire.
" . . . The prime mover in the affair was the handsome and popular general John Zimiskes, who made himself emperor the next day. Of course it was said that Theophano was his lover, and that she set him on to supplant an elderly and ascetic husband by the most effectual means. But it is clear that Nicephorus had other grounds for distrusting Zimiskes, whom he had deprived of his command and exiled to his estate. It is altogether probable that we have here to deal with a much wider and more remified conspiracy than can be confined to a mere sordid intrigue in the women's quarters of the palace." (Jenkins: 290)
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Constantine IX of the Byzantine Empire |
(1000-1055)
Byzantine Emperor
1042-1055
Husband of:
1. Helena Skleraina.
2. Zoe of the Byzantine Empire, mar 1042
2. Zoe of the Byzantine Empire, mar 1042
His lovers were:
1) Maria Skleraina.
" . . . After he had buried two wives, he obtained the favour of a beautiful young widow belonging to the powerful and wealthy family of Skleros. She was the granddaughter of that celebrated Bardas, who had disputed the empire with Basil II, and the daughter of Romanos Skleros, the brother-in-law of the Emperor Romanus III. The eminence of her family eclipsed the name of her husband, and she was called Skleraina. Infatuated by love for Constantine Monomachos, she openly assumed the position of his mistress, and shared his banishment at Mitylene. It is, however, only justice to the character of the fair Skleraina to observe that, in the opinion of the bigoted members of the Greek church, her position of mistress, as being less uncanonical, was more respectable than it would have been had she become the third wife of her lover. When Zoe raised Constantine to the throne, he bargained to retain his mistress, and the people of Constantinople were treated to the singular spectacle of an emperor of the Romans making his public appearance with two female companions dignified with the title of empress, one as his wife and the other as his mistress. Skleraina was regularly saluted with the title of Augusta, and installed in apartments in the palace, with a separate court as empress, and a rank equal to that held by Theodora. Zoe and she lived together on the best terms, and the want of jealousy of the aged wife is less surprising than her want of self-respect. The disposition of Skleraina was extremely amiable, and she was respected to a certain degree for the constancy of her attachment to her lover in his misfortunes. . . Skleraina possessed an ample fortune when Constantine was an impoverished exile, and her wealth had been consumed to gratify her lover's luxurious habits. . . ." (Finlay: 426)
"Constantine, whom several people (including Michael IV) had seen as a potential emperor, had been accompanied, during his seven years in exile on Mytilene, by his devoted mistress, Maria Scleraina, his second wife's cousin, who was to be prominent at court over the next few years. The couple had not married because of the restraints of canon law which prohibited both third marriages and marriage within their degree of relationship. She was the great-grand-daughter of Bardas Sclerus, who in the reign of Basil II had three times proclaimed himself emperor, and she had long had political ambitions for Constantine. . . ." (Garland: 2006)
" . . . Sklerena, the mistress of Constantine IX, was praised for her beauty and for her mildness, but Psellos did not mention her political ambitions. . . ." (Kazhdan and Constable: 113)
Lover in 1044.
" . . . (T)he Alan princess who became Constantine IX's mistress after the death of Maria Skleraina. According to Psellos, the emperor installed her in a separate palace, gave her vast amounts of gold and presents, and insisted on her holding the titles of augouste and sebaste, also given to his previous mistress. Only the firm opposition of Empress Theodora, Zoe's sister, prevented Constantine from moving the Alan princess into the official imperial quarters." (Herrin: 227)
Effects on lovers' family, other people and society.
Effects on lovers' family, other people and society.
". . . Constantine IX Monomachos' passion for his mistress, Skleraina, nearly led to a public riot and his deposition in March 1044 because the people feared for the safer of the elderly empress Zoe, whom they thought he intended to divorce or exile in favour of Skleraina." (Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia: 164)
(1118-1185)
Byzantine Emperor
1183-1185
Husband of:
1. Irene (1109-1162)
2. Agnes-Anna of France.
His lovers were:
1) Evdokia Komnene.
Lover in 1150-1152
Wife of:
1. Thoros II, Lord of the Mountains, mar 1140-1149
2. Mikhael Gabras, mar 1152-1153.
" . . . The most noteworthy amours of Andronicos were carried on with members of the imperial family. Eudocia, his second cousin, was his first mistress. As a marriage between the two was regarded by the Church as incestuous, her brother and other relations did their utmost to separate the offenders. When their efforts failed, her brother John with others plotted to assassinate Andronicos. The members of the imperial family had encamped in luxurious tents at Pelagonia. Eudocia was known to be in the habit of receiving her lover at unseasonable hours, and a number of men were employed to kill him as he left her tent. Her spies, however, gave warning of the danger, and while her attendants were noisily engaged in bringing lights, Andronicos escaped by cutting a slit in the tent and creeping between the sentries. Shortly afterwards he was imprisoned by Manuel in consequence of his political intrigues with the King of Hungary, but under pretext of his conduct with Eudocia. He was loaded with chains and confined in a tower built of brick. There he found a passage partly walled up. He enlarged the hole, laid up a stock of provisions, entered the passage, and from within walled up the entrance. The guards, finding the tower empty, in great alarm reported the escape of Andronicos to the Emperor. Eudocia, who was suspected of having aided in the escape, was captured and sent to the same tower, and then the guards had withdrawn was surprised to see her lover break through the wall covered with lime and dust. He subsequently escaped, but was soon afterwards recaptured and again loaded with chains and imprisoned. A second time, he escaped. . . ." (Pears: 69)
" . . . His amours were often carried on in the circle of his nearest relatives; and in the opinion of his countrymen, he, as well as the Emperor Manuel, was stained with the crime of incest. Eudocia, the daughter of Manuel's elder brother Andronicus, was the paramour of his youth, while her sister Theodora was the mistress of her uncle the emperor... The loves of Eudocia and Andronicus excited more anger in her family than the incestuous intercourse of her sister with the emperor; the rank of the sinner hid the crime of the blacker dye. After vainly endeavouring to separate the criminals, John, the brother of Eudocia, and Cantacuzenos, her brother-in-law, resolved to avenge their family by assassinating Andronicus. . . ." (Finlay: 203)
2) Philippa de Poitiers (1148-1178)
Lover in 1366-1367.
2. Mikhael Gabras, mar 1152-1153.
" . . . The most noteworthy amours of Andronicos were carried on with members of the imperial family. Eudocia, his second cousin, was his first mistress. As a marriage between the two was regarded by the Church as incestuous, her brother and other relations did their utmost to separate the offenders. When their efforts failed, her brother John with others plotted to assassinate Andronicos. The members of the imperial family had encamped in luxurious tents at Pelagonia. Eudocia was known to be in the habit of receiving her lover at unseasonable hours, and a number of men were employed to kill him as he left her tent. Her spies, however, gave warning of the danger, and while her attendants were noisily engaged in bringing lights, Andronicos escaped by cutting a slit in the tent and creeping between the sentries. Shortly afterwards he was imprisoned by Manuel in consequence of his political intrigues with the King of Hungary, but under pretext of his conduct with Eudocia. He was loaded with chains and confined in a tower built of brick. There he found a passage partly walled up. He enlarged the hole, laid up a stock of provisions, entered the passage, and from within walled up the entrance. The guards, finding the tower empty, in great alarm reported the escape of Andronicos to the Emperor. Eudocia, who was suspected of having aided in the escape, was captured and sent to the same tower, and then the guards had withdrawn was surprised to see her lover break through the wall covered with lime and dust. He subsequently escaped, but was soon afterwards recaptured and again loaded with chains and imprisoned. A second time, he escaped. . . ." (Pears: 69)
" . . . His amours were often carried on in the circle of his nearest relatives; and in the opinion of his countrymen, he, as well as the Emperor Manuel, was stained with the crime of incest. Eudocia, the daughter of Manuel's elder brother Andronicus, was the paramour of his youth, while her sister Theodora was the mistress of her uncle the emperor... The loves of Eudocia and Andronicus excited more anger in her family than the incestuous intercourse of her sister with the emperor; the rank of the sinner hid the crime of the blacker dye. After vainly endeavouring to separate the criminals, John, the brother of Eudocia, and Cantacuzenos, her brother-in-law, resolved to avenge their family by assassinating Andronicus. . . ." (Finlay: 203)
2) Philippa de Poitiers (1148-1178)
Lover in 1366-1367.
a.k.a. Philippa of Antioch, Lady of Toron.
"It now became necessary for him to escape out of the Empire, in order to avoid dismissal or more severe punishment. Collecting all the money from Cilicia which he could obtain, he went with a large retinue to Raymond, prince of Antioch. He was always a favourite with women, and soon after his arrival fell in love with Philippa, daughter of Raymund and sister of the Empress Maria. The emperor did his utmost to separate them, a found a candidate for Philippa's hand; but that lady, in the only interview she would grant the imperial nominee, asked him if he thought that any woman after having looked on him and on Andronicos would hesitate about her choice. Persuasion and threats by her family and the Emperor were in vain. . . ." (Pears: 72)
". . . This prince, the most brilliant and handsome of his family, had already been in disgrace for seducing one of his relatives. . . But Andronicus, though already aged forty-six, was more interested in adventure than administration. He soon had occasion to visit Antioch. There he was struck by the beauty of the young Princess Philippa, Bohemond's sister. Forgetful of his governmental duties he stayed on in Antioch wooing Philippa in a series of romantic serenades till she was dazzled and could refuse him nothing. Bohemond was furious and complained to his brother-in-law Manuel; who angrily recalled Andronicus. . . . " (Runciman: 377)
Affair's end & aftermath.
". . . Manuel . . . angrily recalled Andronicus and reinstalled Constantine Coloman in his place. Coloman was also ordered to proceed to Antioch and to try to capture Philippa's affection. But the Princess thought him plain and short and middle-aged in comparison with her splendid lover. Andronicus, however, whose motive had largely been to annoy the Empress whom he detested, found it prudent to abandon Antioch and his mistress. . . The deserted princess was married off hastily to an elderly widower, the Constable Humphrey II of Toron." (Runciman: 378)
3) Theodora Komnene of the Byzantine Empire.
Lover in 1167-1185
" . . . A[ndronicus] I, the son of Isaac Comnenus Cilicia, where he found a new mistress in a sister of the empress...His professions of zeal made his former conduct to be forgotten, and he was invested with the lordship of Berytus Trebizond, from which he carried away spoils and slaves. . . ." (Library of Universal Knowledge: 454)
Lover in 1167-1185
" . . . A[ndronicus] I, the son of Isaac Comnenus Cilicia, where he found a new mistress in a sister of the empress...His professions of zeal made his former conduct to be forgotten, and he was invested with the lordship of Berytus Trebizond, from which he carried away spoils and slaves. . . ." (Library of Universal Knowledge: 454)
" . . . Andronicos, however was afraid of being captured and surrendered by Raymond to his suzerain, and therefore escaped to Jerusalem. Once more he found an imperial princess willing to abandon herself to him. Theodora, daughter of his cousin Isaac, the sebastocrator, and widow of Baldwin, king of Jerusalem, succeeded to the place of Philippa. The looseness of morality among the crusading knights in the holy city of Christendom was so great that Andronicos and Theodora hardly made a pretence of secrecy in regard to their relations. The emperor again did his utmost to gain possession of his unruly subject, and gave orders that his eyes should be put out if he could be caught---the commonest punishment for political offences, and one inflicted with a frightful frequency. The command was conveyed in an imperial bull, but the document fell into the hands of Theodora. When it was shown to the intended victim he felt it necessary once more to fly, and accordingly took refuge among the Turks, finally settling down under the sultan who then ruled in Chaldaea, whither Theodora accompanied him. Thus once more he escaped; for, as Nicetas remarks, whatever were the traps laid for him, he was always able to avoid them by his cunning. . . After many attempts made by the imperial troops to capture him, all of which, however, failed, Theodora was taken prisoner, and Andronicos succeeded in making peace with Manuel and obtained pardon and permission to return to the capital." (Pears: 72)
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| John III of Byzantine Empire @Wikipedia |
(1193-1254)
Byzantine Emperor
1222-1254
His lover was:
Marchesa della Fricca.
"The Empress Irene died in 1241, and, two years after her death, the emperor married Anna, the natural daughter of the Emperor Frederic II of Germany. Anna was extremely young, and an Italian lady, called Marchesina, accompanied her as directress of her court or mistress of the robes. . . The Emperor John fell passionately in love with this lady, who soon received the honours conferred in courts on the mistress of the sovereign, and was allowed to wear the dress reserved for members of the imperial family. . . ." (Finlay: 319)
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| John V of Byzantine Empire @Wikipedia |
References.
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