Helena (daughter of Alypius)
Augusta
Helena | |
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Augusta | |
Empress of the Byzantine Empire | |
Tenure | 976?–before 1025 |
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Born | 960s? |
Died | c. 989 ? definitely before 1025 |
Spouse | Constantine VIII |
Issue |
Eudokia
Zoe Porphyrogenita Theodora Porphyrogenita |
Father | Alypius |
Helena Alypia (Greek: Ελένη Αλυπία, Eleni Alypia ; 960s? – c. 989 ?) was a Byzantine empress consort as the wife of Byzantine Emperor Constantine VIII .
Life
Very little is known about her, as she is only briefly mentioned in the Chronographia of Michael Psellos , followed by the works of John Skylitzes and Zonaras . [1] Psellos writes of her only that:
- "Constantine while still a young man, had married a lady called Helena. She was a daughter of the renowned Alypius, then the leading man in the city and member of a noble family held in high repute. This lady, who was not only beautiful but also virtuous, bore him three daughters before she died." [2]
Apart from this reference in Psellos, her father Alypius (Αλυπίος) is otherwise unknown. [3] The marriage probably took place ca. 976, and Helena died at some unknown point, apparently long before her husband became sole emperor in 1025. [1] The historian Gunther G. Wolf theorized that she died ca. 989, possibly during the birth of her third daughter. [1]
Their three daughters were: [1]
- Eudokia (Ευδοκία). Eldest daughter. According to the Chronographia "in childhood she had been attacked by some infectious illness, and her looks had been marred ever since". [4] She later became a nun.
- Zoe Porphyrogenita . Empress regnant 1042–1050.
- Theodora Porphyrogenita . Empress regnant in spring 1042 (sharing with Zoe) and sole empress regnant 1055–56.
At the time of their marriage, Constantine VIII was the co-ruler of his older brother Basil II . Basil reigned as senior Byzantine Emperor from 976 to 1025 but never married, which would make Helena the only Augusta during his reign.
Possible descendants
Ronald Wells, a modern genealogist, has suggested that Eudokia did not remain a nun for life. He has theorised an identification of Eudokia with the otherwise unnamed wife of Andronikos Doukas , a Paphlagonian nobleman who may have served as governor of the theme of Moesia . This theory would make Helena a maternal grandmother of Constantine X and Caesar John Doukas . [5]
Wells has further suggested two daughters of the above proposed union. The first suggested daughter is Maria , the wife of Ivan Vladislav . Christian Settipani has however posited a more robustly argued descent of Maria from Boris II of Bulgaria . [6] The second daughter is "Sophia", an alleged wife of Manuel Erotikos Komnenos . [7] Manuel was the father of Isaac I Komnenos and John Komnenos, the latter being the father of Alexios I Komnenos .
The claim, which provides no references or argumentation, apparently serves as a way to trace the ancestry of the Doukas and Komnenos families to the Macedonian dynasty . There is however no proof for any such relationship of Eudokia in primary sources or contemporary sigillography [8] and modern historical and prosopographical authorities remain equally silent on the matter, [9] [10] making the asserted descent appear entirely unlikely.
References
- 1 2 3 4 PmbZ , Helene (#22578).
- ↑ Michael Psellos, "Chronographia", Book 2, chapter 4
- ↑ PmbZ , Alypios (#20265).
- ↑ Michael Psellos, "Chronographia", Book 2, chapter 5
- ↑ "130-9" . Archived from the original on 2007-09-17 . Retrieved 2008-06-04 .
- ↑ Settipani 2006, pp.282-283
- ↑ "140-9" . Archived from the original on 2007-09-17 . Retrieved 2008-06-04 .
- ↑ Prosopography of the Byzantine World, Eudokia (101) - vide: http://db.pbw.kcl.ac.uk/pbw2011/entity/person/107052 Archived 2017-04-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Settipani 2006, p.158 (Doukas), p. 308 (Macedonian Dynasty).
- ↑ Cheynet 1996, p.275 (Ducas).
Sources
- Cheynet, Jean-Claude, Pouvoir et Contestations a Byzance (963-1210) , Paris: Publications de la Sorbonne, 1996.
- Lilie, Ralph-Johannes ; Ludwig, Claudia; Pratsch, Thomas; Zielke, Beate (2013). Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit Online. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Nach Vorarbeiten F. Winkelmanns erstellt (in German). Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter.
- Settipani, Christian, Continuité des élites à Byzance durant les siècles obscurs. Les princes caucasiens et l'Empire du VIe au IXe siècle , Paris: De Boccard, 2006.
External links
Royal titles | ||
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Preceded by |
Byzantine Empress consort
ca. 976 – unknown |
Vacant
Title next held by
Catherine of Bulgaria
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