Thekla, wife of Michael II

Thekla (died c. 823) was the first Empress consort of Michael II of the Byzantine Empire.

Family

Thekla is considered a daughter of Bardanes Tourkos and his wife Domnika. Her parents are considered to be Armenians. The nickname of her father means "the Turk" or "the Turkified" but his connection to the Turkic peoples is unclear. The Turks better known to the Byzantines at the time were the Khazars.

Her father was strategos of the Anatolikon Theme. In 803, Bardanes rose in revolt against Nikephoros I. Nikephoros had only risen to the throne the previous year by a coup d'état. Bardanes had support from elements of the Byzantine army but was defeated by Nikephoros. He was forced to retire to a monastery in the island of Proti. Nikephoros still considered him a threat and ordered the blinding of the defeated general.

Domnika was allowed to retain enough of the family wealth to become founder of a monastery. She retired there along with an unnamed daughter and a number of daughters-in-law. Her sons were also forced into monasteries according to Theophanes Continuatus, the continuation to the chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor.

Marriage

According to Theophanes, Michael married the daughter of his commanding officer. The marriage probably occurred prior to the revolt of her father. The defections of Leo V the Armenian and Michael II from the forces of Bardanes to those of Nikephoros were deciding factors in the defeat. Which would probably be the reason Thekla did not join her family into monastic life.

They had only one known son:

*Theophilos (813 - 20 January, 842).

The existence of a daughter called Helena is possible but there is a contradiction between different sources. Helena is known as the wife of Theophobos, a patrician executed in 842 for conspiring to gain the throne for himself. George Hamartolus and Theophanes report him marrying the sister of the Empress Theodora. Genesius records Theophobos marrying the sister of the Emperor Theophilos. Whether Helena was sister or sister-in-law to Theophilos is thus unclear.

Empress

In 820, Leo V accused his former comrade-in-arms Michael of conspiring against him. Michael was imprisoned but managed to escape. Michael organized the assassination of Leo in the cathedral Hagia Sophia on Christmas, 820. Leo had entered the cathedral unarmed and was thus unable to successfully defend himself. Michael succeeded him as Emperor with Thekla becoming the new Empress.

Her term as Augusta was brief and unremarkable. She died c. 823. Michael procceeded to marry Euphrosyne, a daughter of Constantine VI.

Sources

*Lynda Garland, "Byzantine Women:Varieties of Experience 800-1200" (2006)

External links

* [http://books.google.com/books?id=T4eMlP3nV4YC&pg=PA7&lpg=PA7&dq=bardanes+thekla+domnika&source=web&ots=TmhKmG-YsIM&sig=jm73KJplpY0suvYSiyCIHylCPP4#PPA8,M1 The Page from "Byzantine Women" discussing her mother.]
* [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/BYZANTIUM.htm#MikhaelIIdied829 Her profile, along with her husband, in in "Medieval lands" by Charles Cawley.]