|
|
- See also: List of Roman emperors and List of Byzantine emperors.
Empress of Rome

Emblem of the Roman Empire |
| Livia, the first Empress of Rome. |
|
| First empress |
Livia (27 BC) |
| Last empress |
Maria (1439 AD) |
This is a list of women who were Roman Empress, i.e. the wife of the Roman Emperor, the ruler of the Roman Empire.
The Romans had no single term for the position: Latin and Greek titles such as Augusta (derived from the first emperor Augustus), Caesarissa or Kaisarissa (derived from Julius Caesar), basilissa (Greek βασίλισσα), the female form of basileus, and Autokratorissa, the female form of autocrat, were all used. In the third century, Augustae could also receive the titles of Mater castrorum (mother of the army camps) and Mater patriae (mother of the fatherland). Another title of the Byzantine Empresses was "Eusebestatē Augousta" (Most Pious Augusta); they were also called Kyria (Lady) or Despoina (δέσποινα), the female form of "despotes". Due to the practice of dividing the Roman empire under different Emperors, there were periods when there were more than one Roman empress. All the Roman empresses are listed with some co-empresses. Not all empresses were titled Augusta. Some Caesarissas and Despoinas that never were empresses are included, since the titles were quite similar to Empress; however, in the Eastern Roman Empire these titles are often more equivalent to the modern term "Crown Princess".
The Western Roman Empire produced no known empresses regnant, though the obscure Ulpia Severina probably ruled in her own right for some time after the death of her husband Aurelian. The Eastern Roman Empire had three official empresses regnant: Irene, Zoe and Theodora the Macedonian. There never was a male Emperor consort (i.e. a husband of an empress-regnant); however, some husband and wife couples, notably Justinian and Theodora, were simultaneous co-regnants.
Variations of the title include:
- Empress of Rome
- Empress of the Roman Empire
- Roman Empress
- Empress of the Western Roman Empire
- Western Roman Empress
- Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire
- Eastern Roman Empress
- Empress of the Romans
- Empress of Romania
Western Christian and Modern variations:
- Empress of the Byzantine Empire
- Byzantine Empress
- Empress of Byzantium
- Empress of Constantinople
- Empress of the Greeks
| Picture |
Name
English, Latin, Greek |
Father |
Birth |
Marriage |
Became Empress |
Ceased to be Empress |
Death |
Spouse |
 |
Livia Drusilla
(LIVIA•DRVSILLA) |
Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus (Claudian) |
30 January, 58 BC |
17 January. 38 BC |
16 January 27 BC |
19 August, AD 14 |
AD 29 |
Augustus |
 |
Livia Orestilla |
? |
? |
AD 37 or AD 38 |
few days after marriage |
? |
Caligula |
 |
Lollia Paulina |
Marcus Lollius Paulinus the Younger |
? |
AD 38 |
6 months later |
AD 49 |
 |
Milonia Caesonia |
? |
AD 6 |
late AD 39 or early AD 40 |
24 January, AD 41 |
Hours after husband's death |
 |
Valeria Messalina |
Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus |
c. 17/20 |
37 or 38 |
24 January 41 AD |
AD 48, for conspiring against her husband |
Claudius |
 |
Agrippina the Younger
(IVLIA•AGRIPPINA)
(η Ιουλία Αγριππίνη) |
Germanicus
(Claudian) |
6 November AD 15 |
New Year’s Day in AD 49 |
13 October AD 54 |
March AD 59, possibly because of her son, the Emperor Nero's affairs with Poppaea Sabina |
 |
Claudia Octavia
(CLAVDIA•OCTAVIA) |
Claudius
(Claudian) |
Late AD 39 or early AD 40 |
9 June AD 53 |
13 October 54 |
1 January 61 |
9 June AD 62 |
Nero |
 |
Poppaea Sabina |
Titus Ollius |
AD 30 |
AD 62 |
AD 65 |
 |
Statilia Messalina |
? |
ca. AD 35 |
AD 66 |
9 June AD 68 |
after 68 |
| Picture |
Name
English, Latin, Greek |
Father |
Birth |
Marriage |
Became Empress |
Ceased to be Empress |
Death |
Spouse |
Non-dynastic (455–476)
Non-dynastic (602-610)
Non-dynastic (711-717)
-
- None
Non-dynastic (813-820)
Phrygian dynasty (820-867)
Empress consorts of the Eastern Roman Empire (in exile)
Empress consorts of the Eastern Roman Empire (restored)
Palaiologan dynasty (restored to Constantinople, 1261-1453)
| Picture |
Name
English, Greek, Latin |
Father |
Birth |
Marriage |
Became Empress |
Ceased to be Empress |
Death |
Spouse |
 |
Theodora Doukaina Vatatzaina |
Ioannes Doukas Vatatzes
(Doukai) |
c. 1240 |
1253 |
1 January 1259 as co-empress consort of Nicaea
18 August 1258 as sole-empress consort of Nicaea
25 July 1261 as empress consort, restored to Constantinople
8 November 1273 as senior empress consort
1281 as only empress consort |
11 December 1282 |
4 March 1303 |
Michael VIII |
 |
Anna of Hungary |
Stephen V of Hungary
(Árpád) |
c. 1260 |
8 November 1273 as co-empress consort |
1281/2 |
Andronikos II |
 |
Irene of Montferrat |
William VII, Marquess of Montferrat
(Aleramici) |
1274 |
1284 as sole empress consort
16 January 1294 as senior empress conosrt |
1317 |
 |
Maria of Armenia |
Leo III of Armenia
(Hetoumids) |
10/11 January 1278 |
c. 1185 |
16 January 1294 as junior empress conosrt
1317 as only empress consort |
12 October 1320 |
July 1333 |
Michael IX |
 |
Irene of Brunswick |
Henry I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
(Welf) |
c. 1293 |
March 1318 |
March 1318 as co-empress consort
July 1321 as rival empress consort |
16 August 1324 – 17 August 1324 |
Andronikos III |
 |
Anna of Savoy |
Amadeus V, Count of Savoy
(Savoy) |
1306 |
October 1326 |
October 1326 as rival empress consort
24 May 1328 as sole empress conosort |
15 June 1341 |
1359 |
 |
Irene Asanina |
Andronikos Asen
(Asen) |
c. 1300 |
before 1320 |
26 October 1341 as rival empress consort
8 February 1347 as co-empress conosort |
4 December 1354 |
1363-1379 |
John VI |
 |
Helena Kantakouzene |
John VI
(Kantakouzenoi) |
1333 |
28 May/29 May 1347 |
28 May/29 May 1347 as co-empress conosort
1352 as rival empress consort
4 December 1354 as senior empress conosort |
12 August 1376 |
10 December 1396 |
John V |
 |
Irene Palaiologina |
Despotes Demetrios Palaiologos
(Palaiologoi) |
1327 |
1340 |
15 April 1353 as co-empress conosort
4 December 1354 as rival empress consort |
1357 |
Matthew Kantakouzenos |
 |
Maria of Bulgaria |
Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria
(Shishman) |
1348 |
after 17 August 1355 |
after 17 August 1355 as co-empress conosort
12 August 1376 s senior empress conosort |
1 July 1379 |
1390 |
Andronikos IV |
 |
Helena Kantakouzene |
John VI
(Kantakouzenoi) |
1333 |
28 May/29 May 1347 |
1 July 1379 as senior empress conosort, husband restored
14 April 1390 as only empress
17 September 1390 as senior empress conosort, husband restored |
16 February 1391 |
10 December 1396 |
John V |
 |
Helena Dragaš |
Constantine Dragaš
(Dragaš) |
c. 1372 |
10 February 1392 as senior empress conosort |
21 July 1425 |
23 May 1450 |
Manuel II |
 |
Irene Gattilusio |
Francesco II of Lesbos
(Gattilusio) |
1333 |
before 1397 as co-empress conosort |
22 September 1408 |
1 June 1440 |
John VII |
 |
Anna of Moscow |
Vasili I of Moscow
(Rurikid) |
1393 |
c. 1411 |
1416 as Despoina and shortly after co-empress consort |
August 1417 |
John VIII |
 |
Sophia Palaiologina of Montferrat |
Theodore II, Marquess of Montferrat
(Palaiologoi) |
1396 |
19 January 1421 |
19 January 1421as co-empress conosort
21 July 1425 as sole-empress conosort |
August 1426 |
21 August 1434 |
 |
Maria Megale Komnene |
Alexios IV of Trebizond
(Megas Komnenoi) |
? |
September 1427[7] |
17 December 1439 |
| Picture |
Name
English, Greek, Latin |
Father |
Birth |
Marriage |
Became Empress |
Ceased to be Empress |
Death |
Spouse |
Pretending Empress consorts of the Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire met its end in 476 and the Eastern Roman Empire in 1453. Although others continued to claim similar titles after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 — e.g. Holy Roman Empresses (as heirs of the Western Empire) or Russian Tsaritsas and Empresses (as the Empresses of the Third Rome) — the last reigning Empress consort of the Eastern Roman Empire of Constantinople was Maria of Trebizond. The last Palaiologan pretender, Andreas Palaiologos, sold his right to the imperial succession to Charles VIII of France, but he also willed the imperial titles to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castille, and so in a since either the French queens or the Spanish queens have been the titular Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire since the 15th century. Another Palaiologian, Manuel Palaiologos, sold his right of succession to Ottoman Sultan Bayazid II (the Ottoman sultans already claim to be the Kaizer-i Rum or Roman Emperors); but since there is no such thing as a sultaness because the Ottomans practiced polygamy, there are no Ottoman consorts. Other possible pretender may be the former Queens of Greece because the Greek monarchy was mainly created in 1832 to be the successor of the Byzantine Empire. The former Queens of Italy could be another claimant since their husband's were one of the only European monarchs to effectively hold the city of Rome, the seat of the Roman Empire since its beginning.
Neither the Empresses of Russia, the Queens of France, the Queens of Spain, the Queens of Italy or the Queens of the Hellenes claimed any sort of Roman titles and the claimants that clearly made the most point by using the word Roman in their title, the Holy Roman Empresses and the Queens of the Romans, ceased their claim upon the dissolution the empire in 1806. Currently the consorts of five of these states are pretenders in their own countries, themselves, and the current Queen of Spain claims no Roman titles. The status of the current pretenders to the Byzantine successor states of Trebizond, Epirus, and the are unclear much less their spouses; the despots of Morea became the Byzantine Emperors (in exile) in 1453.
Along with the current Pretending Latin Emperor, the pretenders of the the crusader and client states within the Latin Empire are also unclear.
- For a list of the consorts of the ruler of these states and the spouse of the pretenders of these states, see List of consorts of the Greek Crusader states
See also
Notes
- ^ never titled
- ^ her status as a concumbine or wife is unknown
- ^ Mentioned in "Letter To The Senate And People of Athens" by Julian the Apostate
- ^ not known if she live to see this
- ^ a b historical theory
- ^ adoptive
- ^ a b c d Third marriages are the last permitted according to the rules of Orthodox Church, but are highly disaproved by the Church.
- ^ formerly mistress of Michael III
- ^ There is a contradiction on Zoe Zaoutzaina's particular status 893-897. According to Symeon, the marriage of Leo VI to Theophano was officially void. Allowing Leo and Zoe to marry within the year. According to Theophanes, the original marriage was still valid and Zoe remained the royal mistress. Theophano died in her monastery on 10 November 897. Acconrdig to Theophanes, Leo and Zoe proceeded to marry at this point. Both Symeon and Theophanes agree that Zoe was only crowned Augusta following the death of her predecessor.
- ^ Fourth marriages are uncanonical in the eyes of the Orthodox Church.
- ^ Lover of future Emperor John I
- ^ Sometimes she is not considered the last Byzantine Empress consort before the Fourth Crusader because of the unknown date of her marriage.
Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /vhosts/wikipedia.openfun.org/wikipedia/index.php on line 1145
Questions for article:
Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /vhosts/wikipedia.openfun.org/wikipedia/index.php on line 1154
|