A hollow semblance of friendship was maintained between Constantine and Irene, whose title of empress was confirmed in 792; however, the rival factions remained, and in 797, Irene, by cunning intrigues with the bishops and courtiers, organized a conspiracy on her own behalf. Ruling as regent for her young son over the next decade, Irene quashed a rebellion led by the sons of Constantine V, dismissed ministers and military men whose loyalty was questionable and made use of the experience of two court eunuchs, in particular, Staurakios and Aetios. 792–793: Rebellion of the Armeniacs against the restoration of Irene of Athens as co-ruler by Constantine VI. Empress Irene was born between 750 and 755 into a noble family of Athens. Once abroad the army was disbanded and their positions of authority back home taken by those more loyal to the Empress. 800: Uprising in Cappadocia, instigated by Staurakios. Nov 9, 2014 - Captain Janeway was referred to as "Sir," despite clearly not being a man. Books Empress Irene. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. In 771 AD she gave birth to the future Emperor Constantine VI and she became his regent when he inherited the throne at age nine on Leo's death in 780 AD. She was born into a noble family and was brought to Constantinople by Emperor Constantine V in 769 AD to marry his son, Leo IV. The persecution of iconophiles had been a key feature of previous emperors' reigns, especially Irene’s father-in-law Constantine V, so the Empress could not be too harsh on the perpetrators and risk alienating family members at court. Irene sent a fleet, which succeeded in defeating the Sicilians. Pronunciation: EYE-REE-nee. Irene of Athens was an orphan from a noble family, and was married to the son of the current emperor, Leo IV, in 768. License. A person appointed to administer a state because the monarch is a minor, is absent, or is incapacitated. 9th century [edit | edit source] 803: Revolt of Bardanes Tourkos Irene was always scared of loosing her new status, she knew that in order to secure her position she needed to bear a child a soon as possible, at age 19, she gave birth to her only son who was named Constantine VI in honor to his grand father Constantine V. Irene was born in Athens, sometime between 750-755. Ancient History Encyclopedia. With his heir having already died earlier the same year, Irene now had dealt with all her challengers. When Leo died in 780, Irene became regent for their nine-year-old son, Constantine, who was too young to rule as emperor, thereby giving her administrative control over the empire. Additionally, the abandoned farms fell from the tax rolls and reduced the amount of income that the government received. In 800, Charlemagne was crowned emperor by Pope Leo III, on Christmas Day. Irene was removed, exiled to a monastery on Lesbos and succeeded by Nikephoros I, one of the Empress’ former finance ministers. Riding around Constantinople in a golden chariot launching coins into the crowds did not help much either. Thank you! In October 802 CE the highest court officials in Constantinople convened in the Hippodrome and declared the Empress surplus to requirements. On 14 January 771, Irene gave birth to a son, the future Constantine VI. Irene was born to a noble Greek family of Athens, the Sarantapechos family.Although she was an orphan, her uncle, Constantine Sarantapechos, was a patrician and possibly strategos of the theme of Hellas. Cartwright, Mark. A final crushing blow to Constantine’s ambitions was the protests following his divorce and subsequent marriage to his mistress Theodote, the so-called Moechian Controversy, in 795 CE. Thus, the army was weakened and was unable to protect Anatolia from the Arab raids. In early 802 CE, Irene attempted a marriage of alliance with the Franks' king Charlemagne, who was also the newly declared Emperor of the Romans in the west, and who, likewise, was in favour of once more unifying the two halves of the old Roman empire. After a decade in the shadows, Constantine took his rightful place at the apex of Byzantine government. The Ancient History Encyclopedia logo is a registered EU trademark. Irene’s most notable act was the restoration of the veneration of icons, thereby ending the First Iconoclasm of the Eastern Church. Although it is often asserted that, as monarch, Irene called herself “emperor” rather than “empress,” in fact she used “empress” in most of her documents, coins, and seals. When Constantine became old enough to become emperor proper, he eventually rebelled against Irene, although he let her keep the title of empress. After her death, she became a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. One led by Constantine’s uncle Nikephoros was quashed, and the emperor blinded the ringleader in an all too familiar act of imperial Byzantine brutality. Byzantine Ivory Panel Depicting the Adoration of the Magiby Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (CC BY-NC-SA). After the latter's early death, his widow, Irene of Athens, as regent for her son, began its restoration for personal inclination and political considerations. Nevertheless, when Leo died on September 8, 780, Irene became regent for their nine-year-old son, Constantine, thereby giving her administrative control over the empire. Irene died within a year of losing the throne she had loved so much and clung onto for so long. Please support Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation. From 797 to 802 CE she ruled as emperor in her own right, the first woman to do so in Byzantine history. The first of these, held in 786 at Constantinople, was frustrated by the opposition of the iconoclast soldiers. We don’t know much about her parents, but she was very young when they passed, leaving the poor little girl at the mercy of different relatives. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. Leo, though an iconoclast, pursued a policy of moderation towards iconodules, but his policies became much harsher in August 780, when a number of courtiers were punished for venerating icons. Irene of Athens (c. 752-803 CE) was Byzantine empress from 797 to 802. And Irene of Athens was anything but a common woman. His eyes were gouged out, and according to most contemporary accounts, he died from his wounds a few days later, leaving Irene to be crowned as first empress regnant of Constantinople. On 14 January 771, Irene gave birth to a son, the future Constantine VI. Next, Irene convened a Church council in Constantinople in 786 CE to put an official end to the destruction of icons (iconoclasm). Constantine died shortly afterwards, almost certainly as a result of his injuries, which were intended to kill not maim. Unfortunately, the young emperor was not actually up to the task. The second, convened at Nicaea in 787, formally revived the veneration of icons and reunited the Eastern Church with that of Rome. Since Irene didn’t have any siblings, she must have had quite a … Perhaps she was taking cues from Marcy from Peanuts, who called Peppermint Patty "Sir Empress Irene was the wife of Leo IV and, on her husband’s death, she reigned as regent for her son Constantine VI from 780 to 790 CE. Soon after, Irene organized her own rebellion and eventually killed her son, thereby claiming sole rulership over the empire as empress, the first woman to have that title in the empire. She is best known for ending iconoclasm. Nevertheless, Irene was constantly harried by the Abbasids, and in 782 and 798, had to accept the terms of the respective Caliphs Al-Mahdi and Harun al-Rashid. These farms were taken over by the largest land owner in the Byzantine Empire, the monasteries. Although she was an orphan, her uncle or cousin, Constantine Sarantapechos, was a patrician and was possibly the strategos of the theme of Hellas at the end of the 8th century. 790: Military revolt against the regency of Irene of Athens. With the army opposition dealt with, Staurakios accompanied Irene to the Seventh Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in September 787 CE. The clergy and nobles attending the ceremony proclaimed Charlemagne as “Emperor of the Roman Empire.” In support of Charlemagne’s coronation, some argued that the imperial position was actually vacant, deeming a woman unfit to be emperor. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. 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