Anna Dalassena (c. 1025–1105)

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Anna Dalassena (c. 1025–1105)

Byzantine empress, and mother of the Comneni, who helped found the Comnenid Dynasty. Birth date unknown, possibly around 1025; died around 1105; daughter of Alexius "Charon" Dalassenus (Byzantine governor of Italy); married John Comnenus or Komnenos(d. 1067, brother of Isaac Comnenus, r. 1057–1059); children: eight, including Manuel; Isaac (d. ca. 1106); Alexius I Comnenus (1048–1118), Byzantine emperor (r. 1081–1118); Adrian (d. 1105); Nicephorus; and three daughters (names unknown: one married Michael Taronite; another married Nicephorus Melissenus; the youngest married Constantine Diogenes); grandmother of Anna Comnena.

Two years after he had ascended the Byzantine throne, Isaac Comnenus became dangerously ill and discouraged over his inability to effect reforms; he decided to abdicate. Isaac longed to turn the empire over to his brother John, whom he had already raised to the rank of Curopalates and Grand Domestic. But John Comnenus adamantly refused the throne—much to the disgust of his wife Anna Dalassena. Instead, in November 1059, Isaac nominated Constantine X Ducas. From that time on, Anna determined to win back the throne and the power that her family was meant to wield. "The coup d'etat of 1081, which set the Comnenian dynasty upon the throne for more than a century," writes Charles Diehl, "was the indirect but certain and logical result of her tenacious energy, of her passionate desire for the glory of her house, and of the deep, unalterable devotion for her children which she displayed in every juncture." Fortunately, Anna Dalassena's extraordinary qualities proved equal to her lofty ambitions.

Alexius I, writing of his mother Anna Dalassena">
We were two bodies with one soul.
—Alexius I, writing of his mother Anna Dalassena

Charitable and deeply religious, Anna Dalassena enjoyed the company of priests and monks and longed to end her days in a convent. She was an aristocrat, a somber woman who spent her nights in prayer and her days in devotion to her children. Her son Alexius I wrote:

Nothing can be compared to a tender mother who loves her children. In all the world there is no stronger support, whether against annoyance or against impending danger. If she gives advice, her advice is good; if she prays, her all-powerful prayer is an invincible protection to its object. Such has been to me since my earliest youth my revered mother and sovereign, who in every circumstance was my teacher and my guide. We were two bodies with one soul.

Born into a powerful family, she married into an even more powerful family and spent her life at court. There, she learned the art of royal intrigue, acquired a thorough grasp of politics, and became skilled in navigating the corridors of Byzantine power. With an easy eloquence and first-rate intellect, she possessed "a powerful mind, truly royal, and worthy of the throne," wrote her granddaughter Anna Comnena . "It was extraordinary to find so old a head on such young shoulders; and all her earnestness and worth were obvious at a glance."

Anna Dalassena exercised enormous influence over her sons. When her husband John died in 1067 and she was left a widow with eight children, this influence increased. "It was she who really brought up all her sons, and made them the remarkable men they were," writes Diehl. At the time of her husband's death, five of the children were grown: Manuel was in the imperial army; Isaac and Alexius were 19 or 20; one daughter had married Michael Taronite; the other daughter married Nicephorus Melissenus.

While Anna Dalassena was raising her children, Eudocia Macrembolitissa (1021–1096), the widow of Constantine X Ducas, was ruling Byzantium as regent for her young son Michael VII Ducas (r. 1071–1078). Eudocia was intelligent, talented, and well-educated. She too had a passion for power and intended to "die on the throne." In exchange for her succession and joint rule with their son Michael, the not quite 40-year-old Eudocia had promised her husband, upon his death, that she would never marry again. The promise had been put in writing, and the document resided with Patriarch John Xiphilin. But Eudocia fell in love with Romanus Diogenes, a general who had fomented an uprising on the death of her husband. When Romanus was brought to Constantinople as a prisoner, Eudocia surprised the court and granted him a pardon. In time, she wanted to marry her general, but first she would have to wangle the contract out of the hands of the prelate. Claiming to be in love with the prelate's brother, Eudocia so pleased Patriarch John that he agreed to give back the paper. When he did, she married Romanus Diogenes and proclaimed him emperor, much to the dismay of her teenaged son Michael. The patriarch, Eudocia's brother-in-law Caesar John Ducas, and ex-minister Michael Psellus (who was now tutor to Michael VII) were furious over the deceit. The accession of Romanus IV Diogenes literally meant the accession of the army and the end of the reign of the Ducae.

Delighted at the downfall of her old nemesis, the family Ducas, Anna Dalassena stood by Eudocia, and married her youngest daughter to Constantine Diogenes, a near relative of Romanus. As a result, the Comneni family was in great favor at court. Anna's son Manuel was made commander-in-chief of the Army of the East where he distinguished himself. When he fell dangerously ill, his worried mother rushed to see him in Bithynia. On her arrival, Manuel used his last effort to rise and receive her, then fell into her arms. Writes Diehl: "After expressing the wish to be buried in the same tomb in which later his beloved mother would rest, he grew weaker and expired."

The revolution of 1071 weakened Anna's courtly influence. In August, Romanus IV was defeated by the Turks near the Armenian town of Manzikert and captured by the sultan Alp Arslan. With Romanus in bondage, the Ducae saw their chance. Announcing that Romanus was now dethroned, they made war upon his release from captivity. Because Anna Dalassena remained faithful to Romanus, she was summoned before a tribunal that was predisposed to condemn her. When she appeared before them, she pulled a crucifix from beneath her cloak and waved it in their faces, saying, "Here is my Judge and yours. Think on Him when you sentence me, and take care that your sentence be worthy of the Supreme Judge who knoweth the secrets of the heart." Taken aback, some jurists were in favor of acquittal. Others were adamantly opposed. In the end, they compromised, and Anna Dalassena was banished with her sons to one of the Princes' Islands.

Before long, however, Caesar John Ducas had a falling out with his nephew Michael VII and was forced to leave court and retire to his estates. The new ministers, hoping for the cooperation of the still powerful Comneni, returned Anna and her sons from banishment. In another conciliatory gesture, Michael and his Empress Maria of Alania offered one of her cousins to Anna's son Isaac in marriage. Isaac was also offered his brother Manuel's old position as commander-in-chief of the Army of the East.

When Isaac took up his post at his mother's encouragement, he brought along his 23-year-old brother Alexius as his lieutenant. Soon, both were considered brave soldiers, but whereas Isaac could be foolhardy, Alexius was even tempered. The unacknowledged favorite of his mother, Alexius was intelligent, strong, and tenacious; he preferred to gain by diplomacy rather than force.

During the years 1072–73, the Byzantine Empire was seriously vulnerable. On the Asiatic front, the Turks were threatening; there was also a revolt by Roussel de Bailleul, the Norman leader of the mercenaries. The brothers Comneni, though outnumbered, accomplished military miracles and, in so doing, became venerated by the populace of Constantinople on their return. So much adoration proved threatening to the Ducae. Isaac was dispatched to Syria as duke of Antioch. Alexius, given few soldiers and little money, was sent to fight Roussel de Bailleul. In 1074, Alexius returned to Constantinople with the Norman in tow.

Maria of Alania (fl. 1070–1081)

Byzantine empress. Name variations: Mary of Alania, Maria Ducas. Born into the tribe of Alan, located in what is now southern Russia; daughter of the king of Georgia; married Michael VII Ducas, emperor of Byzantium (r. 1071–1078); married Nicephorus III Botaneiates (Botoniates), emperor of Byzantium (r. 1078–1081), in 1708; children: (first marriage) Constantine Ducas (who was at one time betrothed to Anna Comnena ).

When Michael VII Ducas abandoned his throne to Nicephorus III Botaneiates, he took monastic vows, which meant that he had to give up his wife, Maria of Alania. Nicephorus was an elderly man who had been married to a woman named Verdenia in his youth. As emperor, now twice a widower, he wanted a third wife to shore up his claim to the throne. After rejecting a proposal from Eudocia Macrembolitissa , he chose the "beautiful Maria" of Alania, she of the red hair, the alabaster skin, and the bright blue eyes. "Neither Apelles nor Phidias," wrote Anna Comnena , "ever created anything so beautiful…. She was a living statue whom lovers of the beautiful could never weary of admiring; or, rather, she was Love incarnate descended to earth." Though Maria was less than enthusiastic, she agreed to the marriage to safeguard the possible succession of her son Constantine, then age four.

Alexius I Comnenus was also infatuated with the Empress Maria, to the consternation of his wife Irene Ducas . Historians claim the attraction was mutual and rumors spread throughout the capital of Constantinople. It must have been scandalous when Maria officially adopted Alexius Comnenus, making him a member of the royal family, which allowed him to enter the inner sanctum of the palace. When Nicephorus named his nephew Synadenus successor instead of her son Constantine, Maria was furious. She threw her energy to the Comneni and aided Alexius' and Anna Dalassena 's royal ambitions.

By then, Alexius was one of the most renowned citizens of Byzantium. His enormous popularity stood in sharp contrast to the unpopularity of Michael. The emperor's prime minister had exhausted the finances of the kingdom, causing famine; the army, having received no pay, spoke of mutiny. In Europe, Nicephorus Bryennius (future husband of Anna Comnena) proclaimed himself emperor. In Asia, Nicephorus Botaneiates (Botoniates) did the same. Throughout the confusion, all sides courted Alexius and sought the backing of the Comneni.

Alexius had recently lost his first wife, and it was now time to marry for a new alliance. Emperor Michael offered him the hand of his sister Zoë, while Caesar John Ducas was proposing his granddaughter Irene Ducas . When Alexius chose the granddaughter there was an outcry, not only from the Emperor Michael but from Anna Dalassena who found it difficult to swallow the marriage of her favorite son to her old enemy. Using all his diplomacy, and with the assistance of his future mother-in-law Marie of Bulgaria , Alexius managed to break down his mother's resistance, and Anna Dalassena finally gave her consent. Though she would never totally come to terms with her daughter-in-law, Anna soon saw that Alexius was right, and the alliance between the Comneni and the Ducae was to prove too powerful for the existing government.

In the beginning, Alexius backed Michael, defeating Nicephorus Bryennius in Macedonia in 1078. Shortly thereafter, however, when Nicephorus Botaneiates dethroned Michael, Alexius backed Botaneiates. For his support, Alexius was created Grand Domestic of the Scholae with the title of Noblissimus. Because of his brilliant victories, he grew even more celebrated by the people and was adored by his soldiers. Through his marriage, Alexius had won over most of the aristocracy; he had also won the backing of the patriarch. Meanwhile, Emperor Nicephorus Botaneiates was unpopular. Old and apathetic, he had corrupt ministers who were squandering the Byzantine treasury, and the army continued to be poorly paid.

The revolt of Anna Dalassena's son-in-law Nicephorus Melissenus, who had just ascended the throne in Asia, posed another threat to the empire. When Alexius refused to lead the forces sent against his rebellious brother-in-law, the ministers tried to warn Nicephorus Botaneiates that Alexius might make trouble. But Botaneiates had married Maria of Alania, the wife of his predecessor Michael, and she was partial to Alexius. While Anna Dalassena also maneuvered and abetted Alexius, her other son Isaac, who was related to Maria by marriage, furthered their cause with his easy access to her. The surprising result was the official adoption of Alexius Comnenus by Maria of Alania.

Alarmed, Emperor Botaneiates chose his nephew Synadenus for his successor while his ministers made plans to put out the eyes of both brothers, Isaac and Alexius. Warned of the plans, doubtless by Maria of Alania, the brothers made plans of their own. On the night of February 14, 1081, Isaac and Alexius fled Constantinople and made their way to the army of Thrace (modern Edirne in European Turkey). In the dawn hours, Anna took her daughters, her daughters-in-law, and her grandchildren, and sought sanctuary at the Hagia St. Sophia. When Nicephorus Botaneiates commanded that she come to the palace, she refused. Clinging to the iconostasis (the screened partition that separates the altar from the nave of the church), she warned that they'd have to cut off her hands to take her away. Instead, the emperor negotiated with her, promising to spare all their lives no matter the outcome. He then imprisoned them in the Petrion convent for safekeeping. Marie of Bulgaria, who was the daughter-in-law of Caesar John Ducas and the mother-in-law of Alexius Comnenus, soon joined them.

Alexius and his armies advanced on Constantinople. Upon taking the city, he immediately had himself crowned alone, and he bestowed on his mother, Anna Dalassena, the title of empress. His wife Irene and all her relatives were assigned to live in the Lower Palace, while Alexius, his mother, and all his relatives, lived in the Upper Palace. Thus, the Ducae and the Comneni were symbolically separated. Amid the grumblings of the Ducae and the strong urging of Patriarch Cosmas, Alexius reluctantly agreed to have Irene crowned seven days later. Alexius increased the power of his mother day by day; keeping her thoroughly informed, he requested her counsel on all occasions. When in August 1081 he had to leave Constantinople and go to Illyria to fight the Normans under Robert Guiscard, Alexius issued a golden bull, giving his mother absolute power during his absence. "Whatever she may decree, whether in writing or by word of mouth, is to be considered final." Anna was also given her own seal, still extant, on which was written: "Lord, protect Anna I, Dalassena, the mother of the Basileus." For 20 years, she ruled jointly with her son, and she governed well. Wrote Anna Comnena, "She gave orders, and her son obeyed like a slave. He had the trappings of power, but she the substance." Anna Dalassena brought order to the government and reformed the indifferent morality within the confines of the palace. "Part of her nights she spent in prayer," wrote Diehl; "the morning was given up to audiences and to the signing of dispatches; in the afternoon she followed the Divine Office in the chapel of St. Thecla , after which, until evening, she devoted herself once more to public affairs."

As she aged, Anna Dalassena became more imperious and inflexible. Sensing that her time had come, in 1100, she retired voluntarily from public life to become a nun in the convent of Pantepoptes, which she had founded. "Without her intelligence and acumen," wrote Alexius, "the monarchy would have been lost."