irene of athens

He was 26 years old. Irene of Athens - Champion of Orthodoxy and the Birth of the Welfare State. Irene of Athens is similar to these monarches: Tzitzak, Theophylact (son of Michael I), Aelia Eudocia and more. Thus the two halves of the Roman empire would be united. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Constantine, however, did not like Maria and forced her to become a nun. Irene, (born c. 752, Athens—died Aug. 9, 803, Lesbos), Byzantine ruler and saint of the Greek Orthodox Church who was instrumental in restoring the use of icons in the Eastern Roman Empire. She apparently was a beautiful but orphaned girl who at the age of seventeen was brought to Constantinople by the Emperor Constantine V to be married to his son Leo in November 769. She was exiled, first to the island of Prinkipo (now Büyükada) and then to Lesbos. After Irene's deposition, the forces for iconoclasm returned to power, finally to be defeated under another strong iconodule leader, the Empress Theodora. When Leo died in 780, she became regent for her nine-year-old son. Irene was born in Athens about the year 752. If you find our videos helpful you can support us by buying something from amazon. Irene then reigned alone as emperor (not empress) for five years. Being in poor health, Leo died after only five years as emperor, on September 8, 780. Initially convened in Constantinople on August 1, 786, the council was moved to Nicea in May 787 because of the instigated opposition in Constantinople of soldiers loyal to the iconoclasts who forced the dissolution of the 786 sessions. She apparently was a beautiful but orphaned girl who at the age of seventeen was brought to Constantinople by the Emperor Constantine V to be married to his son Leo in November 769. Irene of Athens was one of the most ruthless, ambitious, and forceful women ever to hold a throne and, in her determination to prevent her son from reigning and her boldness in daring to become the first woman ever to hold the Roman throne, she ranks with Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt and Catherine the Great as a profound breaker with dynastic tradition. She was also known to have initiated the Second Council of Nicea. Leo, however, was a steadfast iconoclastwho, according to tradition, found that Irene possessed icons and thereafter would no longer … Irene of Athens (780-802), Solidus, Constantinople, AD 797-802 AV (g 4,41; mm 19; h 6) Bust of Irene facing, wearing loros and crown with cross, pinnacles and pendilia, holding a globus cruciger and a cross tipped sceptre, Rv. She was married by Constantine V, ruler of the Eastern Empire, to his son, the future Leo IV, in 769. The rival factions continued their intrigues and, in 797, Constantine found it necessary to flee the palace. Irene was a strong iconodule. Learning from the experience in Constantinople, Irene arranged that the council in 787 would be away from the capital, in Nicea, which incidentally was the site of Constantine the Great's council of 325. Irene of Athens Tuesday, January 1, 752 Irene of Athens is the most famous person named Irene. Events came to a head when emissaries from Charlemagne and Pope Leo arrived in Constantinople with a proposal of marriage between Irene and Charlemagne. However, after she had disclosed the location of the imperial treasures she held Nikephoros banished her to the island of Lesbos, where she supported herself by spinning. Irene, (born c. 752, Athens—died Aug. 9, 803, Lesbos), Byzantine ruler and saint of the Greek Orthodox Church who was instrumental in restoring the use of icons in the Eastern Roman Empire. Later in that year she crushed what seems to have been a plot by the Iconoclasts (opposers of the use of icons) to put Leo’s half brother, Nicephorus, on the throne. In January 792, however, Irene was allowed to return to court and even to resume her position as co-ruler. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Upon the death of Constantine V in 775, Irene's husband Leo ascended to the throne as Leo IV. Although she was an orphan, her uncle, Constantine Sarantapechos, was a patrician and possibly strategos of the theme of Hellas. Since Irene didn’t have any siblings, she must have had quite a lonely childhood being shuttled from one house to another. Her zeal for the restoration of icons put an end to the most virulent phase of iconoclasm in the Byzantine empire and paved the way for the permanent acceptance of icons in the Orthodox Church. Please consider supporting OrthodoxWiki. Irene of Athens is credited as Byzantine empress, Isaurian Dynasty, Pala D'oro, Venice. Irene was related to the noble Greek Sarantapechos family of Athens. It is believed that she was born of a Greek noble family. She gave birth to a son, Constantine, on January 14, 771. Irene favoured the restoration of the use of icons, which had been prohibited in 730. Their Zodiac sign is Capricorn. She was also known to have initiated the Second Council of Nicea. Her feast day is August 9. Corrections? Irene’s zeal in restoring icons and her patronage of monasteries ensured her a place among the saints of the Greek Orthodox Church. In the meantime, having taken Theodote, Irene's lady-in-waiting, as mistress, Constantine arranged that Theodote be crowned augusta, a title which Maria was not granted, and then married her. Before becoming empress, she was consort to Leo IV from 775 to 780 and empress dowager from 780 to 797. Seeking closer relations with the Carolingians, Irene negotiated a marriage between her son and Rotrude, who was a daughter of Charlemagne by his third wife Hildegard. She was the wife of Leo IV. As Constantine approached maturity, he grew resentful of his mother’s controlling influence in the empire. This letter became the beginning of the misconception that Irene is considered a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. However, Irene broke off the engagement in 788, over her son's objections. It is believed that she was born of a Greek noble family. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Irene-Byzantine-empress-752-803, Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors - Biography of Constantine VI and Irene. This came at a critical point in history, when the eastern empire was controlled by iconoclasts. Born in Athens of a Greek noble family, between the years of 750 and 755, little is known regarding Irene Sarantapechaina's life before ascending to the Byzantine throne. According to the contemporary Byzantine historian Theophanes, the scheme was frustrated by one of Irene’s favourites. Irene Serantapechaina, known as Irene of Athens or Irene the Athenian (Greek: Ειρήνη η Αθηναία, "Eirēnē") (c. 752 – August 9, 803) was a Byzantine empress regnant from 797 to 802, having previously been Empress consort from Irene of Athens is one of the Great People specifically a Great Merchant in Civilization VI. Irene of Athens was one of the most ruthless, ambitious, and forceful women ever to hold a throne and, in her determination to prevent her son from reigning and … The wife of the Byzantine emperor Leo IV, Irene became, on her husband’s death in September 780, guardian of their 10-year-old son, Constantine VI, and co-emperor with him. Vita Irenes, 'La vie de l'impératrice Sainte Irène', ed. Their son was born just a little Treadgold, 'The Unpublished Saint's Life of the Empress Irene', Byzantinische Forschungen, 7 (1982) 237-51. https://orthodoxwiki.org/index.php?title=Irene_of_Athens&oldid;=120658. Irene acceded to the change of events and only asked to continue to live as a private citizen in her palace. She had Tarasius, one of her supporters, elected patriarch of Constantinople and then summoned a general church council on the subject. The change of events and only asked to continue to live as a private in... Not like Maria and forced her to become a nun for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered to... Tarasius in Hagia Sophia Cathedral: Irene came from a noble family declared iconoclasm a.! ; see also W.T of Orthodoxy and the Byzantines blunt the threat from the theme of Armeniacs Constantine... To his son Staurakios and the birth of the use of a Greek noble.! Interest in finance or diplomacy, but made her mark in the empire officials... 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