Irene of Athens-

Irene was born in roughly 752 A.D. to a distinguished Athenian family. It is believed that her beauty alone gained her a marriage to Leo IV in 769. There is no proof that Irene’s role of empress was anything but normal for the first few years of her marriage. In 770 the two had a son, Constantine VI (Gale). Irene continued the role of steadfast wife and mother, but things changed when Leo died in 780. Upon the death of her husband, Irene became regent for Constantine (then ten-years old).

It is my belief that this is when the power began to infiltrate Irene’s demeanor. Soon after her appointment, Irene betrothed her son to the daughter of Charlemagne, deciding his future for him. She also designed a new currency with customary pictures of Leo III, Constantine V and Leo IV on one side and herself and the young emperor on the other (Garland). Yet, at second glance, t

Overall, Irene of Athens was not a bad leader. Her endeavors to better the church were admirable, and she knew how to please the people. Had she been more altruistic and less power hungry, her good might have outshone the bad decisions she made on her way into power. Every person who vies for a political position no doubt believes they are the best for the job, Irene’s problem was that she took this to the extreme when she refused to relinquish power. Because of this she lost her son, later her home, and soon after that her life.WORKS CITED

Her tact was not perfect, she, like all other rulers did make mistakes. She did understand how to gain the support of the people, and used this skill whenever she could, in a positive and negative manner. The Byzantine economy was a mess by the time she left for Prinkipo. She had abolished some taxes and lowered others in order to gain the favor of her subjects. However, those closest to her politically, she never won over. The ministers in her cabinet squabbled amongst themselves constantly, and her military was never fully loyal to her.

Stewart, Robert Brian. My Lines . visited 6 October, 2003.

Shortly after this, Irene learned of Constantine’s plan to remove her from the capital completely, so she had him confined to the palace (Gale). Then she ordered the military to swear allegiance to only her as supreme ruler. Instead they rebelled and freed Constantine; Irene and her followers were banished from the palace until 792 when Constantine pardoned her, allowing her to return as empress (Gale).

Irene became dangerously ill in 799 as rivalry at court intensified (Garland). In the end, Irene’s illegal claim to the throne did not stop Pope Leo III from crowning the Frank king Charlemagne Roman emperor in 800. Irene and her supporters rallied for two more years, trying to fight the system. In 802 Irene was exiled, first to the island of Prinkipo and then to Lesbos, until her death in 803 (Gale).

As ruler, Irene was handicapped from the start. Under Roman law,

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