This paper analyzes the portrayal of Empress Zoe Augusta in Michael Psellus's Fourteen Byzantine Rulers, focusing on the chapter covering Constantine IX (Book 6). Drawing on Psellus's firsthand experience as a court advisor, the paper examines how he characterizes Zoe's physical appearance, personality, and reign, while identifying the significant gender bias that colors his account. The analysis argues that Psellus consistently undervalues Zoe as a ruler, attributing her decisions to sentiment rather than reason, and that his admiration for her husband Constantine IX further distorts his assessment. Ultimately, the paper suggests that Zoe may have been a more capable and significant ruler than Psellus's prejudiced narrative allows.
Michael Psellus was a court advisor and intellectual who knew the inner workings of the Byzantine Empire's court firsthand. His book Fourteen Byzantine Rulers is both a history of the Empire and an intimate account of court life. In it, he discusses each ruler in detail and offers his own opinions on how well they governed. It is a fascinating record of early court life and a deep look into the character and motivations of the figures he observed — most notably, the Empress Zoe.
Zoe Augusta is the daughter of Constantine and one of two sisters who gained rule of the Byzantine Empire. As the older sister, she receives more attention from Psellus, who describes her sister Theodora as comparatively "dull."[1] Her reign was marked by scandal, political maneuvering, and exile, making her one of the most dramatic figures in the book.
Zoe is the daughter of Constantine and was betrothed to Romanus, the Emperor. Psellus portrays her as rather plain-looking but as the more intelligent of the two sisters. She had a tumultuous relationship with the throne — ascending, descending, being exiled, and ascending again with her sister Theodora in 1042. The author describes her as a woman with "passionate interests,"[2] prone to moodiness, high one moment and low the next. He writes, "Zoe was open-handed, the sort of woman who could exhaust a sea teeming with gold-dust in one day; the other counted her staters when she gave away money."[3]
As for her physical appearance, Psellus says she was plumper than her sister, of average height, with bushy eyebrows, large eyes, blonde hair, and remarkably white skin. He also notes that she did not appear to show her age and seemed youthful well beyond her years.[4] As she grows older, however, he finds her increasingly unattractive, even though she still looks youthful. He writes, "It must be admitted, though, that her hands were unsteady; she was subject to tremors, too, and her back was bent. As for ornaments about her person, she absolutely despised them."[5]
By documenting her actions, Psellus reveals much about Zoe's character. Shortly after she and her sister began to rule jointly, she pushed Theodora aside and elevated one of her consorts to the position of Emperor — the two sisters had ruled together for only three months. Zoe also distributed freely from the state treasury to win popular support, a practice Psellus regards as one of the reasons the Empire began to suffer financially.
As she ages, Psellus portrays her as increasingly selfish and self-involved, and wholly disinterested in the affairs of state. He does praise her piety, but he also depicts her as capable of cruelty. The author's own relationship with Zoe was close: he served as a court advisor before, during, and after her reign alongside her sister, and he personally witnessed Emperor Michael banish her from court, only for the people to revolt and demand her return — an uprising that led to Michael's eventual banishment and Zoe's restoration to the throne.
"Gender prejudice shaping Psellus's account of Zoe"
"Psellus's moral standards and favoritism toward Constantine"
"Psellus's dismissive treatment of Zoe's death"
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