1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 1: I'm Tracy V. Wilson and I'm Holly Fry. So our 4 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,840 Speaker 1: show has been skewing a little bit more for the 5 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,680 Speaker 1: nineteen and twentieth centuries lately, uh, including something we just 6 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 1: recorded that's coming out after this one. So when I 7 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 1: picked today's topic, I wanted to just break a little 8 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 1: farther out of that. And I have had Byzantine empresses 9 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: Zoe and Theodora on my list for ages. They went 10 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:43,280 Speaker 1: through a whole series of twists and turns in eleventh 11 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: century Constantinople, and over the course of almost thirty years, 12 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 1: sometimes Zoe ruled alongside one of her husband's, sometimes she 13 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: and Theodora ruled together, and then in the end Theodora 14 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: ruled alone. All of that happened against a backdrop of 15 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: a lot of distrust and intrigue and possibly some murder. Uh. 16 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 1: A note on the names before we get started. Pretty 17 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 1: much all the English language sources on this use Anglicized 18 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 1: rather than Greek names. That's what folks will probably find 19 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:19,760 Speaker 1: if they go looking for more information in English on this, 20 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: including in scholarly work, so for the sake of clarity, 21 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: even though that's a little weird to me, we're gonna 22 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: stick with that convention rather than trying to translate all 23 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: the names back into Greek. Right, And we are also 24 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:36,639 Speaker 1: going to give a little bit of context first, both 25 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:40,840 Speaker 1: about the available sources for this episode and the imperial 26 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,759 Speaker 1: dynasty that Zoe and Theodora were part of. There are 27 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: always challenges when it comes to researching historical figures from 28 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 1: this long ago. Documentation obviously is pretty scarce. We have 29 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 1: had so many conversations on the show about the oldest 30 00:01:55,760 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: surviving records of a person, or even uh records about 31 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: them having been written decades or even centuries after the fact, 32 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: or the oldest surviving written record being a copy of 33 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: something that was written much earlier, but we don't have 34 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: the original for comparison because it hasn't survived, so we 35 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: don't know if that copy is accurate, or how many 36 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:21,359 Speaker 1: iterations it may have gone through, or even just editorial 37 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: flare or interpretation. Uh. And in some cultures we do 38 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: have a sense of how history was preserved through an 39 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:31,640 Speaker 1: oral tradition, but often there are just a lot of 40 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 1: unanswered questions about how later accounts reflects something that happened 41 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 1: way before, so Zoe and Theodora come with a slightly 42 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 1: different challenge than the one that we are usually talking 43 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: about with things from this long ago. The most detailed 44 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:50,080 Speaker 1: record of their lives and their rule is the Chronographia 45 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 1: of Mikhail Slosh. Slosh lived from about ten eighteen to 46 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: ten eighty two, and he was a writer, a political advisor, 47 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:04,519 Speaker 1: and a government official before eventually becoming a monk. His 48 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 1: chronicle documents events that he actually lived through and in 49 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: some cases witnessed, Although it does start with things that 50 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: happened when he was a baby and did not have 51 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:20,919 Speaker 1: a personal memory. Of Slash met Zoe and Theodora multiple times, 52 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:24,919 Speaker 1: Theodora frequently invited him to leave his monastery and come 53 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: visit her in the palace. Although it was written shortly 54 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 1: after the things that documents, the Chronographia is not really 55 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: a straightforward presentation of people and events. Its writing style 56 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: is often very poetic and dramatic. In places it reads 57 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: like a novel or a memoir. Sometimes Salas describes things 58 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: that happened behind closed doors, with no one there to 59 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 1: witness and report on them. His personal opinions are often 60 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 1: very apparent, and in places entire paragraphs are about himself 61 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 1: instead of his purported subjects. Sometimes he also gives ages 62 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: and dates that contradict official records of the time. He 63 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 1: really has some parts that are just like I'm going 64 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: to talk about myself for a minute, about and that's 65 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 1: about you. How about how I feel about you? So 66 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:21,159 Speaker 1: the Chronographia also follows literary tropes that were common during 67 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:25,600 Speaker 1: the Byzantine era. The emperors and empresses are usually described 68 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 1: as physically flawlessly beautiful, which was pretty much the standard 69 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 1: way to describe royalty, and the depictions of women are 70 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 1: often stereotypes. So, for example, here is how he describes 71 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:42,039 Speaker 1: Zoe after one of her husband's confined her to the 72 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 1: women's quarters in the palace under guard. Quote anyway, she 73 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:51,720 Speaker 1: avoided the despicable feminine trait of talkativeness and there were 74 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: no emotional outbursts. So it is not entirely clear whether 75 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: his criticisms of Zoe and Theodora reflect their actual behavior 76 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 1: or if they are more drawn from the sexist stereotypes 77 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: of the day. As we noted at the top of 78 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,599 Speaker 1: the show, Zoe and Theodora were empresses during the eleventh 79 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:14,720 Speaker 1: century in the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire, also known 80 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 1: as the Eastern Roman Empire, was established in the fourth 81 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 1: century after Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into Eastern and 82 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:26,320 Speaker 1: Western portions, each with its own rulers. Constantine the First 83 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 1: became the emperor of the Eastern portion and established Constantinople 84 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: as its capital. Today it is Istanbul, Turkey, and it 85 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:38,360 Speaker 1: was built on the site of the ancient city of Byzantium. 86 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: The term Byzantine Empire comes from this ancient city, although 87 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: that term was not coined until around the sixteenth century. 88 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 1: People living in this empire did not typically describe it 89 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:55,840 Speaker 1: as Byzantine. They only even use the word Byzantium pretty rarely. 90 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: They generally referred to themselves as Romans, while people in 91 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: the Western Roman Empire were more likely to refer to 92 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 1: them as Greek and to call the empire the Empire 93 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 1: of Constantinople or New Rome. So within the field of 94 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: Byzantine history, there is starting to be some discussion about 95 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 1: whether to move away from this terminology and into something 96 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:26,039 Speaker 1: that is more accurate still in motion, still in motion, 97 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: like pretty New conversation from I mean, I'm not I'm 98 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:33,039 Speaker 1: not a Byzantine historian, but as I understand that this 99 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: is a pretty new conversation just about the whole field 100 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:38,280 Speaker 1: and how to approach it and how to kind of 101 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:43,040 Speaker 1: unload some of the Westernized baggage, which like the naming 102 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:47,040 Speaker 1: convention of of Anglicized names, is also part of So 103 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 1: this empire had started to decline by the ninth century, 104 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,760 Speaker 1: when Emperor Basil the First came to power. This started 105 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:57,600 Speaker 1: a new imperial dynasty known as the Macedonian Dynasty, because 106 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:01,560 Speaker 1: Basil had been born to a peasant family in Macedonia. 107 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:06,039 Speaker 1: The Byzantine Empire, at least in theory, was an elective monarchy, 108 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 1: but Basil took steps to establish a dynastic line that 109 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 1: would be passed down through his descendants for generations. Although 110 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:17,440 Speaker 1: this line of succession was interrupted by various usurpations and rifts, 111 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:21,760 Speaker 1: the Macedonian dynasty ruled the Empire for almost two hundred years. 112 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 1: The Macedonian dynasty is described as ushering in the Byzantine 113 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:31,680 Speaker 1: Golden Age, marked by a period of literary and artistic flourishing, 114 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:35,000 Speaker 1: as well as an expansion of the empire's territory, and 115 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 1: this expansion wasn't just about extending the empire's political influence. 116 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:44,480 Speaker 1: It was also about spreading Christianity. The Bulgarians, Serbs, and 117 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:48,360 Speaker 1: Roosts all converted to Christianity during this phase of the 118 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 1: Byzantine Empire. Zoe and Theodora came to power five generations 119 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:56,960 Speaker 1: after Basil the First at the end of this imperial dynasty. 120 00:07:57,040 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: They were the daughters of Constantine the eighth and his 121 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:03,840 Speaker 1: wife Elena, and nieces of Constantine's brother, Basil the second. 122 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:08,480 Speaker 1: Basil and Constantine were sons of the emperor Romanus the second. 123 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:12,840 Speaker 1: They were named co emperors in the year nine sixty 124 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,280 Speaker 1: They were both still children then, depending on which account 125 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 1: you are looking at, Basil was either three or five, 126 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 1: and his younger brother, Constantine was either a baby or 127 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:26,080 Speaker 1: a toddler. Their father was still living when they were 128 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 1: named as his successors, but then when Romanus died in 129 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 1: nine sixty three, it kicked off a period of instability. 130 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:37,440 Speaker 1: At first, Basil and Constantine's mother, Theofano, acted as their regent, 131 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:41,720 Speaker 1: but then she married a general named Nicophorus Focus. This 132 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:45,040 Speaker 1: was one of many apparently unhappy marriages in this story. 133 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:49,120 Speaker 1: He was an accomplished general, but deeply unpopular as a ruler. 134 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:53,319 Speaker 1: He was ultimately assassinated in nine sixty nine, and Theofano 135 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: was implicated in his death, along with another general, John Samiskis. 136 00:08:58,280 --> 00:09:01,040 Speaker 1: John Samiskis took the throne and banished the Afano to 137 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 1: a monastery. He then reigned until his death in nine 138 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:09,800 Speaker 1: Although Basil the Second and Constantine the eighth technically came 139 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:14,280 Speaker 1: into power as co emperors, at that point, Basil was 140 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,360 Speaker 1: seen as the far better choice to lead. He was 141 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:20,319 Speaker 1: described as thoughtful and intelligent, while his brother was more 142 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 1: interested in maintaining a life of luxury than actually ruling. Also, 143 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 1: as we said earlier, Basil was the older of the two, 144 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 1: and even so he was just barely considered to be 145 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:34,520 Speaker 1: an adult. So all the parties involved generally agreed that 146 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:37,280 Speaker 1: Basil would take the lead and his brother Constantine would 147 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: be co emperor pretty much in name only. As emperor, 148 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:44,320 Speaker 1: Basil faced a series of revolts launched by other claimants 149 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:46,800 Speaker 1: to the throne, some of whom were close enough to 150 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:49,560 Speaker 1: the Macedonian dynastic line that they might have been able 151 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:53,360 Speaker 1: to gain some acceptance if they actually succeeded it. Wasn't 152 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 1: until nine thirteen years after coming to power that Basil's 153 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:02,000 Speaker 1: forces defeated the last of them. This Byzantine victory came 154 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,920 Speaker 1: with the aid of Vladimir, the Great Grand Prince of Kiev, 155 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:08,480 Speaker 1: so it counts very somewhat in their details on this, 156 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 1: but it was all connected to a political and religious 157 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:17,559 Speaker 1: agreement in which Vladimir married Basil and Constantine sister Anna, 158 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:21,000 Speaker 1: and as part of the marriage negotiations, also agreed to 159 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:24,080 Speaker 1: convert to Christianity. We also have an episode of this 160 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:26,160 Speaker 1: in the archive, but if you go check it out, 161 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 1: be aware that most of this region was described at 162 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 1: the time as Russia, but today it's Ukraine. During his 163 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:37,640 Speaker 1: fifty year reign, Basil implemented land reforms, forcing wealthy families 164 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:40,720 Speaker 1: to return land that had been seized from the peasantry. 165 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 1: Of the course of decades, he expanded the Byzantine Empire's 166 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:48,800 Speaker 1: territory and consolidated its influence in territory that had already held. 167 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:53,439 Speaker 1: He was nicknamed Basil the Bulgar Slayer after his conquest 168 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:57,520 Speaker 1: of Bulgaria. Basil also hoped to form an alliance with 169 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:01,040 Speaker 1: the Holy Roman Empire, which at the time encompassed a 170 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:03,920 Speaker 1: lot of central Europe and what's now northern Italy, and 171 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:07,040 Speaker 1: that is where we finally get back to Zoe, so 172 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:09,240 Speaker 1: we will turn our attention to her after a quick 173 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:19,920 Speaker 1: sponsor break. We have only mentioned two of them so far, 174 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:23,880 Speaker 1: but Byzantine Emperor Constantine the eighth and his wife Helena 175 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,560 Speaker 1: had three daughters. The oldest, Eudokia, had become a nun. 176 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:32,120 Speaker 1: According to Psilosh, this was because she had been scarred 177 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 1: by an illness. That illness was probably smallpox. The middle daughter, Zoe, 178 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 1: was born around and the youngest, Theodora, was born around one. 179 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 1: Zoe and Theodora were both known by the honorific Porphyro Genita, 180 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 1: or born in the Purple, which was used for the 181 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:55,160 Speaker 1: daughters of emperors born during their reign. Emperor's sons had 182 00:11:55,160 --> 00:12:00,360 Speaker 1: the corresponding title of Porphio genitos. Basil the seconds land 183 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:03,360 Speaker 1: to create an alliance between the Eastern Roman Empire and 184 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:06,880 Speaker 1: the Holy Roman Empire involved a marriage between his niece 185 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:11,239 Speaker 1: Zoe and Holy Roman Emperor Otto the third. This arrangement 186 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 1: was made in the year one thousand one, so Zoe 187 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:17,080 Speaker 1: would have been about twenty three. She was described as 188 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:22,000 Speaker 1: being exceptionally beautiful, although, as we noted earlier, Byzantine royalty 189 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:26,360 Speaker 1: were generally always described this way. This alliance would have 190 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 1: brought together two massive political powers, But when Zoey arrived 191 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:34,880 Speaker 1: in Bari in southern Italy to be married, having sailed 192 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:39,240 Speaker 1: there from Constantinople, it turned out that Otto had died 193 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:43,160 Speaker 1: suddenly of a fever at the age of only twenty one. 194 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 1: Had he survived, though this probably would have been a 195 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:50,000 Speaker 1: tumultuous marriage, Otto actually died after fleeing a rebellion and 196 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 1: losing control of the imperial city. Zoe returned to Constantinople, 197 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:58,280 Speaker 1: and she largely disappeared from the historical record until Basil 198 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:01,839 Speaker 1: the Second's death in ten twenty five. Over the course 199 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:04,840 Speaker 1: of his reign, Basil had become more and more sober 200 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:08,240 Speaker 1: and reserved, and in his last years he was described 201 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:12,520 Speaker 1: as having an almost monk like austerity. He had never married, 202 00:13:12,679 --> 00:13:16,280 Speaker 1: so his brother Zoe and Theodora's father, Constantine the eighth, 203 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:20,400 Speaker 1: followed him on the throne. Although Constantine had the three 204 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:23,920 Speaker 1: daughters that we already mentioned, he also had no male heir. 205 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:27,040 Speaker 1: He became ill in ten twenty eight at the age 206 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:30,640 Speaker 1: of seventy, and on his deathbed, he appointed his relative 207 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:33,680 Speaker 1: Romanos are Gyris, who was the eparch of the city 208 00:13:33,679 --> 00:13:38,120 Speaker 1: of Constantinople, to be his successor, and he also arranged 209 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:42,600 Speaker 1: a marriage between Romanos and Zoe. Although Romanos was a relative, 210 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:46,959 Speaker 1: he wasn't within the Macedonian line of succession, So according 211 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:50,120 Speaker 1: to Selash, in romanos mind this was the start of 212 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:53,440 Speaker 1: a new ruling dynasty. He would be its founder and 213 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:56,720 Speaker 1: it would carry on through his descendants. If that was 214 00:13:56,720 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: the case, though, there was a big flaw in his plan. 215 00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: Zoe was fifty, making it sort of unlikely that he 216 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:05,040 Speaker 1: was going to be able to father any children with her. 217 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 1: Slash describes the couple trying all kinds of fertility treatments 218 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:13,440 Speaker 1: and charms in an attempt to conceive an air. This 219 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:16,920 Speaker 1: really seems to have driven a wedge between Zoe and 220 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:21,280 Speaker 1: her husband. Each of them took lovers. Romanus also cut 221 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: Zoe off from the royal treasury and put her on 222 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:28,680 Speaker 1: a strict allowance, which infuriated her. In some accounts, so 223 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:32,040 Speaker 1: he also became really jealous of her sister, who had 224 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:36,240 Speaker 1: at one point been considered as Romanus's bride, and other 225 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:39,920 Speaker 1: accounts her advisers were the ones who suggested that her 226 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:43,720 Speaker 1: sister might be a threat to her. Either way, Theodora 227 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:46,520 Speaker 1: was confined to the women's quarters in the palace and 228 00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 1: then eventually sent to a monastery, and some accounts Zoe 229 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:54,760 Speaker 1: also cut her sister's hair into a tonsure. Slash also 230 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:59,680 Speaker 1: describes Romanos as an ineffective ruler, overconfident in his knowledge 231 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,440 Speaker 1: of both letters and military tactics, and this led him 232 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:06,200 Speaker 1: to make all kinds of strategic blenders that he tried 233 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:09,520 Speaker 1: to pay for by raising taxes. But then he also 234 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: spent a lot of money trying to build churches and monasteries. 235 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:15,960 Speaker 1: Unlike Basil the Second, he didn't get in the way 236 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:18,640 Speaker 1: of big landowners, once again trying to take over land 237 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:21,920 Speaker 1: from the peasantry, which pushed the empire toward a more 238 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:27,280 Speaker 1: feudal existence. The Byzantine army, commanded by Romanos himself, suffered 239 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:31,040 Speaker 1: a humiliating and expensive defeat at the Battle of azaz 240 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,680 Speaker 1: Inten thirty. Zoe's lover during all of this was Michael, 241 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:38,800 Speaker 1: brother of John the Orfanotrophists, who had been a prominent 242 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:42,760 Speaker 1: eunuch in the court of Basilis Second. Michael was in 243 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:45,440 Speaker 1: his twenties and Zoe was in our fifties, and Romano 244 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:48,280 Speaker 1: seems to have known about this relationship but pretty much 245 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:51,560 Speaker 1: ignored it, possibly because he thought that trying to put 246 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:54,040 Speaker 1: a stop to it would just lead Zoe to take 247 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:58,960 Speaker 1: other lovers instead. Michael also had epilepsy, and the Chronographia 248 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:03,200 Speaker 1: describes Romano is feeling sorry for him. Ignoring. This relationship 249 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 1: did not work out for Romanos, though multiple accounts either 250 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:11,840 Speaker 1: suggest or flat out state that Zoe and Michael conspired 251 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:15,960 Speaker 1: to slowly poison him. Then inten thirty four, he either 252 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:19,320 Speaker 1: drowned or was drowned in his bath while preparing for 253 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:23,680 Speaker 1: the next day's Good Friday observances. Uh Silash has a 254 00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 1: riveting account of his body servants holding him under the water. 255 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:33,720 Speaker 1: Nice that we don't know actually happened. Yeah, Zoe put 256 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 1: her influence as empress to work to marry her lover 257 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 1: Michael and place him on the imperial throne. But just 258 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 1: like her late husband's decision to ignore that affair had 259 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:46,880 Speaker 1: not really worked out for him, Zoe's efforts to establish 260 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:49,960 Speaker 1: Michael as Emperor Michael the Fourth did not work out 261 00:16:50,040 --> 00:16:53,560 Speaker 1: for her. He seems to have concluded that a woman 262 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:56,680 Speaker 1: who would allegedly conspire with her lover to poison her 263 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:59,840 Speaker 1: husband might get a new lover and do that again. 264 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:03,800 Speaker 1: So he confined Zoe to the women's quarters and dismissed 265 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:06,520 Speaker 1: all of her loyal eunuchs and ladies in waiting, and 266 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:09,040 Speaker 1: then replaced them all with people of his own, Choosing 267 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:12,600 Speaker 1: Michael the Fourth was not particularly popular as an emperor. 268 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:16,520 Speaker 1: He raised taxes and required that they paid in currency, 269 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 1: which was a change and a hardship for people who 270 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:22,840 Speaker 1: add access to goods but not money. This led to 271 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:25,760 Speaker 1: an uprising in ten forty, and that fed into a 272 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:29,360 Speaker 1: revolt by the Bulgar people against Byzantine rule in general, 273 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:32,960 Speaker 1: with the rebels taking over multiple cities in laying siege 274 00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 1: to Thessalonika. During all of this, Michael had recurring and 275 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:40,960 Speaker 1: sometimes serious illnesses. It's not clear whether this was a 276 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:45,240 Speaker 1: complication of his epilepsy or something else. His brother, John 277 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:49,560 Speaker 1: the Orfino Trophos, convinced him to name their sister son, 278 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:55,440 Speaker 1: who was also named Michael, just to confuse things as 279 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: caesar or co emperor, to help take some of the 280 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:01,920 Speaker 1: pressure off of him. So two Michael's at this point 281 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:05,720 Speaker 1: ruling at least in name. Yes one of the things 282 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 1: that was a little frustrating about this episode is how 283 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:10,920 Speaker 1: many of the same names were used by different people, 284 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:14,400 Speaker 1: not just spread apart, but like within a couple of generations, 285 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:17,040 Speaker 1: So like there's a lot of having to cross check. 286 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:21,240 Speaker 1: Was this the same theo Fellow, Yes, different Michael No, no, no. 287 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:24,680 Speaker 1: But there were some barriers to the younger Michael getting 288 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:27,920 Speaker 1: any kind of support in this plan. Although his mother 289 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:30,320 Speaker 1: was the sister of both the Emperor Michael the fourth 290 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,680 Speaker 1: and John the Orphana Trophos, he was of common birth, 291 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 1: his father was a cocker. To try to give the 292 00:18:37,119 --> 00:18:40,919 Speaker 1: younger Michael a clearer connection to the imperial throne, John 293 00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:45,200 Speaker 1: suggested that Zoe adopt him as her son. This would 294 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:48,560 Speaker 1: bolster his legitimacy as caesar, both because of his adopted 295 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:51,119 Speaker 1: mother being the Empress and because at this point she 296 00:18:51,359 --> 00:18:54,760 Speaker 1: was pretty popular. She was an emperor's daughter born in 297 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:57,320 Speaker 1: the Purple and the niece of another emperor, and she 298 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:01,080 Speaker 1: was also generous with the royal treasury, at least when 299 00:19:01,119 --> 00:19:04,040 Speaker 1: the Emperor let her have access to it. The elder 300 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 1: Michael became seriously ill in ten forty one, and between 301 00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:11,680 Speaker 1: that illness and his military failures, he rapidly lost support, 302 00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:14,119 Speaker 1: but he tried to hang onto the throne for as 303 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:18,480 Speaker 1: long as he could, including planning military expeditions to Bulgaria. 304 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:21,760 Speaker 1: That was something that his physicians and advisers suspected that 305 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 1: he just would not survive. Ultimately, he was either forced 306 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:30,200 Speaker 1: off the throne or chose to retire to a monastery. 307 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:34,080 Speaker 1: John the Orfino Trophos was imprisoned and then later blinded, 308 00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:39,040 Speaker 1: so Michael's nephew Michael, followed him as emperor, becoming Michael five. 309 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:42,439 Speaker 1: And if you're thinking right about now, hey, it seems 310 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:44,680 Speaker 1: like there's a pattern here, and he's probably not going 311 00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:46,959 Speaker 1: to act very grateful for Zoe's help and getting him 312 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:50,760 Speaker 1: on the throne. Spoiler alert, You're exactly right, and we're 313 00:19:50,800 --> 00:20:01,440 Speaker 1: going to talk about that after a sponsor break. Even 314 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:05,520 Speaker 1: though Michael the fifth acceptance as emperor was really only 315 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:10,119 Speaker 1: possible thanks to Zoe agreeing to adopt him and publicly 316 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:14,000 Speaker 1: supporting him. Once he was on the throne, he banished 317 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:17,000 Speaker 1: her to a monastery and started spreading rumors that she 318 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:20,840 Speaker 1: had been plotting to kill him. And although there are 319 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:24,560 Speaker 1: some sources that conclude that Zoe really was involved in 320 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,480 Speaker 1: the poisoning of her first husband, Romanos, or at least 321 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:31,320 Speaker 1: that it was possible that she had been. They also 322 00:20:31,359 --> 00:20:34,720 Speaker 1: generally agree that this whole accusation by you know, the 323 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,200 Speaker 1: younger Michael, now Michael the fifth, like that, was just baseless. 324 00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:42,520 Speaker 1: As word spread about Zoe's treatment, the people of Constantinople 325 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:47,600 Speaker 1: were outraged. In the words of quote, the indignation, in fact, 326 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:50,280 Speaker 1: was universal, and all were ready to lay down their 327 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:54,520 Speaker 1: lives for Zoe. Michael's father, being of common birth, made 328 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:58,239 Speaker 1: the whole thing particularly insulting. Quote How was it this 329 00:20:58,359 --> 00:21:01,439 Speaker 1: low born fellow dear to raise a hand against a 330 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:05,480 Speaker 1: woman of such lineage. When people learned that Zoe had 331 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:09,399 Speaker 1: been banished to a monastery, an armed mob attacked the 332 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 1: palace and started tearing down royal buildings. Zoe was retrieved 333 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:17,680 Speaker 1: from the monastery to give a public appearance alongside Michael 334 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:21,159 Speaker 1: the Fifth, still dressed in her nun's habit, But this 335 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:24,200 Speaker 1: really did not appease the mob. They did not want 336 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 1: Zoe the nun. They wanted Zoe the Empress. Also, the 337 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:32,520 Speaker 1: people of Constantinople had not forgotten about Zoe's sister, Theodora, 338 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:35,760 Speaker 1: who had spent at least the previous ten years in 339 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:39,280 Speaker 1: a monastery. When they couldn't restore Zoe to the throne, 340 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:42,120 Speaker 1: they went to Theodora's monastery, brought her out of it, 341 00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:45,760 Speaker 1: and proclaimed her to be the empress. This did not 342 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:49,040 Speaker 1: settle all the unrest, though, and in April of ten 343 00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:53,600 Speaker 1: forty two, Emperor Michael the five fled the palace. According 344 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:56,960 Speaker 1: to the Chronographia, his relationship with his uncle's had become 345 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 1: increasingly contentious, and he had had all of them astrated, 346 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:03,920 Speaker 1: with the exception of his uncle Constantine, who he had 347 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:07,639 Speaker 1: promoted to noblissimus. And in the wake of the mobs 348 00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:10,280 Speaker 1: attack on the palace, both Michael the fifth and his 349 00:22:10,359 --> 00:22:15,360 Speaker 1: uncle Constantine were exiled and blinded, and with that there 350 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:18,960 Speaker 1: were two empresses, Zoe and Theodora, both of whom had 351 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:21,960 Speaker 1: popular support, even though a lot of people didn't think 352 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:24,600 Speaker 1: it was quite proper for a woman to be empress 353 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:28,960 Speaker 1: without a husband. The empresses dismissed everyone who had been 354 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:31,679 Speaker 1: involved with Zoe's banishment, and they kept the people they 355 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:34,960 Speaker 1: thought were loyal, but otherwise they did not appoint new 356 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:39,000 Speaker 1: counselors for a while. Here's how the Chronographia describes them. 357 00:22:39,119 --> 00:22:42,640 Speaker 1: Quote the elder Zoe was the quicker to understand ideas, 358 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:46,040 Speaker 1: but slower to give them utterance. With Theodora, on the 359 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:49,000 Speaker 1: other hand, it was just the reverse in both respects, 360 00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:52,399 Speaker 1: for she did not readily show her innermost thoughts, but 361 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:55,600 Speaker 1: once she had embarked on a conversation, she would chatter 362 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:59,679 Speaker 1: away with an expert and lively tongue. Zoe was a 363 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:04,240 Speaker 1: woman of passionate interests, prepared with equal enthusiasm for both 364 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:08,080 Speaker 1: alternatives death or life. I mean and that she reminded 365 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:11,159 Speaker 1: me of sea waves now lifting a ship high and 366 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:14,920 Speaker 1: then plunging it down to the depths. Such characteristics were 367 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:17,679 Speaker 1: certainly not found in Theodora. In fact, she had a 368 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:21,080 Speaker 1: calm disposition, and in one way, if I may put 369 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:24,480 Speaker 1: it so, a dull one. Zoe was open handed, the 370 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:27,840 Speaker 1: sort of woman who could exhaust a sea teeming with 371 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:31,440 Speaker 1: gold dust in one day. The other counted her staters 372 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:34,479 Speaker 1: when she gave away money, partly, no doubt, because her 373 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:39,560 Speaker 1: limited resources forbade any reckless spending, and partly because inherently 374 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:44,960 Speaker 1: she was more self controlled in this manner. I can't 375 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:47,880 Speaker 1: help but think about Zoe and her perfumes also being 376 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:52,480 Speaker 1: associated with poisons. Um he also describes Zoe as very 377 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:57,120 Speaker 1: pious and not enjoying the typically feminine tasks like spinning 378 00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:00,080 Speaker 1: and working on a loom, but really enjoying a and 379 00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:03,400 Speaker 1: that thing that I just referenced, making perfumes and having 380 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:06,080 Speaker 1: a laboratory set up in her rooms for that purpose. 381 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:09,000 Speaker 1: When it comes to talking about their leadership, though the 382 00:24:09,119 --> 00:24:11,359 Speaker 1: last is not quite as flattering. I mean, I would 383 00:24:11,359 --> 00:24:15,440 Speaker 1: call that earlier thing that I read kind of flattering, 384 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,000 Speaker 1: but also sometimes a little tempered. But when it came 385 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:20,600 Speaker 1: to talking about the rule he wrote quote to put 386 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:23,320 Speaker 1: it quite candidly, for my present purpose is not to 387 00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:26,879 Speaker 1: compose a eulogy, but to write an accurate history. Neither 388 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:31,000 Speaker 1: of them was fitted by temperament to govern. They neither 389 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:34,360 Speaker 1: knew how to administer, nor were they capable of serious 390 00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:37,280 Speaker 1: argument on the subject of politics. For the most part, 391 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:40,679 Speaker 1: they confused the trifles of the harem with important matters 392 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:44,080 Speaker 1: of state. Even the very trait of the elder Sister, 393 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:49,280 Speaker 1: which is commended among many folks today, namely her ungrudging liberality, 394 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:52,879 Speaker 1: dispensed very widely over a long period of time. Even 395 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:56,280 Speaker 1: this trait, although it was no doubt satisfactory to those 396 00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:59,400 Speaker 1: who enjoyed it because of the benefits they received from her, 397 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:03,639 Speaker 1: was after all the sole cause, in the first place, 398 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:07,960 Speaker 1: of the universal corruption and of the reduction of Roman 399 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:12,800 Speaker 1: fortunes to their lowest ebb. Zoe and Theodora ruled together 400 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:16,360 Speaker 1: from April to June of ten forty two, and as 401 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:19,560 Speaker 1: we said earlier, while they both seemed to have been beloved, 402 00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:22,560 Speaker 1: there wasn't ever present since that it was simply wrong 403 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:24,359 Speaker 1: for them to be on the throne without a man. 404 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:29,240 Speaker 1: So to solidify their positions, Zoe married again, this time 405 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:33,080 Speaker 1: to Constantine Monomacos. He was a wealthy aristocrat who had 406 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:36,240 Speaker 1: a reputation for being a womanizer, but he also had 407 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:40,480 Speaker 1: experiencing government. He also had his own connection to the dynasty, 408 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:43,760 Speaker 1: although it was a somewhat distant one. He was related 409 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:48,399 Speaker 1: to Zoe's late first husband, romanos Uh, and he in 410 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:52,879 Speaker 1: this marriage became Emperor Constantine the ninth. Zoe, Theodora, and 411 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:57,119 Speaker 1: Constantine all ruled together, but getting married did not really 412 00:25:57,160 --> 00:25:59,679 Speaker 1: do much to avert scandal as it had been in 413 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:03,800 Speaker 1: ten did. Constantine had a lover named Sclarina, and that 414 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:07,320 Speaker 1: by itself would not have raised too many eyebrows, especially 415 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:09,560 Speaker 1: if he had kept her in his own house without 416 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:13,040 Speaker 1: being too showy about it and without being too you know, 417 00:26:13,119 --> 00:26:16,119 Speaker 1: extract extravagant and public and any gifts that he might 418 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 1: give to her. He did not do that, though he 419 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:21,840 Speaker 1: moved her into the palace and essentially treated her as 420 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:24,720 Speaker 1: though she were his wife, giving her the title of 421 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:27,560 Speaker 1: Augusta and having the staff refer to her as Empress. 422 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:32,880 Speaker 1: That's not problematic at all. According to the Chronographia, Zoe, 423 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: who at this point was in her sixties, actually didn't 424 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:38,919 Speaker 1: really object to this. Sclarina seems to have wanted to 425 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:42,040 Speaker 1: stay in the empress's good graces, gifting them things that 426 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:45,639 Speaker 1: they particularly loved. For Zoe that was sweet herbs, and 427 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:49,480 Speaker 1: for Theodora it was Persian coins, which she collected. But 428 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:52,840 Speaker 1: in ten forty four, Sclarina, who had asthma and had 429 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:58,760 Speaker 1: been experiencing chest pains, died suddenly. Constantine, who it seems 430 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:00,879 Speaker 1: Zoe chose as a husband in part because of his 431 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:04,199 Speaker 1: administrative experience, turned out to be pretty lavish in his 432 00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:07,399 Speaker 1: spending and also delegated most of the actual work of 433 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:11,040 Speaker 1: governing to other people. Just spent money really freely from 434 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:13,919 Speaker 1: the royal treasury and did not do a lot of 435 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:17,959 Speaker 1: the management work himself. He also ordered the execution of 436 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:21,560 Speaker 1: John the Orphano Trophos, who had already been exiled. He 437 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:25,560 Speaker 1: fought off a revolt led by a soldier named Maniacs, 438 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:28,919 Speaker 1: and the empire also had to defend itself against a 439 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:32,240 Speaker 1: Russian fleet which attacked in retaliation for the death of 440 00:27:32,280 --> 00:27:34,639 Speaker 1: a city and noble who was killed in a brawl 441 00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:40,639 Speaker 1: in Constantinople. Then there was another attempted usurpation, complete with 442 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:45,760 Speaker 1: the false rumor that Constantine was actually dead. That rumor 443 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:47,480 Speaker 1: was helped along by the fact that he did have 444 00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:50,919 Speaker 1: some kind of recurring serious illness. Towards the end of 445 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:53,520 Speaker 1: her life, Zoe put more and more of the day 446 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:58,040 Speaker 1: to day administration of the empire in Constantine's hands, which he, 447 00:27:58,359 --> 00:28:03,600 Speaker 1: of course then delegated. Then, after a short and intense illness, 448 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:06,919 Speaker 1: she died in ten fifty at the age estimated to 449 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:11,760 Speaker 1: be about seventy two. Constantine was described as being heartbroken 450 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:15,320 Speaker 1: after her passing, and he died five years later. That 451 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:19,720 Speaker 1: left Theodora as the last of the Macedonian dynasty, and 452 00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:24,560 Speaker 1: Slash's words quote, she herself appointed her officials dispensed justice 453 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:27,840 Speaker 1: from her throne with due solemnity, exercised her vote in 454 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:31,840 Speaker 1: the courts of law, issued decrees, sometimes in writing, sometimes 455 00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:34,840 Speaker 1: by word of mouth. She gave orders, and her manner 456 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:38,600 Speaker 1: did not always show consideration for the feelings of her subjects, 457 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:41,960 Speaker 1: for she was sometimes more than a little abrupt. But 458 00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:45,240 Speaker 1: Slash also says that she didn't trust her own judgment, 459 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:48,360 Speaker 1: relying too much on the opinions of other people and 460 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:51,800 Speaker 1: appointing a man who was quote completely lacking in political 461 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:56,160 Speaker 1: temperament as the head of her administration. And this doesn't 462 00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:59,040 Speaker 1: come up in the accounts of Zoe and Theodora personally, 463 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:01,680 Speaker 1: but it was a big enough historical moment that it 464 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:05,040 Speaker 1: seems weird not to mention it. In ten fifty four, 465 00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:09,160 Speaker 1: the Pope Leo the Ninth excommunicated the Patriarch of Constantinople, 466 00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:13,560 Speaker 1: Michael Serrellarius, from the Roman Catholic Church, and the patriarch 467 00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:17,480 Speaker 1: excommunicated the pope in turn. This became known as the 468 00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:20,840 Speaker 1: Schism of ten fifty four or the East West Schism, 469 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:23,520 Speaker 1: which was the final split between the Roman Catholic and 470 00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:28,000 Speaker 1: Eastern Orthodox Churches after years of growing tension. So that 471 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:30,360 Speaker 1: was towards the end of Theodora's life. She never married. 472 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:33,600 Speaker 1: She died on August thirty one, ten fifty six, at 473 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:36,800 Speaker 1: the age of about seventy five. She named a civil 474 00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:41,440 Speaker 1: servant as her successor, and he became Michael the sixth Stratioticos. 475 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:45,960 Speaker 1: This was the start of another period of chaos. Michael 476 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:49,080 Speaker 1: the six was overthrown in a military rebellion in ten 477 00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:52,960 Speaker 1: fifty seven, and then there was an abdication a general 478 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:54,960 Speaker 1: who took the throne, only to be captured by the 479 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:57,760 Speaker 1: Turks and replaced with a puppet ruler, and then yet 480 00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:02,959 Speaker 1: another military revolt. The Byzantine Empire was finally conquered by 481 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:06,280 Speaker 1: the Ottoman Empire in fourteen fifties. Three yeah, like four 482 00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:09,080 Speaker 1: hundred more years passed between that sum up of things 483 00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:12,640 Speaker 1: that immediately followed this last Michael and the end of 484 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:16,600 Speaker 1: the empire. There's a mosaic of Zoey and the Highest 485 00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:21,560 Speaker 1: Sophia in Istanbul. It bears the inscription Zoe the most 486 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:25,960 Speaker 1: Pious Augusta. It's also possible that Zoe and Theodora are 487 00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:30,080 Speaker 1: depicted in medallions and the Kakooli triptych, which is a 488 00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:33,480 Speaker 1: cloison a depiction of the Virgin Mary. The figures in 489 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:36,680 Speaker 1: that are not specifically named, but one of these medallions 490 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:40,680 Speaker 1: depicts two empresses together with the Virgin Mary, possibly being 491 00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:43,960 Speaker 1: blessed or crowned, and it's actually the only known depiction 492 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:47,200 Speaker 1: of two empresses together with the Virgin Mary. And all 493 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:50,840 Speaker 1: of Byzantine art, that is the kind of roller coaster 494 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:56,560 Speaker 1: of Zoe and Theodora with uh, with so question marks 495 00:30:56,600 --> 00:31:01,840 Speaker 1: about the the accounts in some cases yes, and the 496 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:07,320 Speaker 1: who poisoned whom? And did? Uh? Did? Did anyone drown 497 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:11,000 Speaker 1: accidentally or were they purposefully drowned? So many, so many 498 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:14,880 Speaker 1: potential murders and assassinations in this story. Do you have 499 00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:18,280 Speaker 1: non murderous mail? Yeah? I have an email, a much 500 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:22,240 Speaker 1: lighter in tone than the all the potential assassinations and whatnot. Um. 501 00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:24,680 Speaker 1: It is from Brianna, who says, Dear Holly and Tracy, 502 00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:26,600 Speaker 1: I've wanted to reach out to you, ladies for a 503 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:29,640 Speaker 1: long time. When I heard the subject of this episode, 504 00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:32,400 Speaker 1: that episode being the Jim Thorpe episode, I ran to 505 00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:35,480 Speaker 1: my laptop to finally write to you. Jim Thorpe is 506 00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:37,240 Speaker 1: a subject near and dear to my heart, as he 507 00:31:37,360 --> 00:31:40,000 Speaker 1: is the namesake of my hometown. I'm all of two 508 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:42,560 Speaker 1: minutes into the first part of part three on the subject, 509 00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:44,720 Speaker 1: so I'm sorry if I repeat some information or going 510 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:47,960 Speaker 1: over in the podcast. I discovered your podcast when I 511 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:50,320 Speaker 1: moved back to the area. Your voices have kept me 512 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:54,160 Speaker 1: entertained and informed as I turned my house into a home. Now, 513 00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:56,440 Speaker 1: I take daily runs while listening to your podcast and 514 00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:59,640 Speaker 1: visit Jim Thorpe's grave and memorial often. While there are 515 00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:02,400 Speaker 1: different ring opinions on whether his remains belong in a 516 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:04,520 Speaker 1: city he'd never been to in his lifetime, I can 517 00:32:04,560 --> 00:32:06,560 Speaker 1: say that the residents of this town treat him with 518 00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:09,960 Speaker 1: the utmost respect and honor. People who visit asked about 519 00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:12,880 Speaker 1: his history, and we're happy to share. My father also 520 00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:14,720 Speaker 1: grew up in this town, and he tells me stories 521 00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:18,240 Speaker 1: about how exciting it was to rename the town after him. 522 00:32:18,360 --> 00:32:21,120 Speaker 1: Even without the name change. Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania is a 523 00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:24,520 Speaker 1: town rich in history and beauty, with tens of thousands 524 00:32:24,560 --> 00:32:27,320 Speaker 1: of visitors every year. Jim Thorpe was a center for 525 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,520 Speaker 1: mining for anthracite coal and a founder of a coal 526 00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:33,880 Speaker 1: mining company. Created much of the town to house employees 527 00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:37,680 Speaker 1: of the minds, including his mansion. There's some deep history 528 00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:40,400 Speaker 1: about the Irish in this town, and they're also honored 529 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:43,200 Speaker 1: and respected every year during St. Patrick's Day. There's a 530 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:46,640 Speaker 1: canal system and a switchback railroad, and the people come 531 00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:48,760 Speaker 1: to visit from the cities to ride the train and 532 00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:53,600 Speaker 1: see the leaves. Every year. I'm including some photos highlighting 533 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:57,240 Speaker 1: our town, and then I'm going to skip over the 534 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 1: to try and describe photographs themselves, and an audio podcast. 535 00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:04,320 Speaker 1: I am writing to show my appreciation of the show, 536 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:05,840 Speaker 1: but if you want to read it on the podcast, 537 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:08,240 Speaker 1: I don't mind. I know there are some personally identifying 538 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:10,440 Speaker 1: details in this email. Keep up the great work, Brie. 539 00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:13,120 Speaker 1: I think I said Brianna at the beginning because I 540 00:33:13,160 --> 00:33:15,520 Speaker 1: was reading the email address, but it is signed Brie. 541 00:33:15,640 --> 00:33:18,840 Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Brie. I love seeing these pictures 542 00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:21,920 Speaker 1: because one of my favorite things to do when there 543 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:25,560 Speaker 1: is not a pandemic happening, is going to some cute 544 00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:28,680 Speaker 1: little town and walking around and looking in all the 545 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:31,680 Speaker 1: shops and galleries and eating in all the restaurants and 546 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:35,000 Speaker 1: having drinks and all the bars. And I loved I 547 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:37,320 Speaker 1: was like this. I had seen a few pictures of 548 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:39,880 Speaker 1: the town of Jim Thorpe before, but these particular ones 549 00:33:39,920 --> 00:33:41,880 Speaker 1: maybe be like, Yep, this is a kind of place 550 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:45,680 Speaker 1: that I would walk around, do a lot of window shopping, 551 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:50,080 Speaker 1: eating lots of restaurants. Uh, hang out and relax, go 552 00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:54,520 Speaker 1: hiking a little, watch, watch some tree leaves. Yeah, I'm 553 00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:57,640 Speaker 1: nostalgic for that. We'll put it on the list these 554 00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:02,560 Speaker 1: pandemic days. Uh So, if you would like to write 555 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:05,760 Speaker 1: to us about this or anither podcast or history podcasts 556 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:07,840 Speaker 1: that I heart radio dot com and we're all over 557 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:11,000 Speaker 1: social media at missed in History. That's where you'll find 558 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:14,600 Speaker 1: our Facebook, Twitter, interest in Instagram, and you can subscribe 559 00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:17,000 Speaker 1: to our show on I heart radio app and Apple 560 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:25,200 Speaker 1: podcasts and anywhere else to get your podcasts. Stuff you 561 00:34:25,239 --> 00:34:27,920 Speaker 1: Missed in History Class is a production of I heart Radio. 562 00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:31,120 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the iHeart 563 00:34:31,160 --> 00:34:34,279 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 564 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:35,000 Speaker 1: favorite shows.