Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Meet extraordinary women who dared to bring gender equality and other issues to the forefront. Thereafter, Irene is referred to in official state records as basileus, emperor, and not as empress, the first woman to so rule in her own right. In one ninth-century example, the eunuch Staurakios helped Empress Irene overthrow and blind her own son. Aetios or Aetius (Greek: Ἀέτιος) was a Byzantine eunuch official and one of the most trusted advisers of Byzantine empress Irene of Athens (r. 797–802). "Empress Irene." When it met in Constantinople in 786, it was broken up by Iconoclast soldiers stationed in that city. He proved to be an ineffective and unpopular ruler, and Irene seized the throne in 797. 100 … She continued to take an interest in all matters of her empire: politics, warfare, and religion combined and tried to win favour by announcing reductions in taxes for her people. i'm doing a report on infamous people and want to know whether or not she is infamous. Artist: Byzantine; minted in Constantinople (now Istanbul) About this artwork. 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. A After her death, she became a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Irene of Athens or Irene Sarantapechaina, c. 752 – 803, a Byzantine empress from 797 to 802, exiled to Lesbos ID: JEENR3 (RM) The Empress Theodora and her attendants, from a mosaic in St. Vitale at Ravenna, Italy. 100 Women Trailblazers. Irene īrē´nē , c.750–803, Byzantine empress (797–802). Born between 750 and 755 into a noble family of Athens, she was chosen to be a bride of Leo IV – the son of Emperor Constantine V. Overnight, this orphan noble girl became a bride of an Heir of Byzantine Emperor. The same was true in ancient Rome, which began producing its first coinage in the late 4th century BC. Related Content During her lacklustre reign, Irene ruthlessly schemed and plotted to keep the throne she would lose and regain three times, but she is chiefly remembered for restoring the Christian veneration of icons, which her predecessors of the Isaurian dynasty had sought so vehemently to repress. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University and Michigan State University and University of Missouri. Empress Irene was the wife of Leo IV and, on her husband's death, she reigned as regent for her son Constantine VI from 780 to 790 CE. Byzantine Coinage of the Empress Irene – CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series. Constantine VI was proclaimed sole ruler and his mother banished from court. John Kantakouzenos was a Byzantine prince. 2760. Princeton University Library One Washington Road, Princeton, New Jersey 08544 USA 609.258.1470 phone | 609.258.0441 fax Genealogy profile for Irene of Athens, Byzantine Empress Irene Sarantapechaina (c.752 - 803) - Genealogy Genealogy for Irene Sarantapechaina (c.752 - 803) family tree on Geni, with over 200 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Byzantine Empress Irene Depiction of Byzantine Empress Irene, the wife of Emperor John II (r. 1118-1143 CE) as found in the Hagia Sophia in modern-day Istanbul (previously Constantinople), Turkey. Empress Irene and the Silk Trade (752-803 CE). Web. The Empress’ gold coins reveal much of her duplicitous character for, uniquely, they carried a portrait of herself on both sides. The Empress was not to be deterred, though, and she swiftly stationed the troublemakers to Asia Minor under the guise of preparations for a new military campaign. Anger at the demand prompted the themes (administrative divisions) of Asia Minor to open resistance in 790. Two monks were especially vociferous in their outrage at the emperor’s behaviour as head of the Church, Plato of Sakkoudion and Theodore of Stoudios, who both claimed that his divorce was illegal and so in marrying again the emperor had committed adultery.