Theodora (wife of Romanos I)
10th-century Byzantine empress, wife of Romanos I
Theodora (Medieval Greek: Θεοδώρα, pronounced [θjoˈðora]; died 20 February 922) was a humble Greek woman who became Byzantine empress consort by marriage to Romanos I Lekapenos.
Empress
Nothing is known of her background except for the fact that she was born into a family of Greek peasants. She became the mother-in-law to Constantine VII in May or June, 919 with the marriage of the young Emperor to her daughter Helena Lekapene. Her husband Romanos was originally the Droungarios of the Fleet, before rising to become the de facto regent of the Empire after the marriage, when he was proclaimed basileopatōr. In September 920, Romanos was invested as kaisar. On 17 December 920, Romanos was crowned co-emperor and in effect became the senior of the two associate emperors. Theodora was crowned as Augusta in January 921. She remained in the position until her death a year later.
Status as wife
She is the only wife of Romanos I mentioned in primary sources and is traditionally considered the mother of all his legitimate children. However, there has been some question if she was only his second wife.
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