A Foreign Princess in the Constantinopolitan Court and amid Severe Power Struggles: Maria of Antioch

Empress Maria from Vat. gr. 1176, f. IIr

In the history of Byzantine Empire, 11^th and 12^th centuries were exceptional regarding the number of powerful women who steered the empire or had an impact on the imperial policies,[1] although previous centuries also encountered mighty empresses such as Theodora, wife of Justinian II. [2] Starting from Zoe Porphyrogenite (1028-50), some of these powerful women held the power directly at their hands, whereas some of them held it more indirectly, some acted as the regents for their sons, the nominal emperor, for example. In either case, these powerful rulers of Byzantium say a lot about the political and social transformations in the 11^th and 12^th centuries, as well as they, contribute much for the women studies in the Byzantine period.[3] Despite the multitude of powerful women rulers who sit in the capital city, Constantinople, this paper deals with one of them: Maria of Antioch, or with the monastic name she adopted for herself Maria-Xene.