Theophano ( gr, Θεοφανώ; died after 811) was the Empress consort of Staurakios of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

. According to the chronicle of

Theophanes the Confessor Theophanes the Confessor ( el, Θεοφάνης Ὁμολογητής; c. 758/760 – 12 March 817/818) was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy who became a monk and chronicler. He served in the court of Emperor Leo IV the Khazar before taking ...

, Theophano was a relative of

Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United Stat ...

(reigned 797–802). Both women were from

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

but the nature of their relation to each other is not known. On 20 December 807, Theophano married Staurakios. The date of their marriage was recorded by Theophanes. Staurakios was the only known son of Nikephoros I. He was co-emperor with his father since 803. Theophano had been betrothed to another man but took place in the imperial

bride-show The bride-show ( el, δείχνουν οι νύμφες, russian: смотр невест) was a custom of Byzantine emperors and Russian tsars to choose a wife from among the most beautiful maidens of the country. A similar practice also existed ...

. She was possibly chosen to legitimise the connection of the new dynasty to their predecessor. Her father-in-law is presumed to have been a widower by the time he was elevated to the throne. In the absence of a senior empress, Theophano was the only Empress during his reign. On 26 July 811, Nikephoros was killed while fighting against

Krum of Bulgaria Krum ( bg, Крум, el, Κροῦμος/Kroumos), often referred to as Krum the Fearsome ( bg, Крум Страшни) was the Khan of Bulgaria from sometime between 796 and 803 until his death in 814. During his reign the Bulgarian territor ...

at the Battle of Pliska. Much of the Byzantine army was annihilated with him and the battle is considered one of the worst defeats in Byzantine history. Among the few survivors was Staurakios who succeeded as emperor. Staurakios had not escaped the battlefield unharmed. A sword wound near his neck had left him paralyzed. Members of the imperial guard had managed to transfer him to Adrianople but he never fully recovered from his wounds. The matter of Staurakios' succession was deemed urgent and two factions emerged at court. One centered on Theophano, wife of the Emperor, who reportedly sought to succeed her husband. The other centered on his sister Prokopia who intended to place her husband

Michael I Rangabe Michael I Rhangabe ( gr, Μιχαὴλ Ῥαγγαβέ; ''c''. 770 – 11 January 844) was Byzantine emperor from 811 to 813. Michael was the son of the patrician Theophylact Rhangabe, the admiral of the Aegean fleet. He married Prokopia, th ...

on the throne. Staurakios was apparently about to choose Theophano as his successor. The possibility of a second Empress regnant so soon after Irene seems to have turned the nobility in support of Michael and Prokopia. Other factors were ongoing war with Krum and negotiations with

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

over the legality of his imperial title.Romilly James Heald Jenkins, ''Byzantium: The Imperial Centuries'' (1966). Staurakios was threatened to name Michael as his successor and abdicate at the same time. The abdication took place on 2 October 811. Staurakios and Theophano retired to monastic life. Theophanes records that Theophano founded her own monastery. The chronicler names it with the somewhat curious name "Ta Hebraïka",Adelbert Davids, ''The Empress Theophano'' (1995). which is

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

for something belonging to either the

Hebrews The terms ''Hebrews'' (Hebrew: / , Modern: ' / ', Tiberian: ' / '; ISO 259-3: ' / ') and ''Hebrew people'' are mostly considered synonymous with the Semitic-speaking Israelites, especially in the pre-monarchic period when they were still ...

or the

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

s. The year of her death is not known. Constantine VII recorded in the 10th century that Staurakios and Theophano shared a common grave in the monastery of the Holy Trinity in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

References

External links

The page of "Empress Theophano" dealing with this namesakeThe page of "The Imperial Centuries" dealing with Staurakios and Theophano
* {{s-end 8th-century births 9th-century deaths Byzantine Athenians 9th-century Byzantine empresses Nikephorian dynasty Irene of Athens