Euphrosyne (d. 1203)

views updated

Euphrosyne (d. 1203)

Empress of Byzantium. Name variations: Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamatera or Docaina Kamatera; Euphrosine. Died in 1203 in Constantinople; married Alexius III Angelus, emperor of Byzantium (r. 1195–1203); children: Irene (who married Alexius Paleologus);Anna Angelina (d. 1210?, who married Theodore I Lascaris, Nicaean emperor); Eudocia Angelina .

Little is known about Euphrosyne's family or early years. She married the future emperor of Byzantium, Alexius III Angelus, a greedy man whose ambition led him to mutilate and depose his own brother in order to ascend the throne in 1095. He then adopted the surname Comnenus to associate himself in the minds of the Byzantine people with the great Comneni emperors of the past. Alexius allowed Euphrosyne to co-rule with him, giving her authority over many domestic affairs while he concentrated on foreign policy issues. An unpopular empress, Euphrosyne was disliked by her subjects for her corrupt politics and lavish lifestyle.

Laura York , Riverside, California

More From encyclopedia.com