Diary Entry of Empress Irene of Byzantine (c. 800)

It pains me to hear whispers of doubt regarding my ability to exercise my power, just because I am a woman. How dare they question me or my actions! I am unquestionably the strong and assured Emperor of Byzantine. Therefore I feel the desire to document the manner by which I have achieved this position, one hitherto enjoyed only by men.

There are few situations in life that I have failed to meet without confidence and assurance, most importantly the immutable fact of being born a woman. Why should I let such a trivial matter of being born without male genitalia, stop me from having ambition, and using everything at my disposal to achieve my goals. I am also quite displeased with the continued belief that being a godly woman means always submitting to a man. Why must women always be portrayed as the weaker sex? I have spent a great deal of time contemplating such questions, and I will attempt to explain my conclusions here.

In the Bible, God made Eve out of Adam’s rib. One could therefore conclude that he would be able to survive without her, but she wouldn’t exist, let alone survive, without him. Furthermore, when Eve decided to act without the counsel of Adam, the result was disastrous. I believe this story has contributed to the notion that women are not strong or smart enough to make decisions for themselves, let alone a kingdom. Although I had no formal authority over the laws of the land when I was the empress consort ruling alongside my husband Emperor Leo IV, there were many decisions that I initiated. Without tradition, or delegated authority to carry out my own judgments, it could be said that I had no power, but I certainly accomplished many things.

Even when my husband died, I was expected to defer to my son’s many advisers. These advisers poisoned him against me and eventually persuaded him to banish me from court. It was a matter of politics in my opinion; those who whispered in my son’s ear disagreed with my religious beliefs and wanted me gone. For years, I was forced to watch my son’s disastrous rule until finally I gathered enough of my supporters and took back the Empire.

How was I able to go from being relegated to the sidelines to rule in my own right? I acted with assurance and confidence. When I was faced with a possible uprising against me, I ordained the conspirators as priests, which consequently disqualified them from ruling in my place. I moved swiftly and punished my enemies fittingly. Weak woman? Hmph! Would a weak person give orders to blind her own son? Most likely not; I, however, made that very order, making it abundantly clear who was in charge. I tried to surround myself with advisers who would blindly follow my orders, and my orders alone. I no longer waited for a man’s permission to declare laws, gather armies or reestablish rituals and traditions. While my husband and son were staunch iconoclasts, I rejected this line of thought and restored icon-veneration throughout the empire. It was through my character and actions, not my given sex, that I was able to rule alone, choosing to use the title of Emperor rather than Empress. I find it so insulting that a different word must be used for a man versus a woman, and I knew signing documents with Emperor would garner immediate respect. I fought my battles intelligently, making concessions when necessary and strengthening relationships with neighboring realms. I have worked hard to soften the contention with the Franks, suggesting a marriage between my son and Charlemagne’s daughter. While that failed to come to fruition, I have pondered a union between Charlemagne and myself, whether or not that comes to be, I believe I have elevated Byzantines place in the Roman Empire.

I grew Byzantine’s borders by seizing the Balkans through military force. While I was not always successful in my endeavors, I learned from past mistakes and in my next venture, I would change my course of action. Given Byzantine’s location on the Silk Road, I saw the enormous economic potential in silk trade, so I built a palace that was given the sole task of producing silk. I was tough on the workers in that palace, some might even say that I was ruthless and cruel, but I succeeded in promoting and expanding Byzantine’s silk trade. Because I was born a woman, I had to work twice as hard to establish myself as a legitimate authority, but here I am, the sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire.

*sources referenced for this post include: Janet Nelson "Women at the Court of Charlemagne" and primary sources compiled by Lynda Garland at www.luc.edu/roman-emperors/irene.htm