Empress Irene of Byzantium, Part 1
We have been reviewing the stories of many of the countless number of women who served Christ throughout church history. Women evangelized, prayed, taught, preached, went on pilgrimages, reigned over kingdoms, founded monasteries, and took care of the poor. These women contributed greatly to the Kingdom of God, not so they could be remembered, but so they could serve the Lord Jesus by serving others.
For the past few months we have told the stories of women in the Middle Ages including Genovefa, Brigid of Ireland, the first Empress Theodora (6th century), Gertrude, Anstrude, Frideswide and Lioba. The focus of our stories has been mainly on the faithful women who lived mostly in Western Europe because we have far more information from that part of the world. We do have some historical writings from Byzantium, so for the next several posts, let’s take a journey towards the East and look at the lives of three Byzantine empresses – Irene, Euphrosyne, and Theodora (9th century).
Note on Icons:
Many people in Western Protestant churches are not familiar with icons. The use of icons has a long history and I can only summarize a bit here. Some early church leaders felt that the pictures of saints helped the common folk to learn the story of the gospel. Indeed, Pope Gregory the Great (6th century) said that religious images were the “Bible of the illiterate”.
Other theologians were against using images in worship. They felt that going all the way back to the Old Testament, images had been forbidden by God. After all, God had given us a written word for a reason. Those who objected to the use of images believed that the images would be too easily worshipped in place of God.
Both of these groups make good points. I will not try and take a side on this issue. I only mention the two views of the dispute because whether or not to have icons in worship played a large role in the rulership of Byzantium. Some emperors wished to do away with icons (Iconoclasts). Other emperors were sensitive to the people and did not wish to change their worship service and so allowed them to use icons (Iconophiles). In the stories of our three empresses we will see how this played out in the 8th and 9th centuries.
Empress Irene of Byzantium – (754 – 803)
Byzantium had many famous empresses starting with Helena, the mother of Constantine
the Great, (246 – 330) through Zoe (11th century). We have already related the story of the 6th century Empress Theodora who was married to Justinian. Her story is particularly interesting as she was a lowly circus entertainer who captured Justinian’s eye and married him. This fascinating woman nevertheless became one of the most powerful empresses in the Middle Ages. Wise, compassionate, and just, Theodora has been remembered as a righteous Christian ruler.[1] Theodora was also the model for the three empresses in our current posts.
Irene was brought from Athens, Greece in 769 AD to be the consort of the future emperor Leo IV. Her family may have been prominent in Athens and perhaps that is why she was chosen to become the future empress in Constantinople. Constantine V was reigning at the time and he arranged for this marriage to his son, Leo. It was not unusual for emperors to cement alliances with other nations in this way.
Irene left Greece to become the bride of Leo IV. There is no record of the date of her birth, but she was probably around fifteen years old. Leo was nearly twenty. Though the marriage was arranged, both the bride and groom gave their consent.
How exciting it must have been for Irene as she sailed to Constantinople knowing that she was to be the consort of the future emperor. Her first days in her new home would have been filled with instructions for all of the things an empress was expected to do. Irene had months of training for her upcoming coronation and marriage to Leo. She had to learn the customs of Byzantium. She was an intelligent and quick learner. This would be very helpful to her later when she would have to rule after her husband’s death as the Regent for their young son..
At the coronation Irene was presented to the court and all of important officials and their wives. The ceremony continued with a ritual where Irene honored the cross of Christ. Leo, Irene and the court asked God for his blessing. Her position was now official. She would be the one who would ensure the continuance of the dynasty with Leo through her children.
Her firstborn son, Constantine VI was born on January 14, 771. When Constantine V died in 775, Leo ascended the throne as emperor and Irene became the empress. Her position was secure and this would be important when she became the empress mother.
Leo had been influenced against icons by his father, Constantine V. This position was called “iconoclasm”. Leo was lenient to “iconophiles” (those who used icons) at the beginning of his reign but later became harsher. Irene’s original position is not clear, but later she sided with the iconophiles. In the early part of his reign Leo allowed monasteries to worship in their own way. He changed his mind when he found icons in the palace. He punished the men who brought them in harshly and began to persecute the iconophiles. Some were exiled; others were imprisoned.
As it turned out, Leo died suddenly (and somewhat mysteriously) in 780 and Irene became the regent for Constantine VI, now nine years old. Irene proved her courage and wisdom as she defended her son’s throne from many would-be usurpers who thought this was their chance to rise to power. Leo’s brothers, Constantine VI’s uncles, thought they saw their chance to get the throne. They assumed that Irene was just a weak woman and they could get rid of her and put one of themselves in power. But Irene proved to be a strong Regent with a will of her own and she exiled all of the uncles. They were forced to become clerics and for the time being at least Constantine VI’s throne was secure.
Irene surrounded herself with supporters that she could trust. She was careful to reward 
those who dutifully obeyed her wishes and she consolidated her power. She brought back from exile the iconophiles that her husband had persecuted. Irene also took charge of the military and is credited with protecting Constantinople from enemy threats several times. Those who thought this young woman would be weak and easily disposed of were proven wrong. Irene showed that she knew how to rule and rule effectively. To show that she was in charge, she had new coins struck. They show Irene and Constantine VI as co-rulers.
Irene thus began her Regency for the throne of Byzantium. She would accomplish much over the next twenty-two years. In Part 2, we will see how Irene set the precedent for female rulers in Byzantium. She and her two successors – Euphrosyne and Theodora would change history.
[1] For more information on Empress Theodora see the post on September 10, 2019 on this site. The mosaic pictured above is in the church of San Vitale at Ravenna, (completed in 547) and shows Empress Theodora wearing the official robes of rulership and holding a chalice, a symbol of her rulership.
