Helena, daughter of Alypius
Helena, daughter of Alypius was the wife of Constantine VIII, Emperor of Constantinople.
Life
Very little is known about her, as she is only briefly mentioned in the Chronographia of Michael Psellos, followed in the works of John Skylitzes and the Zonaras.[1] Psellos writes of her only that:
"Constantine while still a young man, had married a lady called Helena. She was a daughter of the renowned Alypius, then the leading man in the city and member of a noble family held in high repute. This lady, who was not only beautiful but also virtuous, bore him three daughters before she died."[2]
Apart from this reference in Psellos, her father Alypius is otherwise unknown.[3] The marriage probably took place ca. 976, and Helena died at some unknown point, apparently long before her husband became sole emperor in 1025.[1] The historian Gunther G. Wolf theorized that she died ca. 989, possibly during the birth of her third daughter.[1]
Their three daughters were:[1]
- Eudokia. Eldest daughter. According to the Chronographia "in childhood she had been attacked by some infectious illness, and her looks had been marred ever since".[4] She later became a nun.
- Zoe.
- Theodora.
At the time of their marriage Constantine VIII was the co-ruler of his older brother Basil II. Basil reigned as senior Byzantine Emperor from 976 to 1025 but never married, which would make Helena the only Augusta during his reign.
Possible descendants
Ronald Wells, a modern genealogist, has suggested that Eudokia did not remain a nun for life. He has theorised an identification of Eudokia with the otherwise unnamed wife of Andronikos Doukas, a Paphlagonian nobleman who may have served as governor of the theme of Moesia. This theory would make Helena a maternal grandmother of Constantine X and John Doukas.[5]
Wells has further suggested two daughters of the above proposed union. The first suggested daughter is Marija, the wife of Ivan Vladislav. The second daughter is "Sophia", an alleged wife of Manuel Erotikos Komnenos.[6] Manuel was the father of Isaac I Komnenos and John Komnenos, the latter being the father of Alexios I Komnenos.
The theory apparently serves as a way to trace the ancestry of the Doukas and Komnenos families to the Macedonian dynasty. However if such a descent exists, primary sources are silent about it.
References
Sources
- Lilie, Ralph-Johannes; Ludwig, Claudia; Zielke, Beate; Pratsch, Thomas, eds. (2013). Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit Online. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Nach Vorarbeiten F. Winkelmanns erstellt (in German). De Gruyter.
External links
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Theodora |
Byzantine Empress consort ca. 976 – unknown |
Vacant Title next held by Zoe Porphyrogenita |