Theophanu

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Theophano (disambiguation).
Theophanu
Holy Roman Empress
Tenure7 May 973 – 7 December 983
Queen consort of Germany
Tenure14 April 972 – 7 December 983
Coronation14 April 972
Bornc. 955
Constantinople
(modern-day Istanbul, Turkey)
Died(991-06-15)15 June 991
Nijmegen
(modern-day Netherlands)
SpouseOtto II, Holy Roman Emperor
(m. 972; died 983)
Issue
more...		Adelaide I, Abbess of Quedlinburg
Sophia I, Abbess of Gandersheim
Mathilde, Countess Palatine of Lorraine
Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor
FatherConstantine Skleros
MotherSophia Phokas

Theophanu (German pronunciation:

Emperor Otto III
, from 983 until her death in 991. She was the niece of the Byzantine Emperor John I Tzimiskes. She was known to be a forceful and capable ruler. Her status in the history of the Empire in many ways was exceptional. According to Wilson, "She became the only consort to receive the title 'co-empress' (coimperatrix augusta), and it was envisaged she would succeed as sole ruler if Otto II died without a son."[2]

Early life

Marriage Charter of Empress Theophanu, State Archive, Wolfenbüttel.

According to the

Kouropalatēs Leo Phokas, brother of Emperor Nikephoros II (c. 912–969).[4][5][6][7]

Marriage

Theophanu was not

Theodora, a member of the Macedonian dynasty and sister to Emperor Romanos II.[9]
John was therefore a Macedonian, by marriage if not by birth. Otto I must have been convinced, because Theophanu and Otto's heir, Otto II, were married on 14 April 972.

A reference by the Pope to Emperor Nikephoros II as "Emperor of the Greeks"

Gero of Cologne arrived in Constantinople, were they successfully completed. After the marriage negotiations completed, Theophanu and Otto II were married by Pope John XIII in April 972 and she was crowned as Holy Roman Empress the same day in Rome. According to Karl Leysers' book Communications and Power in Medieval Europe: Carolingian and Ottonian, Otto I's choice was not "to be searched for in the parlance of high politics" as his decision was ultimately made on the basis of securing his dynasty with the birth of the next Ottonian emperor.[8]

According to Laura Wangerin, her father-in-law Otto the Great played an instrumental role in establishing her position as a future ruler. But despite his support, she met a lot of opposition and envy due to her foreign origins and education. After his death in 973, she lost her greatest support at court.[12][13]

Empress

Otto II succeeded his father on 8 May 973. Theophanu accompanied her husband on all his journeys, and she is mentioned in approximately one quarter of the emperor's formal documents – evidence of her privileged position, influence and interest in affairs of the empire. It is known that she was frequently at odds with her mother-in-law,

Henry the Quarrelsome.[13][14] According to Abbot Odilo of Cluny, Adelaide was very happy when "that Greek woman" died.[15]

Nevertheless, the imperial couple were able to secure the trust of their allies at the 973 Reichstag in Worms, after which they traveled the country together, searching for new alliances and strengthening old ties. The young Theophanu showed diplomatic skills and displayed herself as an active partner in political negotiations.[13]

The

Benedictine chronicler Alpert of Metz describes Theophanu as being an unpleasant and chattery woman.[15] Theophanu was also criticized for having introduced new luxurious garments and jewelry into France and Germany.[16] The theologian Peter Damian even asserts that Theophanu had a love affair with John Philagathos, a Greek monk who briefly reigned as Antipope John XVI.[17]

Otto II died suddenly on 7 December 983 at the age of 28, probably from

Worms
.

Regency

Modern statue at St Dionysius Church, Eschwege.

Consolidation of power

Theophanu ruled the Holy Roman Empire as regent for a span of five years, from May 985 to her death in 991, despite early opposition by the Ottonian court. In fact, many queens in the tenth century, on an account of male rulers dying early deaths, found themselves in power, creating an age of greater diversity. Her power as queen, empress and regent was based on the basis of Saxon tradition (which assigned the women an equal role in the family), Byzantine influence (which presented a model of a female counterpart to the emperor) and her mother-in-law Adelaide's legacy.[20][21][22] Theophanu and her mother-in-law, Adelaide, are known during the empress' regency to have butted heads frequently—Adelaide of Italy is even quoted as referring to her as "that Greek empress."[23] However, according to historian and author Simon Maclean, Theophanu's rivalry with her mother-in-law is overstated. Theophanu's "Greekness" was not an overall issue. Moreover, there was a grand fascination with the culture surrounding Byzantine court in the west that slighted most criticisms to her Greek origin.[23]

Theophanu did not remain merely as an image of the Ottonian empire, but as an influence within the Holy Roman Empire. She intervened within the governing of the empire a total of seventy-six times during the reign of her husband Otto II—perhaps a foreshadowing of her regency.[8] Her first act as regent was in securing her son, Otto III, as the heir to the Holy Roman Empire. Theophanu also placed her daughters in power by giving them high positions in influential nunneries all around the Ottonian-ruled west, securing power for all her children.[8] She welcomed ambassadors, declaring herself "imperator" or "imperatrix", as did her relative contemporaries Irene of Athens and Theodora; the starting date for her reign being 972, the year of her marriage to the late Otto II.[24] Theophanu's regency is a time of considerable peace, as the years 985-991 passed without major crises.

Internal peace, diplomacy, warfare and cultural achievements

Theophanu, mural, Nijmegen

In the North, she made a treaty with King Eric the Victorious, which promoted an alliance against Slavic tribes as well as reinforced trade and cultural connections. In the East, she sent envoys to Vladimir the Great of Kiev, who was married to the Byzantine princess Anna, sister of Emperor Basil II. Economou notes that, "Theophano had in mind a 'family of kings,' in parallel to Byzantine tradition: The emperor was the 'father' of other kings, who were his 'sons' and 'friends' (amici) in a kind of family hierarchy. She also adopted the Byzantine model of relations between the emperor and patriarch in her relations to the pope (Ostrogorsky 1956b). The 'family' of the western empire included the duke of Poland, Mieszko I, Bohemia and Hungary".[25] Her model of imperial rulership, influenced by Byzantine and Ancient Roman ideas, was taken over by Otto II and especially Otto III who developed it further (although his abrupt death at a very young age prevented it from becoming an established foundation for the future).[26]

According to historian Gerd Althoff, Theophanu's prowess in diplomacy could be exaggerated. Royal charters present evidence that magnates were at the core of governing the empire. Althoff highlights this as unusual, since kings or emperors in the middle ages rarely shared such a large beacon of power with nobility.[27]

Theophanu introduced Byzantine protocol, "which influenced dress, crowns and jewelry, eating habits and utensils, even furniture". Her retinue of scholars brought to the empire Byzantine lawyers' procedures. The cult of Saint Nicholas in the empire traces its origin from her too.[28]

St. Pantaleon, Cologne
.

As she and her husband and her son promoted trade in the Empire, Magdeburg and its traders were granted various privileges. Historical evidences show strong commercial activities in regions from Lüneburg to Halle. There are traces of Byzantine, Slavic as well as Arab traders.[29]

As with many Byzantine monarchs, Theophanu preferred diplomacy, but she did wage wars when necessary and accepted personal risk. She carried out at least one (successful) military expedition herself, in 987, when she marched with an imperial army to assist the Prince-Bishop Notker of Liège against Odo I, Count of Blois.[30]

Due to illness beginning in 988, Theophanu eventually died at

Church of St. Pantaleon near her wittum in Cologne in 991.[31] The chronicler Thietmar eulogized her as follows: "Though [Theophanu] was of the weak sex she possessed moderation, trustworthiness, and good manners. In this way she protected with male vigilance the royal power for her son, friendly with all those who were honest, but with terrifying superiority against rebels."[32]

Because Otto III was still a child, his grandmother Adelaide of Italy took over the regency until Otto III became old enough to rule on his own.

Historiography and depictions in arts

Main article: Cultural depictions of Theophanu

Theophanu has always attracted considerable controversy from chroniclers and historiographers. While praised by Thietmar of Merseburg and Bruno of Querfurt, she was also criticized by some other scholars, notably Odilo of Cluny, the hagiographer of her mother-in-law and rival Adelaide. Odilo even blamed her for the failed Italian expedition of Otto II.[33][34] Her modern historiographers are similarly divided, although Knut Görich [de] sees the general trend as leaning towards the positive. Some see her as passive, reactive and conservative while the others see her as extremely future-oriented and energetic; still others like Jestice opine that current evidences are not enough to definitely conclude that Theophanu and the other prominent female Ottonian rulers were extraordinarily talented as individuals or not but it is clear that the Ottonian society (which basically treated women and men as equals, except in physical prowess) allowed women the chance to succeed.[35][36][37] Her personal role or non-role in the contact or merging between the Macedonian Renaissance and Ottonian Renaissance inspires a lot of debate as well.[38][39]

Commemoration

Theophanu's name on the Weg der Ottonen, Magdeburg

The Empress Theophano Prize, awarded by the Empress Theophano Foundation based in Thessaloniki, "rewards individuals or organisations who make an outstanding contribution to bridging Europe's historic diversities."[40]

On the occasion of the millennial commemoration of her death, multiple events in Germany and the Netherlands were organized.[41]

Children

References

  1. ^ Θεοφανώ is a Greek diminutive of Θεοφάνεια "Theophany". G. S. Henrich, "Theophanu oder Theophano? Zur Geschichte eines 'gespaltenen' griechischen Frauennamensuffixes' in: Euw and Schreiner (eds.), Kaiserin Theophanu II (1991), 88–99.
  2. ISBN 978-0-14-195691-6
    . Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  3. ^ Hlawitschka, p. 146
  4. ^ Hlawitschka, pp. 145–153.
  5. ^ Schwab (2009), p. 14
  6. ^ Davids (2002), pp. 79–80
  7. ^ Settipani, pp. 244–245.
  8. ^
    ISBN 1-85285-013-2
    .
  9. ^ Norwich, John Julius (1993). Byzantium: The Apogee. London: Penguin. p. 220.
  10. ^ Paul Collins. The Birth of the West: Rome, Germany, France, and the creation of Europe in the tenth century. p. 264, citing Liutprand of Cremona in The Works of Liutprand of Cremona, translation by F.A. Wright, London: George Routledge, 1930.
  11. ^ Collins, p. 264
  12. S2CID 144928369
    .
  13. ^ a b c "Theophanu: Von einer byzantinischen Prinzessin zur römisch-deutschen Kaiserin". Mein Weg ins Museum (in German). 26 March 2021. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  14. ^ University, Center for Teaching and Learning at Columbia. "Theophanu, empress". Epistolae. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  15. ^ a b Davids (2002), p. 53.
  16. ^ Davids (2002), p. 54.
  17. ^ Davids (2002), p. 56.
  18. ^ a b Davids (2002), pp. 18, 36.
  19. ^ "Pavia Royal town". Monasteri Imperiali Pavia. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  20. ^ Görich, Knut (2021). "Imperial Ladies of the Ottonian Dynasty (reviewed by Knut Görich) – recensio.net". www.recensio.net: 89, 91–93. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  21. ^ Norris, Harper J. (2020). Empress Theophanu: The Politics of Power at the Intersection of Byzantium and the Ottonian Empire. University of Central Florida. pp. 27, 29. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  22. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0254.1993.tb00010.x
    . Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  23. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-880010-1
    .
  24. ^ Davids (2002), pp. 26, 38.
  25. ^ Economou 2021, p. 9.
  26. ISBN 978-3-11-242202-1. Archived
    from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  27. ISBN 0-271-02232-9
    .
  28. ^ Economou, Emmanouel/Marios/Lazaros (2021). Kaiserin Theophano's: The political, economic and cultural deeds of a Byzantine princess who became empress of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (PDF). University of Thessaly.
  29. ^ Economou 2021, p. 10.
  30. ^ Economou 2021, pp. 10, 11.
  31. ^ Althoff, p. 50.
  32. ^ Davids (2002), p. 46.
  33. ISBN 978-0-8132-3019-1
    . Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  34. ISBN 978-0-86698-179-8
    . Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  35. ^ Görich 2021.
  36. ^ "Theophanu: Von einer byzantinischen Prinzessin zur römisch-deutschen Kaiserin". Mein Weg ins Museum (in German). 26 March 2021. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  37. ISBN 978-3-319-77306-3
    . Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  38. ^ Cohen, Adam (2003). "Abbess Uta of Regensburg: Patterns of Patronage Around 1000". Retrieved 22 August 2022. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  39. JSTOR 44946221
    . Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  40. ^ "Theophano Foundation – Prize 2021". theophano.eu. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  41. ISBN 978-0-521-52467-4
    . Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  42. Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften (BAdW). pp. 660–662. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )

Sources

External links
Royal titles
Preceded by Queen consort of Germany
972–983 		Succeeded by
Empress consort of
the Holy Roman Empire

973–983
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