Theodora

Theodora was the youngest daughter of Constantine VIII and niece of Basil II.

She ruled in her own right on two separate occasions, first with her her sister Zoe after the death of Michael V for a couple of months (21 April - 11 June 1042), and then alone for almost a year and a half after the death of Constantine IX (11 January 1055 - 21 August 1056). She died after a sudden illness at the age of 76.

join rule with Zoe (1042)

sole rule (1055-1056)

CONSTANTINOPLE

Theodora (1055-1056). AV Histamenon nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1837.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm (often slightly blundered). Christ standing facing on footstool, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and holding book of Gospels with both hands; double border.

Rev: + ⲑєᴏΔωᴘᴀ ᴀᴠгᴏᴠcᴛᴀ (or very similar). Theodora (left) and the Virgin, nimbate (right), standing facing, holding between them labarum; empress wearing crown, saccos and loros; the Virgin wearing pallium and maphorium, on either side of her shoulders, ᴍ—ⲑ; double border.

Notes: thin, spread fabric.

…

Theodora (1055-1056). AV Tetarteron nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1838.

Obv: Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels; to left, ıc; to right, xc. [ıc and xc have lines above]

Rev: + ⲑєᴏΔωᴘ ᴀᴠгᴏᴠcᴛ (or very similar). Bust facing, wearing crown, saccos and loros, and holding jewelled scepter and globus cruciger.

Notes: small, thick fabric.

…

Theodora (1055-1056). AR ⅔ Miliaresion. Constantinople mint. Sear 1839.

Obv: ʜ ʀᴧᴀxєᴘɴıᴛıccᴀ. Facing bust of the Virgin orans, nimbate, wearing pallium and maphorium; in field to left, ᴍᴘ; to right, ⲑᴠ. [lines above ᴍᴘ ⲑᴠ]; double border.

Rev: + ⲑᴋє / ʀᴏʜⲑєı / ⲑєᴏΔωᴘᴀ / Δєcⲡᴏıɴʜ / ᴛʜ ⲡᴏᴘϕᴠ / ᴘᴏгєɴɴ / —ᴛω— in seven lines; double border.

…

Theodora’s sole reign dated from the death of Constantine IX on 11 January 1055. Since she was now seventy-four years of age it was generally expected that she would take a husband and again retire into the background. But she had learned from her sister’s experience that emperors acquiring the throne by marriage were commonly ungrateful, and court and populace alike were somewhat dismayed when they saw her assuming the full responsibilities of government, appointing officials, hearing cases, and issuing edicts as if she were a man. She proved, in fact, a more capable sovereign than many others of her century, and her nineteen months of rule were relatively free from trouble. But in the summer of 1056 she fell seriously ill, and was persuaded by her advisors to crown as co-emperor an elderly noble, Michael Bringas, or at least to designate him as her successor. She died on the last day of August 1056, on the eve of the opening of a new indiction.

Gold was minted in abundance during Theodora’s reign, despite her reputation for parsimony, and her coins are surprisingly common. Her claim that she had always been rightfully empress allowed her to avoid the usual accession donatives, which must have been a considerable advantage to the treasury. She struck only one type each of histamenon and tetarteron, the histamenon showing some small variations in design which are noted in the text of the catalogue. The careful delineation of the details of the imperial robes on both the nomisma and the tetarteron is worthy of note. The former shows very clearly the curious shieldlike fold of the simplified loros bearing a cross which frequently occurs in the costume of empresses in the second half of the eleventh century. Dumbarton Oaks possesses a very fine four-solidus gold bulla of Theodora on which she wears a simplified loros, with high pearl collar as on her tetartera, and holds a labarum and a globus surmounted by a trefoil.

There is only one type of silver coin, showing the bust of the Virgin orans (labeled Blachernitissa) on the obverse and an inscription in the field on the reverse. It continues the last issue of Constantine IX and was to be continued by Michael VI. Specimens are very rare; the only ones known to me are those in the Bibliothèque Nationale and at Dumbarton Oaks, Schlumberger and Dieudonné, who at various times published the Paris specimen, both attributed it to the reign of Constantine IX, regarding it as a companion piece to the coin of this emperor with the Blachernitissa inscription. The discovery of a similar coin of Michael VI has reduced the force of this argument, and Wroth is surely correct in ascribing the piece to the reign of Theodora alone. The silver coins give her the title despoina, while on the gold she is styled augousta, but at this time no distinction was made between them.

There are no copper coins bearing Theodora’s name, but Class D or E of the Anonymous Folles was being produced by the mint at about this period. Class C was attributed to her by Wroth, but it is much earlier, belonging to the 1040's.

(from DOC vol. lll)

Theodora's coinage