Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LBGF-H83
• Occupation: Emperor

Notes:

Romanus II, Emperor of Constantinople was the son of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, Emperor of Constantinople.1
He married, firstly, Bertha of Italy, daughter of Hugh d'Arles, King of Italy.2
He married, secondly, Theophano (?) circa 956.2 He died on 15 March 963.1,2

He held the office of Co-regent of Constantinople in 945.1 He succeeded as the Emperor Romanus II of Constantinople in 959.1
Children of Romanus II, Emperor of Constantinople and Theophano (?)
Basil II Bulgaroctonus, Emperor of Constantinople+1 d. 1025
Constantine VIII, Emperor of Constantinople+1 d. 1028
Anna (?)+3
Citations
[S38] John Morby, Dynasties of the World: a chronological and genealogical handbook (Oxford, Oxfordshire, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1989), page 52. Hereinafter cited as Dynasties of the World.
[S130] Wikipedia, online http;//www.wikipedia.org. Hereinafter cited as Wikipedia.

Romanos II was a son of Emperor Constantine VII and Helena Lekapene, the daughter of Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos and his wife Theodora.[1] Named after his maternal grandfather, Romanos was married, as a child, to Bertha, the illegitimate daughter of Hugh of Arles, King of Italy to bond an alliance. She had changed her name to Eudokia after their marriage, but died an early death in 949 before producing an heir, thus never becoming a real marriage, and dissolving the alliance.[2] On January 27, 945, Constantine VII succeeded in removing his brothers-in-law, the sons of Romanos I, assuming the throne alone. On April 6, 945, Constantine crowned his son Romanos co-emperor. With Hugh out of power in Italy and dead by 947, Romanos secured the promise from his father that he would be allowed to select his own bride. Romanos chose an innkeeper's daughter named Anastaso, whom he married in 956 and renamed Theophano.

In November 959, Romanos II succeeded his father on the throne amidst rumors that he or his wife had poisoned him.[3] Romanos purged his father's courtiers of his enemies and replaced them with friends. To appease his bespelling wife, he excused his mother, Empress Helena, from court and forced his five sisters into convents. Nevertheless, many of Romanos' appointees were able men, including his chief adviser, the eunuch Joseph Bringas.

The pleasure-loving sovereign could also leave military matters in the adept hands of his generals, in particular the brothers Leo and Nikephoros Phokas. In 960 Nikephoros Phokas was sent with a fleet of 1,000 dromons, 2,000 chelandia, and 308 transports (the entire fleet was manned by 27,000 oarsmen and marines) carrying 50,000 men to recover Crete from the Muslims.[4] After a difficult campaign and nine-month Siege of Chandax, Nikephoros successfully re-established Byzantine control over the entire island in 961. Following a triumph celebrated at Constantinople, Nikephoros was sent to the eastern frontier, where the Emir of Aleppo Sayf al-Dawla was engaged in annual raids into Byzantine Anatolia. Nikephoros liberated Cilicia and even Aleppo in 962, sacking the palace of the Emir and taking possession of 390,000 silver dinars, 2,000 camels, and 1,400 mules. In the meantime Leo Phokas and Marianos Argyros had countered Magyar incursions into the Byzantine Balkans.

Death of Romanos II

After a lengthy hunting expedition Romanos II took ill and died on March 15, 963. Rumor attributed his death to poison administered by his wife Theophano, but there is no evidence of this, and Theophano would have been risking much by exchanging the secure status of a crowned Augusta with the precarious one of a widowed Regent of her very young children. Romanos II's reliance on his wife and on bureaucrats like Joseph Bringas had resulted in a relatively capable administration, but this built up resentment among the nobility, which was associated with the military. In the wake of Romanos' death, his Empress Dowager, now Regent to the two co-emperors, her underage sons, was quick to marry the general Nikephoros Phokas and to acquire another general, John Tzimiskes, as her lover, having them both elevated to the imperial throne in succession. The rights of her sons were safeguarded, however, and eventually, when Tzimiskes died at war, her eldest son Basil II became senior emperor

Romanos married Phocus, Empress of Byzantine Theophano in 956 in Istanbul, Turkey. Theophano (daughter of Phocas, Emperor Nicephoros II) was born in 932 in Byzantine Empire (Historical); died on 15 Jun 991 in Istanbul, Turkey; was buried after 15 Jun 991 in Byzantine Empire (Historical). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. of the Byzantine Empire, Anna Porphyrogenita was born on 13 Mar 963 in Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey; died in 1011 in Kiev, Kiev, Ukraine; was buried in 1011 in Kiev, Kiev, Ukraine.

Other Events and Attributes:

• House: Macedonian
• FSID: LRQD-FS2
• Appointments / Titles: Between 913 and 959, Byzantine Empire (Historical); Emperor

Notes:

Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, Emperor of Constantinople was the son of Leo VI 'the Wise', Emperor of Constantinople.1 He married Helen Lecapenus, daughter of Romanus I Lecapenus, Emperor of Constantinople, in 919.2 He died in 959.1
He held the office of Co-regent of Constantinople in 908.1 He succeeded as the Emperor Constantine VII of Constantinople in 913.1
Child of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, Emperor of Constantinople
Romanus II, Emperor of Constantinople+1 d. 15 Mar 963
Citations
[S38] John Morby, Dynasties of the World: a chronological and genealogical handbook (Oxford, Oxfordshire, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1989), page 52. Hereinafter cited as Dynasties of the World.

Wikipedia

Constantine VII Flavius Porphyrogenitus (Byzantine Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος Ζ΄ Φλάβιος Πορφυρογέννητος, romanized: Kōnstantinos VII Flāvios Porphyrogennētos; 17/18 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Karbonopsina, and the nephew of his predecessor Emperor Alexander.

Most of his reign was dominated by co-regents: from 913 until 919 he was under the regency of his mother, while from 920 until 945 he shared the throne with Romanos Lekapenos, whose daughter Helena he married, and his sons. Constantine VII is best known for the Geoponika (τά γεοπονικά), an important agronomic treatise compiled during his reign, and his four books, De Administrando Imperio (bearing in Greek the heading Πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον υἱὸν Ῥωμανόν),[2] De Ceremoniis (Περὶ τῆς Βασιλείου Τάξεως), De Thematibus (Περὶ θεμάτων Άνατολῆς καὶ Δύσεως), and Vita Basilii (Βίος Βασιλείου).[3][4]

The epithet porphyrogenitus alludes to the Purple chamber of the imperial palace, decorated with porphyry, where legitimate children of reigning emperors were normally born. Constantine was also born in this room, although his mother Zoe had not been married to Leo at that time. Nevertheless, the epithet allowed him to underline his position as the legitimate son, as opposed to all others, who claimed the throne during his lifetime. Sons born to a reigning Emperor held precedence in the Eastern Roman line of succession over elder sons not born "in the purple".

Birth:
Born in the Purple

Constantine married Lekapenos, Princess Eleni on 27 Apr 919 in Istanbul, Turkey. Eleni (daughter of Lecapenus, Emperor Romanos I and Lekapenos, Theodora) was born in 906 in Istanbul, Turkey; died on 24 Sep 961 in Istanbul, Turkey; was buried on 19 Sep 961 in Istanbul, Turkey. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Byzantine Empire (Historical); Empress of the Byzantine Empire
• FSID: L5VF-6MD

Other Events and Attributes:

• Nickname: The Wise
• FSID: L5P9-K8Y
• Appointments / Titles: 886; Emperor of the Byzantine Empire

Notes:

Leo VI 'the Wise', Emperor of Constantinople was the son of Basil I 'the Macedonian', Emperor of Constantinople. He died in 912.

He held the office of Co-regent of Constantinople in 870, and succeeded as Emperor Leo VI of Constantinople in 886.

Child of Leo VI 'the Wise', Emperor of Constantinople
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, Emperor of Constantinople (904-959)

Citations
John Morby, Dynasties of the World: a chronological and genealogical handbook (Oxford, Oxfordshire, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1989), page 52. Hereinafter cited as Dynasties of the World.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_VI_the_Wise
https://www.geni.com/people/Leo-VI-The-Wise-Byzantine-Emperor/6000000000437064603

Imperador de 886-912.
(Cf. Souto, Dom Saul Palma e Dornelles, Homero Corrêa Pires. Livro Família Leães e sua Ascendência. Alegrete-RS-Brasil. 2010)

Leo married Karbonopsina, Zoe on 9 Jan 906 in Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey. Zoe (daughter of Stylianos Basilopator Tzaoutzes and Pordayrogenitus, Anna) was born in 865 in Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey; died in May 899 in Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey; was buried in May 899 in Church of the Holy Apostles (Historical), Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Burial: Istanbul, Turkey
• Appointments / Titles: Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey
• Nickname: With Coal Black Eyes
• FSID: L5VF-CSX

Notes:

Zoe Karbonopsina, also Karvounopsina or Carbonopsina, lit. 'with the Coal-Black Eyes' (Greek: Ζωὴ Καρβωνοψίνα, romanized: Zōē Karbōnopsina), was a Byzantine Greek empress consort and regent of the Byzantine empire. She was the fourth spouse of the Byzantine Emperor  Leo VI the Wise and the mother of Constantine VII, serving as his regent from 914 until 919.[1]

Contents
Zoe Karbonopsina was born into a Greek family. She was a relative of the chronicler Theophanes the Confessor and a niece of the admiral Himerios.
Empress

Desperate to sire a son, Leo VI married his mistress Zoe on 9 January 906, only after she had given birth to the future Constantine VII at the end of 905. However, this constituted his fourth marriage and was therefore un-canonical in the eyes of the Eastern Orthodox Church,[2] which had already been reluctant to accept his third marriage to Eudokia Baïana, who died in childbirth in 901.

Although the Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos reluctantly baptized Constantine, he forbade the emperor from marrying for the fourth time. Leo VI married Zoe with the assistance of a cooperative priest, Thomas, but Nicholas' continued opposition to the marriage led to his removal from office and replacement by Euthymios in 907. The new patriarch attempted a compromise by defrocking the offending priest but recognizing the marriage.

When Leo died in 912, he was succeeded by his younger brother Alexander, who recalled Nicholas Mystikos and expelled Zoe from the palace. Shortly before his death, Alexander provoked a war with Bulgaria. She returned upon Alexander's death in 913, but Nicholas forced her to enter the convent of St. Euphemia in Constantinople after obtaining the promise of the senate and the clergy not to accept her as empress. However, Nicholas' unpopular concessions to the Bulgarians later in the same year weakened his position and in 914 Zoe was able to overthrow Nicholas and replace him as regent.[3] Nicholas was allowed to remain patriarch after reluctantly recognizing her as empress.

Zoe governed with the support of imperial bureaucrats and the influential general Leo Phokas the Elder, who was her favorite. Zoe's first order of business was to revoke the concessions to Simeon I of Bulgaria, including the recognition of his imperial title and the arranged marriage between his daughter and Constantine VII. This renewed the war with Bulgaria, which began badly for the Byzantines who were distracted by military operations in Southern Italy and on the eastern frontier. In 915 Zoe's troops defeated an Arab invasion of Armenia, and made peace with the Arabs. This freed her hands to organize a major expedition against the Bulgarians, who had raided deep into Byzantine Thrace and captured Adrianople. The campaign was planned on a grand scale and intended the bribing and transportation of Pechenegs into Bulgaria by the imperial fleet from the north.

However, the Pecheneg alliance failed, and Leo Phokas was crushingly defeated in the Battle of Anchialus and again at Katasyrtai in 917. Zoe tried to ally with Serbia and the Magyarsagainst Simeon. This also failed to produce any concrete results, and the Arabs, encouraged by the empire's weakness, renewed their raids. A humiliating treaty with the Arabs of Sicily, who were asked to help subdue revolts in Italy, did little to improve the position of Zoe and her supporters.
Later life[

In 919, there was a coup involving various factions, but the opposition to Zoe and Leo Phokas prevailed; in the end the admiral Romanos Lekapenos took power, married his daughter Helena Lekapene to Constantine VII, and forced Zoe back into the convent of Saint Euphemia.

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: 9HSR-ZJB
• Appointments / Titles: 17 Dec 920, Byzantine Empire (Historical); Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans
• Life Event: 16 Dec 944; Deposed by his sons and became a monk.

Notes:

THEOFILAKTOS "Abastasos/the Unbearable" Lekapenos . According to Ostrogorsky, he was an Armenian peasant[1234]. Symeon Magister records that "Theophylactus Abastasctus…Romani pater eius qui postea imperatorum tenuit" served Emperor Basileios I in the fifth year of the emperor's reign[1235].

m ---. The name of the mother of Emperor Romanos I is unknown.

Theofilaktos & his wife had one child:

1. ROMANOS Lekapenos ([880]-Prote Island 15 Jun 948, bur Monastery Prote Island). Symeon Magister names "Theophylactus Abastasctus" as father of "Romani…qui postea imperatorum tenuit"[1236]. No precise information has been found concerning the birth date of Romanos Lekapenos. However, given the likely chronology of the births of his children it is improbable that he was born much later than [880]. Drongarios of the fleet. He manoeuvred himself into a position of power, replaced Empress Zoe as regent in 918, married his eldest daughter to Emperor Konstantinos VII, and was granted the title basileopator. Theophanes Continuatus records that "Romanus" was granted "cæsaris…dignitate" 24 Sep (in 920), and crowned as EMPEROR ROMANOS I 17 Dec 920[1237]. He became primary emperor [20 May 921/Apr 922][1238]. His successful military campaigns contained Bulgarian expansion. Peter Tsar of the Bulgarians renewed the war with Byzantium after his accession in 927 and raided Thrace, but in Sep/Oct he made peace under which Byzantium confirmed recognition of Bulgaria's borders established by the 897 and 904 treaties and Peter's own title of Tsar. The treaty was sealed by Peter's marriage to the emperor's granddaughter[1239]. After the peace agreement with Bulgaria, Emperor Romanos turned his attention to Asia Minor, where he recaptured Melitene in 931 and 934[1240]. Rus traders attacked coastal areas near Constantinople in 941 led by a "king named Inger"[1241] who negotiated renewal of privileged trading terms with Byzantium in [944], the text being incorporated into the Primary Chronicle[1242]. Emperor Romanos was deposed by his sons 16 Dec 944 and deported to the isle of Proti where he became a monk[1243]. Theophanes Continuatus records that "Romanus imperator" was deposed by "Stephanum filium"[1244]. Theophanes Continuatus records the death 15 Jun "in insula…Proten" of "Romanus imperator" and his burial in the monastery there[1245]. Cedrenus records the death in July "sextæ indictionis" of "Romanus" and his burial "in Myrelæo"[1246]. [m [firstly] ([900]) ---. The primary source which indicates that Emperor Romanos married twice has not yet been identified. If there was an earlier marriage, the name and origin of the first wife are not known. Kresten and Müller point out that Symeon Magister refers to Christoforos, domestikos of the Scholai, as gambros of "the emperor". They argue that the latter must have been the reigning emperor at the time, who would have been Romanos I, whose first wife could therefore have been the daughter of this Christoforos, which would explain the introduction of this name into the Lekapenos family. They also suggest that her name may have been Maria, the name given by Christoforos to his daughter (on the assumption that she was his eldest daughter)[1247]. Zonaras records that "Christophori uxor Sophia" became augusta after "Romani uxore Theodora Augusta" died[1248]. This passage does not specify that Theodora was the mother of Christoforos: a comment to that effect would have been natural if it had been the case.] m [secondly] THEODORA, daughter of --- (-20 Feb 922, bur Myrelæus). Theophanes Continuatus records that "Romanus" crowned "uxorem suam Theodoram" as "Augustam" in Jan "anno 6428" (921)[1249]. Symeon Magister names "Nicetas…Romani socer", which appears to refer to the father-in-law of Romanos Lekapenos, when recording that he ejected "Nicolaum patriarcham" from his palace[1250]. However, Georgius Monachus Continuatus records that "Nicetas…patricius, Romani consocer" ejected "Nicolaum patriarcham" from his palace[1251], which clarifies that Niketas was the father-in-law of Romanos's son (see below). According to the Vita Basil, the patriarch Theofilaktos was the son of Emperor Romanos's second marriage to Theodora[1252]. Vannier interprets the same phrase to mean that Emperor Romanos had two wives, both named Theodora[1253]. Theophanes Continuatus records the death 20 Feb, in 922 from the context, of "Theodora Romani coniux"[1254]. Cedrenus records the death 20 Feb "indictione decima" of "uxor Romani Theodora" and her burial "in Myrelæ"[1255]. Mistress (1): ---. The name of Romanos's mistress is not known. However, her origin is indicated by Leo Diaconus who names her son "Basilius Nothus, Romani quondam Augusti ex Scythica femina filius"[1256]. Emperor Romanos I & his [first/second] wife had [five] children:

(I include here only proof of his daughter to whom my line is connected):

c) AGATHA Lekapene . Theophanes Continuatus records that "Romanus imperator Agatha filia" married "Romanum…Leonis filium", dated to 921 from the context[1286]. Cedrenus records that "Romanus filiam suam Agatham" married "Leoni Argyri filio"[1287]. m (921) ROMANOS Argyros, son of LEO Argyros & his wife ---.

Romanos married Lekapenos, Theodora in 891 in Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey. Theodora was born in UNKNOWN; died on 20 Feb 922 in Isle Prote, Macedonia, Greece; was buried after 20 Feb 922 in Monastery of Myrelaion (now Bodrum Mosque), Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Byzantine Empire (Historical); Empress of Byzantine Empire
• FSID: LX7M-45D

Other Events and Attributes:

• Nickname: The Macadonian
• FSID: L1YD-94L
• Occupation: Emporer
• Appointments / Titles: Between 867 and 886; Emperor of Byzantium

Notes:

Basil was born to peasant parents in late 811 (or sometime in the 830s in the estimation of some scholars) at Chariopolis in the Byzantine theme of Macedonia (an administrative division corresponding to the area of Adrianople in Thrace).

Basileos married Ingerina, Eudoxia in 855 in Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey. Eudoxia (daughter of Martinakios, Inger Varyagi and Kouropolates, Matinakioi) was born in 838 in Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey; died in 882 in Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey; was buried in 892 in Church of the Holy Apostles (Historical), Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• House: Varangian
• FSID: 9CZC-YR4
• Appointments / Titles: Between 26 May 866 and 882, Byzantine Empire (Historical); Empress

Notes:

Eudokia Ingerina is Michael III 's mistress; she was forced to marry Basil the Macedonien

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_III_(empereur_byzantin)

Michael III (Greek: Μιχαήλ Γ') known as "Ivrogne" (born January 19, 840 and died on September 23, 867) is a Byzantine emperor from 842 to 867.

Regency of Theodora and restoration of the cult of images (842-856)[edit]
He succeeded his father Emperor Theophilus at the age of two on January 20, 842. As regent, his mother Theodora initially exercised the reality of power with the help of his brother the patrice Bardas and the logothet of the Theoctist Drome, and imposed the definitive restoration of the cult of images, which thus ended the iconoclastic crisis on March 11, 843.

Advised by Theoctist, Theodora, however, triggers a terrible persecution against the Paulicians, who are massacred and their property confiscated; the survivors take refuge with the Emir of Malatya, Omar al-Aqta.

On the other hand, the empress greatly neglects the education of her son who quickly becomes a debauched person. Bardas then incited Michael III, who was 15 years old, to kill Theoctist the Logothete on November 20, 855, and then four months later, in March 856, to dismiss Theodora, who had fallen from his Augusta title. The following year, accused of intrigue, she was locked up in a monastery.

Personal reign under the influence of Bardas and then Basil (856-867)[edit]

Michael III.
Unable to govern, Michael III left the government of business to his uncle Bardas, who proved quite effective: under his reign, and under the influence of Patriarch of Constantinople Photios, Saints Cyril and Methodius began the evangelization of Slavic peoples from 863; in 864 the Tsar of Bulgaria Boris I also converted to Christianity; militarily Michael

As for the Arab expansion in Asia Minor, it is contained in a victory at the Battle of Poson of another maternal uncle of the emperor, General Petronas (863), and compensates for the defeat of the Byzantine army led by Michael III himself (860). On the other hand, Crete is not resumed.

The new favorite, Basil the Macedonian, pushed the emperor to get rid of his uncle Bardas in 866. This crime marks the end of the Amorian dynasty: Michael III makes his favorite the co-emperor.

Quickly tired of Michael III'S behavior and unable to control him, Basil had him murdered on September 23, 867 by his cousin Asylaion and became the only emperor under the name of Basil I, thus putting an end to Amorian ladynasty in favor of the Macedonian dynasty. Michael is buried in the monastery of Chrysopolis (Üsküdar).

Union and posterity
In 855, Emperor Michael III had been forced by his mother to marry Eudocie Décapolitissa, whom he hated and from whom he had no children, and had Eudocie Ingérina as his mistress. To legitimize the children he would have with his mistress, he married her to Basil the Macedonian, his favorite.Leo VI the Wise and his brother Stephen I of Constantinople were thus born of Michael III and Eudicie Ingérina. It is not certain whether he is the son of Basil I or Michael III. His father's identity is the subject of many scholarly discussions and has not been formally decided. For the official historiographers of the Macedonian dynasty, Leo VI the Wise and Stephen I of Constantinople are the sons of his predecessor Basil I and his second wife Eudocius Ingérina. However, the majority of contemporary columnists tell a different story.

"After the death of Theophilus son of Michael, king of the Rums [Roman emperor], reigned his son Michael, son of Theophilus son of Michael. He had a general named Basil to whom he had given the first rank. One day, King Michael went out for a walk on the island opposite Constantinople... General Basil attacked and killed him... on the island and seized power. Basil was not of the royal family, he was of Slavic origin. He was told, "Why did you find it lawful to kill the king? - "Michel," he replied, "loved a woman whom he ordered me to marry, but without approaching her, so that she was my wife by name only and he lived with her. This is because he feared that his legitimate wife would learn this and that he was not allowed to marry a woman other than his wife. I accepted, then regretted and feared God. So, I considered that I was allowed to kill the king. ". Basil remained king of the Rums. "
However, Leon and Alexander's youth is disturbed by the feelings of antipathy and disgust that their official father feels towards them. This could help accredit the fact that Basil I is not their biological father.

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: G8DF-N5R
• Occupation: Byzantine Politican

Notes:

Stylianos Zaoutzes was a high Byzantine official of Armenian origin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stylianos_Zaoutzes

Stylianos Zaoutzes (Greek: Στυλιανὸς Ζαούτζης, but Ζαουντζᾶς in Skylitzes)[1] was a high Byzantine official of Armenian origin. Rising to high rank under Byzantine emperor Basil I (reigned 867–886), he then rose further to prominence under Basil's successor Emperor Leo VI the Wise (r. 886–912), who had a close friendship and possibly an affair with Stylianos's daughter Zoe Zaoutzaina. Stylianos Zaoutzes was Leo's leading minister during the first half of his reign, and was awarded the unique title of basileopator. His standing and influence declined after 895, but in 898, he became Leo's father-in-law when the Byzantine emperor married Zoe. He died in 899, in the same year as Zoe. Following an attempted coup by his relatives, the Zaoutzes clan was deprived of the considerable power it had amassed under Stylianos's tutelage.
Biography
Origins and early career[edit]
Zaoutzes was of Armenian descent, and was born in the thema of Macedonia. It has been theorized by the historian Nicholas Adontz that Zaoutzes might be the son of a contemporary strategos of Macedonia named Tzantzes, the name also of Zaoutzes's son, but the connection is ultimately impossible to prove.[1][2] According to Steven Runciman, the surname Zaoutzes derives from the Armenian word Zaoutch, "negro", reflecting Zaoutzes's particularly dark complexion. In the same vein, Zaoutzes was known among Byzantines as "the Ethiopian".[3] Whatever his exact ancestry, he shared ethnic and geographical origin with the Emperor Basil I the Macedonian, a factor that probably played an important role in his ascent to high office during the latter's reign.[2]
In late 882, the young Leo, Basil's second son and heir after the death of his elder brother Constantine in 879, was wedded to Theophano, a member of the Martinakes family. The bride was the choice of empress Eudokia Ingerina, and did not please Leo, who instead preferred the company of Zoe Zaoutzaina, the beautiful daughter of Stylianos Zaoutzes. Whether Zoe was actually his mistress is uncertain; Leo himself strenuously denied this in later accounts.[4] At that point, Zaoutzes held the post of mikros hetaireiarches, i.e. commander of the junior regiment of the Byzantine emperor's mercenary bodyguard, the hetaireia.[5] Leo's relations with his father Basil were always strained, and when Theophano informed him of this affair, Basil reportedly became enraged, beat Leo until he bled, and married Zoe off to one Theodore Gouzouniates.[6] Furthermore, in 883, Leo was denounced as plotting against Basil and was imprisoned; it was only through the intervention of patriarch Photios and Stylianos Zaoutzes that he was not also blinded.[7] This affair does not seem to have hurt Zaoutzes's own standing with Basil or his career, for by the end of Basil's reign he was protospatharios and megas hetaireiarches (senior commander of the hetaireia).[1]
Rise to prominence
Leo spent three years in prison, until released and restored to his rank in late July 886. Here too Zaoutzes played a major role, as he personally pleaded with the Byzantine emperor to secure Leo's release.[8] By that time, Basil was ailing, and on August 12, 886, he was gravely wounded during a hunt. Zaoutzes's participation in the hunt raised suspicions of a conspiracy, but his complicity is generally rejected, as Basil survived for nine days, during which he did not punish Zaoutzes.[9] Upon Basil's death, Leo was crowned emperor, but Zaoutzes, who was awarded the titles of patrikios and magistros and the office of logothetes tou dromou, effectively assumed control of the government, directing state policy.[1] One tradition, based on the Vita Euthymii (the hagiography of Patriarch Euthymios I), holds that Basil himself appointed Zaoutzes as regent (epitropos), but other sources indicate that his ascent to power was more gradual.[10] It is indicative of his authority that most of Leo's ordinances (novels) are directed to him in person, and in 893, he succeeded in getting his protégé, Antony Kauleas, elected as Patriarch of Constantinople.[11] In the same period (between 886 and 893), Emperor Leo VI himself delivered a homily on a church built on Zaoutzes's orders in Constantinople.[12]
Zaoutzes's rise to prominence was consolidated in 891–893, when he was given the newly created title of basileopator ("father of the emperor").[13] His promotion to this new and enigmatic title has been a subject of controversy, as neither the reasons for the creation of the title nor its exact functions are known. The early date of his elevation precludes a relation to the eventual rise of his daughter Zoe to the imperial throne as Leo's empress. Gratitude for Zaoutzes's support against Basil may have played a role, and a common theory is that the office implied some form of tutorship over the emperor.[14] The office certainly confirmed Zaoutzes as the senior secular official of the Byzantine Empire. However, although Zaoutzes has traditionally been regarded as an all-powerful regent over a weak emperor, in no small part due to the account provided in the Vita Euthymii, the actual relationship between the two may have been quite different. A more careful evaluation of the source material has led modern scholarship to conclude that Leo was actively involved in government, and that Zaoutzes as chief minister was loyal and obsequious to his master.[15]
An assessment of his record as the Byzantine Empire's first minister is difficult. Of the few available sources on his career, the Vita Euthymii, compiled years after Zaoutzes's death, is extremely hostile, seeking to pin the responsibility for several of the reign's failures or unpopular decisions on him, and thus preserve Leo from blame.[16] The account of the Vita is further colored by the fierce rivalry between Zaoutzes and Euthymios, then a synkellos and Leo's spiritual father, over influence on the Byzantine emperor.[17] Thus the Vita accuses Zaoutzes of being responsible for the sacking of the successful general Nikephoros Phokas the Elder from the army, as well as for the outbreak of hostilities with Bulgaria in 893: allegedly, two of his protégés moved the main market for Bulgarian goods from Constantinopleto Thessalonica and then proceeded to extract exorbitant fees from the Bulgarian merchants. When Leo, at the behest of Zaoutzes, rejected the merchants' protests, the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I found a pretext to attack Byzantium.[1][18] It has, however, been recently suggested by the scholar Paul Magdalino that the transfer was in fact Leo's initiative, aiming to enrich Thessalonica, whose patron saint, Saint Demetrius, he showed special favor to.[19]
Fall from favor and death[edit]
Nevertheless, all this has led to the enduring image of an ineffectual leadership in foreign and military affairs under Zaoutzes.[20] This may explain why, despite the resumption of Leo's affair with Zoe, the relationship between Zaoutzes and the emperor became strained: tales of an alleged plot by Zaoutzes's son to murder Leo in 894/895 indicate a rift between the two, and although Zaoutzes himself was not involved, a major quarrel between them ensued shortly after.[21] Although they were reconciled, Zaoutzes's standing seems to have declined further thereafter, as two of his protégés, found guilty of accepting bribes, were punished by Leo.[22] Nevertheless, in late summer 898, following the death of Theophano on 10 November 897, and of Zoe's first husband Gouzouniates in early 898, Leo at last married Zoe, raising her to Augusta. In the next year, however, both Zoe and Stylianos died.[23] Following their deaths, Leo proposed to marry yet again, choosing Eudokia Baïana as his wife. Zaoutzes's numerous relatives, who had benefited from his patronage, were fearful of losing their positions to the new Empress's relations, and conspired to overthrow Leo. Chief among them was Basil, Zoe's nephew. The plot, however, was betrayed by the eunuch servant Samonas, and the conspiracy suppressed. The Zaoutzes relatives were exiled or confined to monasteries, and the clan's power broken.[1][24] Samonas himself was richly rewarded: he was taken into the imperial service and rapidly promoted, becoming parakoimomenos by 908, before he too fell from favor.[25]
Stylianos's daughter Zoe Zaoutzaina. Stylianos Zaoutzes was Leo's leading minister during the first half of his reign, and was awarded the unique title of basileopator. His standing and influence declined after 895, but in 898, he became Leo's father-in-law when the Byzantine emperor married Zoe. He died in 899, in the same year as Zoe. Following an attempted coup by his relatives, the Zaoutzes clan was deprived of the considerable power it had amassed under Stylianos's tutelage.
Origins and early career
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Basil%26leo.jpg

Basil I and Leo. Illumination from the Madrid Skylitzes manuscript.
Zaoutzes was of Armenian descent, and was born in the thema of Macedonia. It has been theorized by the historian Nicholas Adontz that Zaoutzes might be the son of a contemporary strategos of Macedonia named Tzantzes, the name also of Zaoutzes's son, but the connection is ultimately impossible to prove.[1][2] According to Steven Runciman, the surname Zaoutzes derives from the Armenian word Zaoutch, "negro", reflecting Zaoutzes's particularly dark complexion. In the same vein, Zaoutzes was known among Byzantines as "the Ethiopian".[3] Whatever his exact ancestry, he shared ethnic and geographical origin with the Emperor Basil I the Macedonian, a factor that probably played an important role in his ascent to high office during the latter's reign.[2]
In late 882, the young Leo, Basil's second son and heir after the death of his elder brother Constantine in 879, was wedded to Theophano, a member of the Martinakes family. The bride was the choice of empress Eudokia Ingerina, and did not please Leo, who instead preferred the company of Zoe Zaoutzaina, the beautiful daughter of Stylianos Zaoutzes. Whether Zoe was actually his mistress is uncertain; Leo himself strenuously denied this in later accounts.[4] At that point, Zaoutzes held the post of mikros hetaireiarches, i.e. commander of the junior regiment of the Byzantine emperor's mercenary bodyguard, the hetaireia.[5] Leo's relations with his father Basil were always strained, and when Theophano informed him of this affair, Basil reportedly became enraged, beat Leo until he bled, and married Zoe off to one Theodore Gouzouniates.[6] Furthermore, in 883, Leo was denounced as plotting against Basil and was imprisoned; it was only through the intervention of patriarch Photios and Stylianos Zaoutzes that he was not also blinded.[7] This affair does not seem to have hurt Zaoutzes's own standing with Basil or his career, for by the end of Basil's reign he was protospatharios and megas hetaireiarches (senior commander of the hetaireia).[1]
Rise to prominence[edit]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Follis-Leo_VI-sb1729.jpg

Bronze follis of Emperor Leo VI (r. 886–912).
Leo spent three years in prison, until released and restored to his rank in late July 886. Here too Zaoutzes played a major role, as he personally pleaded with the Byzantine emperor to secure Leo's release.[8] By that time, Basil was ailing, and on August 12, 886, he was gravely wounded during a hunt. Zaoutzes's participation in the hunt raised suspicions of a conspiracy, but his complicity is generally rejected, as Basil survived for nine days, during which he did not punish Zaoutzes.[9] Upon Basil's death, Leo was crowned emperor, but Zaoutzes, who was awarded the titles of patrikios and magistros and the office of logothetes tou dromou, effectively assumed control of the government, directing state policy.[1] One tradition, based on the Vita Euthymii (the hagiography of Patriarch Euthymios I), holds that Basil himself appointed Zaoutzes as regent (epitropos), but other sources indicate that his ascent to power was more gradual.[10] It is indicative of his authority that most of Leo's ordinances (novels) are directed to him in person, and in 893, he succeeded in getting his protégé, Antony Kauleas, elected as Patriarch of Constantinople.[11] In the same period (between 886 and 893), Emperor Leo VI himself delivered a homily on a church built on Zaoutzes's orders in Constantinople.[12]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LeonVIDomestikosKatakalonBGhistory.jpg

From the Madrid Skylitzes: Emperor Leo VI receives a Bulgarian embassy (top); the Bulgarian victory at Bulgarophygon in 896 (bottom). The account of the Vita Euthymii holds Zaoutzes and his corrupt clients responsible for the outbreak of the war, which saw several heavy Byzantine defeats.
Zaoutzes's rise to prominence was consolidated in 891–893, when he was given the newly created title of basileopator ("father of the emperor").[13] His promotion to this new and enigmatic title has been a subject of controversy, as neither the reasons for the creation of the title nor its exact functions are known. The early date of his elevation precludes a relation to the eventual rise of his daughter Zoe to the imperial throne as Leo's empress. Gratitude for Zaoutzes's support against Basil may have played a role, and a common theory is that the office implied some form of tutorship over the emperor.[14] The office certainly confirmed Zaoutzes as the senior secular official of the Byzantine Empire. However, although Zaoutzes has traditionally been regarded as an all-powerful regent over a weak emperor, in no small part due to the account provided in the Vita Euthymii, the actual relationship between the two may have been quite different. A more careful evaluation of the source material has led modern scholarship to conclude that Leo was actively involved in government, and that Zaoutzes as chief minister was loyal and obsequious to his master.[15]
An assessment of his record as the Byzantine Empire's first minister is difficult. Of the few available sources on his career, the Vita Euthymii, compiled years after Zaoutzes's death, is extremely hostile, seeking to pin the responsibility for several of the reign's failures or unpopular decisions on him, and thus preserve Leo from blame.[16] The account of the Vita is further colored by the fierce rivalry between Zaoutzes and Euthymios, then a synkellos and Leo's spiritual father, over influence on the Byzantine emperor.[17] Thus the Vita accuses Zaoutzes of being responsible for the sacking of the successful general Nikephoros Phokas the Elder from the army, as well as for the outbreak of hostilities with Bulgaria in 893: allegedly, two of his protégés moved the main market for Bulgarian goods from Constantinople to Thessalonica and then proceeded to extract exorbitant fees from the Bulgarian merchants. When Leo, at the behest of Zaoutzes, rejected the merchants' protests, the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I found a pretext to attack Byzantium.[1][18] It has, however, been recently suggested by the scholar Paul Magdalino that the transfer was in fact Leo's initiative, aiming to enrich Thessalonica, whose patron saint, Saint Demetrius, he showed special favor to.[19]
Fall from favor and death[edit]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Samonas_informs_the_Emperor_Leo_of_a_plot_to_kill_him.jpg

Samonas revealing Basil's plot against Leo VI. Miniature from the Madrid Skylitzes
Nevertheless, all this has led to the enduring image of an ineffectual leadership in foreign and military affairs under Zaoutzes.[20] This may explain why, despite the resumption of Leo's affair with Zoe, the relationship between Zaoutzes and the emperor became strained: tales of an alleged plot by Zaoutzes's son to murder Leo in 894/895 indicate a rift between the two, and although Zaoutzes himself was not involved, a major quarrel between them ensued shortly after.[21] Although they were reconciled, Zaoutzes's standing seems to have declined further thereafter, as two of his protégés, found guilty of accepting bribes, were punished by Leo.[22] Nevertheless, in late summer 898, following the death of Theophano on 10 November 897, and of Zoe's first husband Gouzouniates in early 898, Leo at last married Zoe, raising her to Augusta. In the next year, however, both Zoe and Stylianos died.[23] Following their deaths, Leo proposed to marry yet again, choosing Eudokia Baïana as his wife. Zaoutzes's numerous relatives, who had benefited from his patronage, were fearful of losing their positions to the new Empress's relations, and conspired to overthrow Leo. Chief among them was Basil, Zoe's nephew. The plot, however, was betrayed by the eunuch servant Samonas, and the conspiracy suppressed. The Zaoutzes relatives were exiled or confined to monasteries, and the clan's power broken.[1][24] Samonas himself was richly rewarded: he was taken into the imperial service and rapidly promoted, becoming parakoimomenos by 908, before he too fell from favor.[25]

Stylianos married Pordayrogenitus, Anna. Anna (daughter of Pordayrogenitus, Leon VI and Zaoutzes, Stylianos) was born in 852 in Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey; died in DECEASED in Byzantine Empire (Historical). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: L5VM-TTF

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: G8X7-9MJ