Zoste patrikia
Encyclopedia
Zōstē patrikia was a Byzantine
court title
reserved exclusively for women. A very high title, its holder ranked as the first woman after the empress herself in the imperial court.
as "Mistress of the Robes
", and was used for high-ranking court ladies who were attached to the empress as her ladies of honour. Its origin or date of institution are unclear. Disregarding a clearly anachronistic reference to Antonina
, the wife of the great 6th-century general Belisarius
, as being a zostē patrikia, the title is first attested in circa 830 for Theoktiste, the mother of Empress Theodora. The title is attested in literary sources (the Skylitzes Chronicle) until 1018, when it was conferred to Maria
, the former Empress of Bulgaria
, and finally in a series of lead seals dated to the late 11th century (see below). It disappears thereafter, along with many other titles of the middle Byzantine period, following the reforms of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos
(r. 1081–1118).
In Philotheos's Klētorologion
of 899, the dignity is placed very high in the imperial order of precedence, coming before the magistros and after the kouropalatēs. Her exceptional status is further illustrated by the fact that she was one of only six dignitaries who dined at the imperial table, and by the prominent role she played in imperial ceremonies. The zōstē patrikia functioned as the chief attendant to the empress (to whom she was usually related) and the head of the women's court (the sekreton tōn gynaikōn), which consisted mostly of the wives of high-ranking officials. Indeed, hers was the only specifically female dignity: other women bore the feminine versions of their husbands' titles. A zōstē patrikia is therefore, in John B. Bury's words, "the only lady who was πατρικία in her own right", and not to be confused with a simple patrikia, who was the spouse or widow of a patrikios. Although it appears that, in common with the other supreme dignities with which it is associated, there was a single holder of the dignity at each time, at the reception of Olga of Kiev
, the plural form zōstai is used indicating the presence of at least two. According to the Klētorologion, her insignia of rank were a pair of ivory
tablets, and she was raised to the rank in an elaborate ceremony in the Theotokos of the Pharos palace chapel, which is recorded in the De Ceremoniis
of Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (r. 913–959). Her distinctive dress, however, which gave the zōstē her name, was the broad belt or loros worn at the ceremony of promotion. A descendant of the ancient Roman consular
trabea, the golden loros was the "most prestigious imperial insignium", and was also worn by the Byzantine emperor and a select few of his highest dignitaries such as the Eparch of Constantinople or the magistroi.
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
court title
Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy
The Byzantine Empire had a complex system of aristocracy and bureaucracy, which was inherited from the Roman Empire. At the apex of the pyramid stood the Emperor, sole ruler and divinely ordained, but beneath him a multitude of officials and court functionaries operated the administrative...
reserved exclusively for women. A very high title, its holder ranked as the first woman after the empress herself in the imperial court.
History and functions
The title means "girded lady-patrician", often translated into EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as "Mistress of the Robes
Mistress of the Robes
The Mistress of the Robes is the senior lady of the British Royal Household. Formerly responsible for the Queen's clothes and jewellery, the post now has the responsibility for arranging the rota of attendance of the Ladies in Waiting on the Queen, along with various duties at State ceremonies...
", and was used for high-ranking court ladies who were attached to the empress as her ladies of honour. Its origin or date of institution are unclear. Disregarding a clearly anachronistic reference to Antonina
Antonina (wife of Belisarius)
Antonina was a Byzantine patrikia and wife of the general Belisarius. Her influence of her husband was great. Procopius features her as dominating Belisarius.- Family :...
, the wife of the great 6th-century general Belisarius
Belisarius
Flavius Belisarius was a general of the Byzantine Empire. He was instrumental to Emperor Justinian's ambitious project of reconquering much of the Mediterranean territory of the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century previously....
, as being a zostē patrikia, the title is first attested in circa 830 for Theoktiste, the mother of Empress Theodora. The title is attested in literary sources (the Skylitzes Chronicle) until 1018, when it was conferred to Maria
Maria, wife of Ivan Vladislav
Maria was the wife of tsar Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria. She was the last empress-consort of the First Bulgarian Empire.Her antecedents are unknown. It is believed that Maria was married to Ivan Vladislav in the late 10th century. Her husband was the son of Aron, who was the brother of Emperor...
, the former Empress of Bulgaria
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
, and finally in a series of lead seals dated to the late 11th century (see below). It disappears thereafter, along with many other titles of the middle Byzantine period, following the reforms of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus , was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and although he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. The title 'Nobilissimus' was given to senior army commanders,...
(r. 1081–1118).
In Philotheos's Klētorologion
Kletorologion
The Klētorologion of Philotheos , is the longest and most important of the Byzantine lists of offices and court precedence . It was published in September of 899 during the reign of Emperor Leo VI the Wise by the otherwise unknown prōtospatharios and atriklinēs Philotheos...
of 899, the dignity is placed very high in the imperial order of precedence, coming before the magistros and after the kouropalatēs. Her exceptional status is further illustrated by the fact that she was one of only six dignitaries who dined at the imperial table, and by the prominent role she played in imperial ceremonies. The zōstē patrikia functioned as the chief attendant to the empress (to whom she was usually related) and the head of the women's court (the sekreton tōn gynaikōn), which consisted mostly of the wives of high-ranking officials. Indeed, hers was the only specifically female dignity: other women bore the feminine versions of their husbands' titles. A zōstē patrikia is therefore, in John B. Bury's words, "the only lady who was πατρικία in her own right", and not to be confused with a simple patrikia, who was the spouse or widow of a patrikios. Although it appears that, in common with the other supreme dignities with which it is associated, there was a single holder of the dignity at each time, at the reception of Olga of Kiev
Olga of Kiev
Saint Olga , or Olga the Beauty, hypothetically Old Norse: Helga In some Scandinavian sources she was called other name. born c. 890 died 11 July 969, Kiev) was a ruler of Kievan Rus' as regent Saint Olga , or Olga the Beauty, hypothetically Old Norse: Helga In some Scandinavian sources she was...
, the plural form zōstai is used indicating the presence of at least two. According to the Klētorologion, her insignia of rank were a pair of ivory
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...
tablets, and she was raised to the rank in an elaborate ceremony in the Theotokos of the Pharos palace chapel, which is recorded in the De Ceremoniis
De Ceremoniis
De Ceremoniis is the Latin title of a description of ceremonial protocol at the court of the Eastern Roman emperor in Constantinople. It is sometimes called De ceremoniis aulae byzantinae...
of Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (r. 913–959). Her distinctive dress, however, which gave the zōstē her name, was the broad belt or loros worn at the ceremony of promotion. A descendant of the ancient Roman consular
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
trabea, the golden loros was the "most prestigious imperial insignium", and was also worn by the Byzantine emperor and a select few of his highest dignitaries such as the Eparch of Constantinople or the magistroi.
List of known holders
- AntoninaAntonina (wife of Belisarius)Antonina was a Byzantine patrikia and wife of the general Belisarius. Her influence of her husband was great. Procopius features her as dominating Belisarius.- Family :...
, wife of BelisariusBelisariusFlavius Belisarius was a general of the Byzantine Empire. He was instrumental to Emperor Justinian's ambitious project of reconquering much of the Mediterranean territory of the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century previously....
(anachronistic reference from the Patria of ConstantinoplePatria of ConstantinopleThe Patria of Constantinople , also known by the Latin name Scriptores originum Constantinopolitarum , is a Byzantine collection of historical works on the history and monuments of the Byzantine imperial capital of Constantinople .Although in the past attributed to the 14th-century writer George...
). - Theoktiste, mother of Empress Theodora, the wife of Emperor TheophilosTheophilos (emperor)Theophilos was the Byzantine emperor from 829 until his death in 842. He was the second emperor of the Phrygian dynasty, and the last emperor supporting iconoclasm...
(r. 829–842). - Anastasia, known only through a single reference in the late 10th-century Life of Basil the Younger hagiographyHagiographyHagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
. She might be identifiable with Anastaso, the daughter of the patrikios Adralestos, who later married into the MaleinosMaleinosMaleinos was the surname of a Byzantine Greek family, first attested in the 9th century, which rose to be amongst the most important and powerful members of the Anatolian aristocracy in the 10th century, providing many senior generals to the Byzantine army. After its wealth and power became the...
family and was mother to Constantine MaleinosConstantine MaleinosConstantine Maleinos was a prominent Byzantine general of the mid-10th century.Constantine was born in the late 9th or 10th century, probably in his family's estates in Cappadocia. His father was Eudokimos Maleinos, a member of the powerful aristocratic Maleinos clan, and his mother Anastaso...
and Michael MaleinosMichael MaleinosSaint Michael Maleinos was a Byzantine monk who commanded great respect among Christians of Asia Minor. He was the brother of general Constantine Maleinos and uncle of Nikephoros Phokas, who was greatly influenced by Michael and became Byzantine emperor several years after his death...
. - Olga of KievOlga of KievSaint Olga , or Olga the Beauty, hypothetically Old Norse: Helga In some Scandinavian sources she was called other name. born c. 890 died 11 July 969, Kiev) was a ruler of Kievan Rus' as regent Saint Olga , or Olga the Beauty, hypothetically Old Norse: Helga In some Scandinavian sources she was...
is sometimes considered as having been created a zōstē during her visit to ConstantinopleConstantinopleConstantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. - Miroslava of BulgariaMiroslava of BulgariaMiroslava was one of the daughters of tsar Samuil of Bulgaria and Kosara of Bulgaria. Princess Miroslava fell in love with the Byzantine noble captive Ashot Taronites, who was of Armenian origin, and threatened to commit suicide if she was not allowed to marry him...
, daughter of Emperor Samuel of Bulgaria (r. 997–1014), who defected to Byzantium along with her husband, Ashot Taronites. - Empress MariaMaria, wife of Ivan VladislavMaria was the wife of tsar Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria. She was the last empress-consort of the First Bulgarian Empire.Her antecedents are unknown. It is believed that Maria was married to Ivan Vladislav in the late 10th century. Her husband was the son of Aron, who was the brother of Emperor...
, wife of Emperor Ivan Vladislav of BulgariaIvan Vladislav of BulgariaIvan Vladislav ruled as emperor of Bulgaria from August or September 1015 to February 1018. The year of his birth is unknown, but he was born at least a decade before 987, but probably not much earlier than that....
(r. 1015–1018). She was conferred the title after she fled to the Byzantine court following the murder of her husband. - Khousousa, wife of Seneqerim Ioan, last ruler of VaspurakanVaspurakanVaspurakan was the first and biggest province of Greater Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, centered around Lake Van...
prior to the Byzantine annexation of his realm in 1022. She is known through a seal mentioning her as "zōstē and mother of David the magistros". - Irene, attested only through an 11th-century seal which describes her as a nunNunA nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
. - Maria Melissene, attested in a seal dated to circa 1060–1070. It has been suggested that she might be the mother of Nikephoros MelissenosNikephoros MelissenosNikephoros Melissenos , latinized as Nicephorus Melissenus, was a Byzantine general and aristocrat. Of distinguished lineage, he served as a governor and general in the Balkans and Asia Minor in the 1060s. In the turbulent period after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, several generals tried to...
, the brother-in-law of Emperor Alexios I KomnenosAlexios I KomnenosAlexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus , was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and although he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. The title 'Nobilissimus' was given to senior army commanders,...
. - Anna Radene, a close friend of Michael PsellosMichael PsellosMichael Psellos or Psellus was a Byzantine monk, writer, philosopher, politician and historian...
, probably circa 1070. - Helena Tornikine, "zōstē and kouropalatissa", attested in a seal dated to circa 1070–1110.