THEODORA

Name of both the wife and the daughter of Theophylactus, the first of the Counts of Tusculum.

Theodora the Elder, the wife of Consul Theophylactus, fl. c. 900 to 926; neither the place nor date of either her birth or death is known. In some documents she carries the title vestaratrix. According to the rather doubtful statement of liutprand of cremona, her morals were extremely evil; eugenius vulgarius, however, speaks of her as a pious and virtuous woman. More creditable, perhaps, is Caesar baronius, who considers her influence pernicious. Besides being personally avaricious, she—together with her family—exercised undue influence on Pope sergius iii and Pope john x, thus causing grave harm to the authority of the popes. Besides her namesake, she and Theophylactus had another daughter, marozia.

Theodora the Younger, d. c. 950. She married the consul and dux John, of whom it is said that he was later consecrated bishop. According to prevailing opinion, Pope John XIII and Crescentius I (see crescentii) were sons of her marriage with John. She played an important role in the partisan politics of the aristocracy of contemporary Rome.

Bibliography: h. k. mann, The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages from 590 to 1304, 18 v. (London 1902–32) v.4. p. fedele, "Ricerche per la storia di Roma e del papato nel secolo X.," Archivio della società romana di storia patria 33 (1910) 177–247; 34 (1911) 75–115, 393–423. f. x. seppelt, Geschichte der Päpste von den Anfängen bis zur Mitte des 20. Jh. v.1, 2, 4, 5 (Leipzig 1931–41) v.2.

[w. m. plÖchl]