To close our little tribute to the Byzantine empresses, we speak of Zoe Porphyrogenita who, unlike the predecessors we have spoken to, came of high born origins (hence why her surname is Porphyrogenita, which meant 'born into the purple', a colour that for a long time has been associated to royalty in general) and was politically and culturally cunning for her days. Yet, it's sad to attest that few were the proper websites that were dedicated to her, but one hopes this should not prevent those who are intrigued to search further about our historical character.
Born Zoe Porphyrogenita, she was the second daughter of Constantine VIII and Helena of Alypious. She had an older sister, Eudocia, and one younger, Theodora. Eudocia was unfit to rule due to her appearance being disfigured by small pox, and it's known that if the heir of the imperial crown has some physical disease or incapacity, they are thus unfit to rule. Zoe would have to share the throne with her younger sister, Theodora.
Not much is known of Zoe's childhood and youth, since she remained in obscurity once her uncle, Basil II, feared the loss of the Macedonian Dynasty if his nieces were married. Still, suitors sought the hands of the imperial princesses, though it was Zoe's that Basil II agreed to give to the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III in 996 once she captured the attention of the Emperor's ambassy, Arnulf, who thought Zoe quite the beauty.
As a result, "in January 1002, she accompanied Arnulf back to Italy, only to discover when the ship reached Bari that Otto III had died, forcing her to return home. Another opportunity arose in 1028, when an embassy from the Holy Roman Empire arrived in Constantinople with a proposal for an imperial marriage. Constantine VIII and the fifty-year-old Zoe rejected the idea out of hand when it was revealed that the intended groom Henry, the son of Conrad II, was only ten years old."
It was not until her uncle had died that Zoe was able to choose her own husband. Until that moment, she was forced to be at the company of her youngest sister, Theodora, whom she despised and had jealousy feelings because "she had never forgiven Theodora for being their father's first choice to marry Romanos." He, who would eventually be her husband and co-emperor as Romanos III Agyros, was the urban prefect of Constantinople, and third distant cousin of the Empress.
In order to have the power for herself, unwilling as she was to share with her sister, Zoe manipulated Romanos by preventing him to marry Theodora, by placing one of his men to watch her and later, by accusing her sister "of plotting to usurp the throne,first with Presian of Bulgaria, followed by Constantine Diogenes, the Archon of Sirmium." Consequently, Zoe had her own youngest sister locked in a monastery and forced her to take her vows.
Even though she was married and crowned next to Romanos, the Empress became obsessed in keeping the dynasty of which she was a member to and attempted the many medieval ways possible to carry an heir, such as potions, amulets and magic charms. But neither of the said options could give her what she wanted. Romanos, then, attempted to control the Empress further by limiting her activities, though he tolerated her extra marital affairs. However,
"On April 11, 1034, Romanos III was found dead in his bath, and there was speculation that Zoe and Michael had conspired to have him poisoned, then strangled or drowned. Zoe married Michael later that same day and he reigned as Michael IV until his death in 1041."
Interesting is to observe that, even though she had her first marriage at an advanced age for that time, she remarried in a short time. According to her contemporary chronicles, this beauty and youth admired by others were the result of her concern to her vanity, that is, to remain young and beautiful. As we see next:
"The eye-witness chronicles of the era describe her as blonde, with bright white skin, lack of wrinkles, and a very young girl appearance, preserving her beauty even into her 60s. All the historical sources agree that her main occupation was the manufacture of cosmetic essences, and for this purpose, she had installed a laboratory (myrepseion) in her private quarters, where she prepared various drugs and perfumes, spending much of her time for these activities"
That way, she was far more lively even in ther fifties than probably when she was younger, but it must taken in consideration that her parents and uncle no longer were there to refrain her free spirit. As for marrying one of her lovers, Zoe thought, as probably many women would regardless the century, that he was the one. That Michael would be more devoted to her, more than her previous husband. Zoe was to be proven wrong, for:
"Michael IV was concerned about Zoe turning on him the way she had turned on Romanos, so he excluded Zoe from politics by placing all power in the hands of his brother John the Eunuch. Zoe was confined again to the palace gynaeceum and kept under strict surveillance, while Michael's visits grew more and more infrequent. Nevertheless, the disgruntled empress conspired in vain against John in 1037 or 1038."
Although we have no informations of how were the politics under the reign of Zoe, it can be presumed, perhaps, they were partly the reason of her popularity, for when Michael V had banished her after the death of Zoe's hand and continued to imput such a harsh treatment, a popular and violent riot rose that almost took him life. To attend the popular demand of bringing the Empress back, she did so, but this time she was not meant to rule solely. Instead, Zoe was forced to reign with the sister she hated the most: Theodora.
"A delegation headed by the Patrician Constantine Cabasilas went to the monastery at Petrion to convince Theodora to become co-empress alongside her sister. At an assembly at Hagia Sophia, the people escorted a furious Theodora from Petrion and proclaimed her empress along Zoe. After crowning Theodora, the mob stormed the palace, forcing Michael V to escape to a monastery."
But the sibling rivalry would remain still. Several were the attempts Zoe tried to overshadow the policies by reigning solely, but she was prevented each time of doing so. One of these attempts, however, included a third husband and this was the limit the Orthodox Church permitted for the sovereigns to remarry. Constantine IX then was Zoe's third husband, but he would not give in his long term mistress in order to marry the empress, a deal that was oddly taken with no complaints from Zoe.
During his reign, she permitted Constantine to rule almost as if he was sole emperor, once she gave him powers to do so. But, behind all the schemes, it was Theodora who reigned effectively. However, that was not how it was seen before the public, who, once again, protested in the strees against the poor treatment Constantine IX was imputing the sisters. Their presences were required and both Zoe and Theodora showed before the people to assure them there had been no attempt of murdering Zoe and that all rested well.
Unfortunately, there is no further information of the last days of Zoe Porphyrogenita, a woman that was, to certain extent, ahead of her days, living against the general medieval expectation concerning how a consort should act and behave. What is known is that she did not stop her activities of perfume and cosmetics, and that she died around the year of 1050, childless.
Bibliography:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zo%C3%AB_Porphyrogenita
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1473-2165.2012.00629.x/abstract?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+unavailable+on+Saturday+25th+March+from+07%3A00+GMT+%2F+03%3A00+EDT+%2F+15%3A00+SGT+for+4+hours+for+essential+maintenance.++Apologies+for+the+inconvenience.
Very informative. Thank you !
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