The Byzantine Empresses In The11^th Century

Beteewn1025and1081, there was a very impressive phenomenon. In less than40years, there were four female rulers, Zoe, Theodora, Eudokia and Anna Dalassene who ruled the empire alone successively, as the emperors. In comparison with the former examples in which we can also find some empress who wielded imperial power, this phenomenon shows its own characristics. Firstly, this is a dense female domination phenomenon. Secondly, each woman only enjoyed a very short reign. The present study suggests that those changes in the international environment and the empire’s diplomatic philosophy caused these female rulers could not dominate the empire for a long time, so they had to give up the right to rule after a short reign. On the other hand, such a dense female domination phenomenon is not the episodic events in Byzantine political history, but the results of the gradual evolution which happened in the area of political, ecomonic and culture in the previous two hundred years.Firstly, the highly unstable Byzantine imperial power of the second half of the11th century is the root that caused Byzantine political instability, so the women could come to power frequently. Furtherly, there were three political groups that challenged the imperial power. They were demotic power, the power of church, as well as the big families. They growed and developed with the Byzantine economic development, as well as the evolution of the social structure.Secondly, the change of the social structure evolved the change of the Byzantine mentality. Byzantine secular law and the Orthodox doctrine have to make the affirmative concessions on the status of women. They protect the rights of married women in property and inheritance. At the same time, the Byzantine political culture evolved from the Pseudo-bureaucratic culture to the family one. Under the influence of this mentality, the principle of the genetical inheritance deeply rooted, the status and the role of the married women in the family was raied to the unprecedented heights. The image of the mother who srongly defended the children’s rights was respected and praised widespreadly. It was the principle of the genetical inheritance that supported Zoe and Theodora to become Empresses. While, the image of the great mother made Eodokia and Anna Dalassene pass over the private areas of family into the public realm to become Empresses.Finally, this intensive female domination phenomenon shows that Byzantine women’s influence on politics was not superfacial but far-reaching. It is the concentred expression of the increased power of the women in the previous centuries. For the general civilian women, the urban life’s revial gave them opportunities to participate in economic activities, their production was no longer to meet family needs, but for the markets. Going outside gave them opportunities to participate in social life. It was this group of women that constituted the main force in the City riots in1042. This is the most dramatic example of their participation in social life. For the upper class women, the re-emergence of big families made them become a continuation of the family line, they were the intergenerational transmission backbone of the family. Therefore, we can not underestimate the political influence of Zoe, Theodora, Eudokia and Anna Dalassene, although they only ruled briefly.