Eudokia Dekapolitissa ( el, ) was the empress consort of Michael III (r. 842–867), the last member of the Phrygian Dynasty to rule 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 ...

Marriage

Michael III had succeeded to the throne in 842, when he was two years old. His mother,

Theodora Theodora is a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift". Theodora may also refer to: Historical figures known as Theodora Byzantine empresses * Theodora (wife of Justinian I) ( 500 – 548), saint by the Orthodox Church * Theodora o ...

, and

Theoktistos Theoktistos or Theoctistus (; died November 20, 855) was a leading Byzantine official during the second quarter of the 9th century and the ''de facto'' head of the regency for the underage emperor Michael III from 842 until his dismissal and mu ...

jointly served as his

regents A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...

. In 855, Michael III was fifteen years old and had one mistress,

Eudokia Ingerina Eudokia (or Eudocia) Ingerina ( el, Ευδοκία Ιγγερίνα) (c. 840 – c. 882) was a Byzantine Empress as the wife of the Byzantine emperor Basil I, the mistress of his predecessor Michael III, and the mother of emperors Leo VI and Alex ...

. Theodora did not approve of the relationship and organized a

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 ...

for her son, where Dekapolitissa was one of the contenders. Her background is unknown, though entry to a bride-show required noble origin and courtly connections. Through the bride-show, Dekapolitissa was chosen to become empress.

Empress

Throughout their marriage, Michael continued his affair with Ingerina. In early 856, Michael III relegated his surviving sisters to monasteries. On 15 March 856, Theodora was stripped of her title of '' Augusta''. She was allowed to remain in the palace until accused of conspiring against her son the following year, when she was forced to join her daughters as a nun. Although she remained Michael's legal wife, the status of Eudokia during these events is unknown. She continued to be the empress until the assassination of Michael III by

Basil the Macedonian Basil I, called the Macedonian ( el, Βασίλειος ὁ Μακεδών, ''Basíleios ō Makedṓn'', 811 – 29 August 886), was a Byzantine Emperor who reigned from 867 to 886. Born a lowly peasant in the theme of Macedonia, he rose in the ...

on 23–24 September 867. Eudokia was not harmed by Basil, and returned as a widow to her family. She does not resurface in historical records.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dekapolitissa, Eudokia 9th-century births 9th-century deaths 9th-century Byzantine empresses Phrygian dynasty