Macedonian dynasty
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The Macedonian dynasty (
.Origins
The dynasty's ethnic origin is unknown, and has been a subject of debate. During Basil's reign, an elaborate genealogy was produced that purported that his ancestors were not mere peasants, as everyone believed, but descendants of the Arsacid (Arshakuni) kings of Armenia, Alexander the Great and also of Constantine the Great.[1][2] Some Persian writers such as Hamza al-Isfahani[3] or Al-Tabari, called Basil a Saqlabi, an ethnogeographic term that usually denoted the Slavs, but it can be interpreted as a generic term encompassing the inhabitants of the region between Constantinople and Bulgaria.[4]
Thus, claims have been made for the dynasty's founder (Basil I) being of Armenian,[5][6] Slavonic,[7][8] or "Armeno-Slavonic"[9] descent from his paternal side.
The author of the only dedicated biography of Basil I in English has concluded that it is impossible to be certain what the ethnic origins of the emperor were, though Basil was definitely reliant on the support of Armenians in prominent positions within the Byzantine Empire.[10]
List of rulers
- Basil I the Macedonian (Βασίλειος Α') (811–886, ruled 867–886) – married Eudokia Ingerina, mistress of Michael III; died in hunting accident
- Leo VI the Wise (Λέων Ϛ') (866–912, ruled 886–912) – son of Eudokia Ingerina, legal son and heir of Basil I; possibly the natural son of Michael III; created church crisis with his fourth marriage—Zoe Karbonopsina, who took over as regent for their son, Constantine VII, in 914 and ruled the empire until 919
- Alexander(Αλέξανδρος) (870–913, ruled 912–913) – son of Basil I, regent for nephew
- Constantine VII the Purple-born (Κωνσταντῖνος Ζ') (905–959, ruled 913–920 and 945-959) – son of Leo VI and Zoe Karbonopsina; married Helena, daughter of Romanos Lekapenos
- Romanos I Lekapenos (Ρωμανός A') (c. 870–948, ruled 920–944) – staged a successful coup in 919 and became senior emperor in 920;[11] deposed in 944 and exiled
- Romanos II the Purple-born (Ρωμανός Β') (938–963, ruled 959–963) – son of Constantine VII
- Cappadocian)
- John I Tzimiskes (Ιωάννης Α')(925-976, ruled 969–976) – successful general, brother-in-law of Romanos II, lover of Nikephoros's wife but banned from marriage, regent for Basil II and Constantine VIII
- Basil II (Βασίλειος Β') the Bulgar-slayer (958–1025, ruled 976–1025) – son of Romanos II
- Constantine VIII (Κωνσταντῖνος Η') (960-1028, ruled 1025–1028) – son of Romanos II; silent co-emperor with Basil II, sole emperor after his brother's death
- Zoe(Ζωή) (c. 978–1050, ruled 1028–1050) – daughter of Constantine VIII
- eparchof Constantinople; Zoe's first husband, arranged by Constantine VIII; murdered
- Michael IV the Paphlagonian (Μιχαήλ Δ') (1010–1041, ruled 1034–1041) – Zoe's second husband
- Michael V the Caulker (Μιχαήλ Ε') (1015–1042, ruled 1041–1042) – Michael IV's nephew, Zoe's adopted son
- Theodora(Θεοδώρα) (980–1056, ruled 1042) – daughter of Constantine VIII, co-empress with Zoe
- Constantine IX Monomachos (Κωνσταντῖνος Θ') (1000–1055, ruled 1042–1055) – Zoe's third husband
- Theodora(Θεοδώρα) (ruled 1055–1056) – restored
Non-dynastic
- Michael VI(Μιχαήλ Ϛ') (ruled 1056–1057) – chosen by Theodora; deposed and entered monastery
Family tree
- Basil I the Macedonian(813–886)
- from his marriage to Maria:
- Constantine (865–878), co-emperor with his father
- Anastasia
- from his marriage to empress Eudokia Ingerina:
- Leo VI the Wise (866–912)
- Eudokia (died 892)
- Anna, betrothed and married to Louis the Blind
- Basil (died 900)
- Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (905–959), married Helena Lekapene, daughter of Romanos I Lekapenos
- Romanos II (938–963) married to Bertha, daughter of Hugh of Italy king of Italy
- childless by his marriage to Bertha of Italy
- from his marriage to Theophano:
- Basil II the Bulgar-Slayer (957–1025)
- Helena, daughter of Alypius
- Eudokia
- Zoe(978–1050), married:
- Romanos III Argyros (ca. 968–1034)
- Michael IV the Paphlagonian (1015–1042)
- Constantine IX Monomachos (ca. 1000–1055)
- Theodora(980–1056)
- Vladimir I of Kiev
- Agathe
- Theodora, married John I Tzimiskes
- Romanos II (938–963) married to Bertha, daughter of Hugh of Italy king of Italy
- Stephen I (867–893), Patriarch of Constantinople
- Alexander(870–913)
- Leo VI the Wise (866–912)
- from his marriage to Maria:
Genealogy
Michael III emperor of the Romans 842–867 AMORIAN DYNASTY | Eudokia Ingerina | Basil I emperor of the Romans 867–886 | Maria | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Romanos I Lekapenos emperor of the Romans 920–944 | 1. Theophano Martinakia 2. Zoe Zaoutzaina 3. Eudokia Baïana 4. Zoe Karbonopsina | Leo VI the Wise emperor of the Romans 886–912 | Stephen I Patriarch of Constantinople 886–893 | Alexander emperor of the Romans 912–913 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Christopher Lekapenos co-emperor 921–931 ∞ Sophia | Agatha ∞ Romanos Argyros | Theophylact Patriarch of Constantinople 933–956 | Helena Lekapene (Lekapenos) | (4) Constantine VII emperor of the Romans 913–959 | (2) Anna ∞ Louis III the Blind king of Provence, king of Lombardy Bosonids | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Maria) Theodora Porphyrogenita empress | John I Tzimiskes emperor of the Romans 969–976 Kourkouas | Charles Constantine count of Vienne | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pothos (or Eustathios) Argyros general | Boson II count of Arles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Theodora empress of the Romans 1055–1056 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(daughter) ∞ Constantine Diogenes | (adopted) Michael V Kalaphates emperor of the Romans 1041–1042 | Anastasia Monomachaina ∞ Vsevolod I of Kiev | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Romanos IV Diogenes emperor of Romans 1068–1071 | Eudokia Makrembolitissa empress | Constantine X Doukas emperor of the Romans 1059–1067 DOUKAS DYNASTY | Vladimir II Monomakh grand prince of Kiev | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0-8047-2630-6.
- OCLC 1073789498.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - OCLC 166873121.
- JSTOR 2903773.
- ^ Treadgold 1997, p. 455
- ^ Peter Charanis.Studies on the demography of the Byzantine empire: collected studies Variorum Reprints, 1972 p. 223 [360]:"Thus, every emperor who sat on the Byzantine throne the accession of Basil I to the death of Basil II (867–1025) was of Armenian or partially Armenian origin. But besides the emperors there were many others among the military and political leaders of Byzantine during this period who were Armenians or of Armenian descent"
- Persianscholar.
- ^ Finlay 1853, p. 213.
- ^ Vasiliev 1928–1935, p. 301
- ^ Tobias 2007, p. 264
- ^ Chris Wickham, The Inheritance of Rome
Sources
- ISBN 0-472-08149-7.
- Finlay, George (1853). History of the Byzantine Empire from 716–1057. William Blackwood & Sons.
- ISBN 978-0351176449.
- Ostrogorsky, George (1956). History of the Byzantine State. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
- ISBN 978-0521357227.
- Stephenson, Paul (2000). Byzantium's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900–1204. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521770170.
- Stephenson, Paul (2003). The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-Slayer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521815307.
- Thurn, Hans, ed. (1973). Ioannis Scylitzae Synopsis historiarum. Berlin-New York: De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3110022858.
- ISBN 0-8047-2630-2.
- ISBN 0-299-80925-0.