Female incompetence, misogyny and xenophobia or a faulty marital policy on the part of the late Byzantine emperors?
Female incompetence, misogyny and xenophobia or a faulty marital policy on the part of the late Byzantine emperors?

Summary/Abstract: The reports of the late Byzantine historians off er a rather contrasting image of the empresses of native and foreign origin suggesting that while the former were ready, in extreme circumstances, to sacrifi ce the position of their off spring and eff ectively support the emperors in order to contribute to the welfare of the state, the latter were less likely to show similar loyalty. Besides the personality and character of each empress, this ‘defi ciency’ was apparently rooted in the disadvantages inherent in her foreign origin, which, in some cases, negatively impacted her decisions in private, political, and religious aff airs. Considering these challenges, the author questions the marital policy of Palaiologan rulers, which consistently weakened the position of the empress and repeatedly had negative consequences for both the emperor and the Byzantine state.

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