List of Roman and Byzantine Empresses


This is a list Roman Empresses. A Roman Empress was a woman who was the wife of a Roman emperor, the ruler of the Roman Empire.
The Romans had no single term for the position: Latin and Greek titles such as Augusta, Caesarissa, basilissa, and Autokratorissa, the female form of autocrat, were all used.
In the third century, Augustae could also receive the titles of Mater castrorum "mother of the castra" and Mater patriae "mother of the fatherland". Another title of the Byzantine empresses was Eusebestatē Augousta "Most Pious Augusta"; they were also called kyría κυρία "Lady" or déspoina δέσποινα, the female form of δεσπότης "despot". Due to the practice of dividing the Roman empire under different emperors, there were periods when there were more than one Roman empress. All the Roman empresses are listed with some co-empresses. Not all empresses were titled Augusta, and not all Augustae were empresses since the emperor's sister or mistress could bear that title. Some Caesarissas and Despoinas that never were empresses are included, since the titles were quite similar to Empress; however, in the Eastern Roman Empire these titles are often more equivalent to the modern term "crown princess".
The Western Roman Empire produced no known empresses regnant, though the obscure Ulpia Severina probably ruled in her own right for some time after the death of her husband, Aurelian.
The Eastern Roman Empire had four official empresses regnant: Pulcheria, Irene of Athens, Zoë Porphyrogenita and Theodora. There never was a male emperor consort ; however, some husband and wife couples, notably Justinian I and Theodora, were simultaneously coregnant.

Empress consorts of the [Roman Empire]

27 BC–68 AD: [Julio-Claudian dynasty]

68–96: [Year of the Four Emperors] and [Flavian dynasty]

PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame EmpressCeased to be EmpressDeathSpouse
Galeria FundanaGalerius, a Praetorc. 40c. 50March 69December 69after 69Vitellius
Domitia LonginaGnaeus Domitius Corbuloc. 53c. 7014 September 8118 September 96c. 130Domitian
PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame EmpressCeased to be EmpressDeathSpouse

96–192: [Nerva–Antonine dynasty]

193–235: [Year of the Five Emperors] and [Severan dynasty]

235–284: [Crisis of the Third Century]

284–364: [Tetrarchy] and [Constantinian dynasty]

364–379: [Valentinian dynasty]

379–395: [Theodosian dynasty]

Empress consorts of the [Western Roman Empire]

395–455: [Theodosian dynasty]

455–476: Non-dynastic

PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame EmpressCeased to be EmpressDeathSpouse
Aelia Marcia EuphemiaFlavius Marcianus?45312 April 46711 July 472?Anthemius
Galla Placidia Valentiniana MinorValentinian III
439–443454 or 45523 March or 11 July 47223 October or 2 November 472480Olybrius
Unnamed niece of Leo I?
??June 47425 April 480
?Julius Nepos
PictureNameFatherBirthMarriageBecame EmpressCeased to be EmpressDeathSpouse

Empresses consort of the [Eastern Roman Empire]

395–457: [Theodosian dynasty]

457–518: [Leonid dynasty]

518–602: [Justinian dynasty]

602–610: Non-dynastic

610–711: [Heraclian dynasty]

711–717: Non-dynastic

717–802: Isaurian dynasty">Isaurian Dynasty">Isaurian dynasty

802–813: Dynasty of Nikephoros I

813–820: Non-dynastic

820–867: Phrygian dynasty

867–1056: [Macedonian dynasty]

1057–1059: Komnenid dynasty">Komnenos dynasty">Komnenid dynasty

1059–1081: [Doukid dynasty]

1081–1185: Komnenid dynasty">Komnenos dynasty">Komnenid dynasty

1185–1204: Angelid dynasty">Angelos">Angelid dynasty

Empress consorts of the Eastern Roman Empire (in exile)

Empress consorts of the Eastern Roman Empire (restored)

1261–1453, restored to Constantinople: [Palaiologan dynasty]

Pretending Empress consorts of the Roman Empire

The Western Roman Empire met its end in 476 and the Eastern Roman Empire in 1453. Although others continued to claim similar titles after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 – e.g. Holy Roman Empresses or Russian Tsaritsas and Empresses – the last reigning Empress consort of the Eastern Roman Empire of Constantinople was Maria of Trebizond. The last Palaiologan pretender, Andreas Palaiologos, sold his right to the imperial succession to Charles VIII of France, but he also willed the imperial titles to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castille, and so in a sense either the French queens or the Spanish queens have been the titular Empresses of the Eastern Roman Empire since the 15th century. Another Palaiologian, Manuel Palaiologos, sold his right of succession to Ottoman Sultan Bayazid II ; but since there is no such thing as a sultaness because the Ottomans practiced polygamy, there are no Ottoman consorts. Other possible pretenders may be the former Queens of Greece because the Greek monarchy was mainly created in 1832 to be the successor of the Byzantine Empire. The former Queens of Italy could be another claimant since their husband's were one of the only European monarchs to effectively hold the city of Rome, the seat of the Roman Empire since its beginning.

Neither the Empresses of Russia, the Queens of France, the Queens of Spain, the Queens of Italy or the Queens of the Hellenes claimed any sort of Roman titles and the claimants that clearly made the most point by using the word Roman in their title, the Holy Roman Empresses and the Queens of the Romans, ceased their claim upon the dissolution the empire in 1806. Currently the consorts of five of these states are pretenders in their own countries, themselves, and the current Queen of Spain claims no Roman titles. The status of the current pretenders to the Byzantine successor states of Trebizond, Epirus, and Nicaea are unclear much less their spouses; the despots of Morea became the Byzantine emperors in 1453.
Along with the current Pretending Latin emperor, the pretenders of the crusader and client states within the Latin Empire are also unclear.