Written by Pietro Anoe - coin auctioneer at Catawiki
Female rulers may not have been commonplace, however they were also not unheard of in Byzantium and they had a uniquely powerful position. Although many wives, daughters, sisters or female relatives of ruling emperors are known to have been influential and powerful, only three times in history had a woman ruled the Roman Empire. These women appeared on coins just as their male ruling counterparts would, solidifying their power. Let’s focus on just one of these powerful women in history, the cruel and beautiful Irene.
Few other times in history did women have such great power as that of Irene. She was the wife of Leo IV and mother of Constantine VI. She ruled the empire since 780 with her son, and then on her own for some years. She even tried to propose marriage to Charlemagne.
Constantine VI and Irene, 780 - 790 AD
Empress Irene set out to solve the issue of iconoclasm which was established in the empire. She summoned a council, the second council of Nicaea, to reinstate the use and veneration of icons.
Mosaic of Empress Irene, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
To remain in power she, as usual, killed many people and blinded her own son who died suddenly (but perhaps not surprisingly) after the procedure. Irene left a lasting impression not only on Byzantine coins, but also on the empire. What was left after her reign: a strong identity maintained between orthodoxy and the empire. Coins of this period are very rare. Irene was depicted as a ruling emperor. Both sides of the coins feature the empress, sometimes with a masculine title (Basileus) sometimes with the title Bassilissa (Queen).
Empress Irene, 792 – 802 AD
Her appearance on coins confirms just how powerful she truly was. If you’d like to see more Byzantine coins, women on coins, or just coins in general, visit Catawiki’s weekly Coins auction. There you will find a vast selection of coins from around the world, curated into high-quality auctions by a team of coins experts.