Macedonian dynasty
The Macedonian dynasty ruled the Byzantine Empire from 867 to 1056, following the Amorian dynasty. During this period, the Byzantine state reached its greatest extent since the Muslim conquests, and the Macedonian Renaissance in letters and arts began. The dynasty was named after its founder, Basil I the Macedonian who came from the Theme of Macedonia, which, at the time, was part of Thrace.
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Basil I on horseback
Origins
Claims have been made for the dynasty's founder being of Armenian,[1][2] Slavic,[3][4] or indeed "Armeno-Slavonic"[5] descent. Hence, the dynasty is also referred to as the Armenian Dynasty by some scholars, such as George Bournoutian[6] and Mack Chahin.[7] Zachary Chitwood suggests the term Macedonian dynasty is "something of a misnomer" because of Basil I's Armenian origin.[8]
The author of the only dedicated biography of Basil I in English has concluded that it is impossible to be certain what the ethnic origins of the emperor were, though Basil was definitely reliant on the support of Armenians in prominent positions within the Byzantine Empire.[9]
List of rulers
- Basil I the Macedonian (Βασίλειος Α') (811–886, ruled 867–886) – married the Varangian Eudokia Ingerina, mistress of Michael III; died in hunting accident
- Leo VI the Wise (Λέων ΣΤ') (866–912, ruled 886–912) – son of Eudokia Ingerina, legal son and heir of Basil I; possibly the natural son of Michael III; created church crisis with his fourth marriage -- Zoe Karbonopsina, who took over as regent for their son, Constantine VII, in 914 and ruled the empire until 919
- Alexander III (Αλέξανδρος) (870–913, ruled 912–913) – son of Basil I, regent for nephew
- Constantine VII the Purple-born (Κωνσταντῖνος Ζ') (905–959, ruled 913–920 and 945-959) – son of Leo VI and Zoe Karbonopsina; married Helena, daughter of Romanos Lekapenos
- Romanos I Lekapenos (ruled 920-945); Lekapenos staged a successful coup in 919 and became senior emperor in 920.[10]
- Romanos II the Purple-born (Ρωμανός Β') (938–963, ruled 959–963) – son of Constantine VII
- Nikephoros II Phokas (Νικηφόρος Β' Φωκᾶς) (912–969, ruled 963–969) – successful general, married Romanos II's widow, regent for Basil; assassinated (Origin: Cappadocian)
- John I Tzimiskes (Ιωάννης Α')(925-976, ruled 969–976) – successful general, brother-in-law of Romanos II, lover of Nikephoros's wife but banned from marriage, regent for Basil II and Constantine VIII
- Basil II (Βασίλειος Β') the Bulgar-slayer (958–1025, ruled 976–1025) – son of Romanos II
- Constantine VIII (Κωνσταντῖνος Η') (960-1028, ruled 1025–1028) – son of Romanos II; silent co-emperor with Basil II, sole emperor after his brother's death
- Zoe (Ζωή) (c. 978–1050, ruled 1028–1050) – daughter of Constantine VIII
- Romanos III Argyros (Ρωμανός Γ')(968–1034, ruled 1028–1034) – eparch of Constantinople; Zoe's first husband, arranged by Constantine VIII; murdered
- Michael IV the Paphlagonian (Μιχαήλ Δ') (1010–1041, ruled 1034–1041) – Zoe's second husband
- Michael V the Caulker (Μιχαήλ Ε') (1015–1042, ruled 1041–1042) – Michael IV's nephew, Zoe's adopted son
- Theodora (Θεοδώρα) (980–1056, ruled 1042) – daughter of Constantine VIII, co-empress with Zoe
- Constantine IX Monomachos (Κωνσταντῖνος Θ') (1000–1055, ruled 1042–1055) – Zoe's third husband
- Theodora (Θεοδώρα) (ruled 1055–1056) – restored
Non-dynastic
- Michael VI (Μιχαήλ ΣΤ') (ruled 1056–1057) – chosen by Theodora; deposed and entered monastery
Family tree
- Basil I the Macedonian (813–886)
- from his marriage to Maria:
- Constantine (865–878), co-emperor with his father
- Anastasia
- from his marriage to empress Eudokia Ingerina:
- Leo VI the Wise (866–912)
- Eudokia (died 892)
- Anna betrothed and married to Louis the Blind
- Basil (died 900)
- Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (905–959), married Helena Lekapene, daughter of Romanos I Lekapenos
- Romanos II (938–963) married to Bertha, daughter of Hugh of Italy king of Italy
- childless by his marriage to Bertha of Italy
- from his marriage to Theophano:
- Basil II the Bulgar-Slayer (957–1025)
- Constantine VIII (961–1028) married Helena, daughter of Alypius
- Eudokia
- Zoe (978–1050), married:
- Romanos III Argyros (ca. 968–1034)
- Michael IV the Paphlagonian (1015–1042)
- Constantine IX Monomachos (ca. 1000–1055)
- Theodora (980–1056)
- Anna Porphyrogeneta (963–1011), married Vladimir I of Kiev
- Agathe
- Theodora, married John I Tzimiskes
- Romanos II (938–963) married to Bertha, daughter of Hugh of Italy king of Italy
- Stephen I (867–893), Patriarch of Constantinople
- Alexander (870–913)
- Leo VI the Wise (866–912)
- from his marriage to Maria:
Genealogy
| Michael III emperor of the Romans 842-867 AMORIAN/PHRYGIAN DYNASTY | Eudokia Ingerina |  Basil I emperor of the Romans 867-886 | Maria | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Romanos I Lekapenos emperor of the Romans 920-944 | 1.Theophano Martinakia 2.Zoe Zaoutzaina 3.Eudokia Baïana 4.Zoe Karbonopsina | Leo VI the Wise emperor of the Romans 886-912 | Stephen I Patriarch of Constantinople 886-893 | Alexander emperor of the Romans 912-913 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Christopher Lekapenos co-emperor 921-931 ∞ Sophia | Agatha ∞ Romanos Argyros | Theophylact Patriarch of Constantinople 933-956 | Helena Lekapene (Lekapenos) | (4) Constantine VII emperor of the Romans 913-959 | (2) Anna ∞ Louis III the Blind king of Provence, king of Lombardy Bosonids | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Maria) Irene Lekapene ∞ Peter I king of Bulgaria 927-969 | Argyros | Nikephoros II Phokas emperor of the Romans 963-969 Phokas | (Anastasia) Theophano from Laconia | Romanos II emperor of the Romans 959-963 | Theodora Porphyrogenita empress | John I Tzimiskes emperor of the Romans 969-976 Kourkouas | Charles Constantine count of Vienne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pothos (or Eustathios) Argyros general | Basil II emperor of the Romans 976-1025 | Constantine VIII emperor of the Romans 1025-1028 ∞ Helena of Alypius | Anna Porphyrogenita ∞ Vladimir I the Great grand prince of Kiev Rurik dynasty | Constance of Vienne ∞ Boson II count of Arles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maria Argyre ∞ Giovanni Orseolo duke of Dalmatia | Basil Argyros general of Samos | 1.Romanos III Argyros emperor of the Romans 1028-1034 | Zoë Porphyrogenita empress of the Romans 1028-1050 ∞ 2.Michael IV the Paphlagonian emperor of the Romans 1034-1041 | 3.Constantine IX Monomachos emperor of the Romans 1042-1055 | Helena Skleraina | Theodora empress of the Romans 1055-1056 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (daughter) ∞ Constantine Diogenes | (adopted) Michael V Kalaphates emperor of the Romans 1041-1042 | Anastasia Monomachaina ∞ Vsevolod I of Kiev | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Romanos IV Diogenes emperor of Romans 1068-1071 | Eudokia Makrembolitissa empress | Constantine X Doukas emperor of the Romans 1059-1067 DOUKAS DYNASTY | Vladimir II Monomakh grand prince of Kiev | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
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- Treadgold 1997, p. 455
- Peter Charanis.Studies on the demography of the Byzantine empire: collected studies Variorum Reprints, 1972 p223(360):"Thus, every emperor who sat on the Byzantine throne the accession of Basil I to the death of Basil II (867—1025) was of Armenian or partially Armenian origin. But besides the emperors there were many others among the military and political leaders of Byzantine during this period who were Armenians or of Armenian descent"
- Tobias 2007, p. 20. Tobias is referring to the writings of Hamza al-Isfahani, a 10th-century Persian scholar.
- Finlay 1853, p. 213.
- Vasiliev 1928–1935, p. 301
- Bournoutian, George (2002). A Concise History of the Armenian People. Mazda Publishers. p. 89. ISBN 9781568591414.
....the later Macedonian dynasty, according to most Byzantinists, was of Armenian origin as well. The tenure of that dynasty (9th to the 1 ll centuries) is considered the apex of Armenian dominance in the political and military structure of the empire. Armenian emperors, generals, and military contingents had their greatest military successes against the Arabs, the Slavs, and Bulgars. Ironically, it was this same Armenian dynasty which was chiefly responsible for the breakup of the Bagratuni kingdom.
- Chahin, Mack. The Kingdom of Armenia: A History. London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2001, p. 232 ISBN 0-7007-1452-9
- Chitwood, Zachary (2017). Byzantine Legal Culture and the Roman Legal Tradition, 867-1056. Cambridge University Press. p. 18. ISBN 9781107182561.
- Tobias 2007, p. 264
- Chris Wickham, The Inheritance of Rome
Sources
- Fine, John Van Antwerp Jr. (1991) [1983]. The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Obolensky, Dimitri (1974) [1971]. The Byzantine Commonwealth: Eastern Europe, 500-1453. London: Cardinal.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Ostrogorsky, George (1956). History of the Byzantine State. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Runciman, Steven (1988) [1929]. The Emperor Romanus Lecapenus and His Reign: A Study of Tenth-Century Byzantium. Cambridge University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Stephenson, Paul (2000). Byzantium's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900-1204. Cambridge University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Stephenson, Paul (2003). The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-Slayer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Thurn, Hans, ed. (1973). Ioannis Scylitzae Synopsis historiarum. Berlin-New York: De Gruyter.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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