The CEO Empresses: Zoe and Theodora Having the Keys to the Kingdom

      Throughout history, powerful women have often been perceived as threats within male-dominated societies, and the Byzantine Empire was no exception. In most cases, the royal status of queens would be conferred through marriage, being the wife of a king. Being born into royalty, kings ruled naturally, with few daring to question their authority. When a woman's status stemmed from her birthright granted by her father rather than through marriage, she held a power that could not be easily taken away. A prime example of this is Empresses Zoe and Theodora, who were born into royalty and held significant authority during their reigns. Their influence on the empire posed a considerable threat to Emperor Michael; these events were described by author Michael Psellos in his book Chronographia, grappling with the Empresses’ power over the Byzantine throne. Unlike queens who derived power through their husbands, Zoe and Theodora held the keys to their kingdom by right of royal lineage that transcended their beauty.          

      Emperor Michael, whose authority was constantly tested by the Empresses’ presence, is portrayed as a figure overwhelmed by the sisters’ influence. Psellos’ account sheds light on Michael’s insecurities and hostility toward Zoe and Theodora, whose intrinsic power made them difficult to erase from society and their kingdom. Michael could not simply command the Empresses into complete submission to death or exile since he was not born into royalty. He indeed was put into his position of power by marrying Empress Zoe. Their status as rightful heirs was a unique source of power that Michael could neither erase nor fully override.  

      One of the most telling moments of Michael’s attempt to undermine Zoe’s power came when he orchestrated her exile. Psellos recounts how Michael leveraged false accusations to discredit Zoe and accuse her of unspeakable crimes. In a final act of humiliation, Michael ordered her hair to be cut, stripping her of the golden locks that symbolized her beauty, and royal identity. The act of cutting Zoe’s hair can be considered degrading because a woman’s hair is what separates her from her male counterparts. A woman's long hair can represent their beauty, so when Zoe’s hair was cut off, it was as though Michael was stripping Zoe of one of the many attributes that make her beautiful, that contribute to her queenship. Her forced exile by ship, surrounded by people who openly insulted her, was a calculated attempt to diminish her both physically and symbolically. Michael may have believed that stripping Zoe of her beauty would undermine her sense of queenship and authority, but he failed. Zoe and Theodora did not rise to power solely because of their appearance; they possessed an intrinsic power that could never be stripped away. Hence why Psellos explains a revolt within the kingdom in favor of Zoe and Theodora and a war fought on their behalf, that eventually undermined Emperor Michael’s wish of keeping Zoe in exile.        

      Psellos' Chronographia reveals that Zoe and Theodora were more than figures of beauty or passive consorts; they embodied the Byzantine lineage that had governed the empire for generations. As daughters of Emperor Constantine VIII, their claim to the throne was grounded in blood and tradition. Psellos describes Zoe as possessing an almost ethereal beauty: her smooth, pale skin and lustrous golden hair showcased her youth and vibrance. Zoe’s beauty was not merely ornamental; it was a manifestation of her regal identity, which made her both admired and feared. Zoe’s appearance is relevant because Psellos is expressing Zoe’s beauty. A medieval queen is typically depicted as a beautiful woman who has elegance and strength. Regardless of Zoe’s inheritance, it can be argued that she is portrayed as beautiful, which gives significance to her title as the queen.  

      Theodora, too, was striking but differed in personality and appearance. Psellos describes her as Taller and leaner, with a ready tongue and a keen intelligence, Theodora possessed a wit and liveliness that made her an active, perceptive participant in the Byzantine court. While Zoe’s strength was rooted in her dignified presence, Theodora’s was found in her quick responses and her natural aptitude. These sisters personified two facets of female power: Zoe, the graceful embodiment of traditional, inherited authority, and Theodora, the sharp-minded strategist. While these Empresses united at the end of Psellus's book, before they embraced each other with affection, there was jealousy and competition over which sister would be superior to the other in terms of queenship. Ultimately, their win against Emperor Michael allowed Theodora and Zoe to put their differences aside. Theodora acknowledged Zoe’s superiority, solidifying their powerful alliance. This formed a powerful dyad that took over the kingdom after Emperor Michael’s reign. 

      Queenship can often be reduced to appearances, Zoe’s beauty was both her weapon and her vulnerability. Michael’s decision to cut off her hair was an attack on her identity, an attempt to transform her beauty from an asset into a liability. By doing so, he sought to strip Zoe of her inherent dignity, eroding her royal image and diminishing her as a figure of authority. Zoe and Theodora’s authority went beyond beauty or inheritance; their power challenged the Byzantine Empire’s very understanding of female leadership, and their reign as co-rulers destabilized traditional expectations of a king maintaining intrinsic power, revealing the contradictions within a society that valued royal lineage yet feared female power. Psellos’ descriptions of Michael’s resentment and efforts to disempower Zoe and Theodora reveal the anxieties that powerful women could provoke within a male-dominated society. However, in the society that Zoe and Theodora ruled, Emperor Michaels's resentment was not enough to steal the keys to their kingdom. Zoe and Theodora’s right to queenship and power was locked within them.   

                                                                                   

Works Cited 

Psellos, Michael. Chronographia. Translated by E.R.A. Sewter, Yale University Press, 1953.