Romanos II
938 – 963 · Generation XXIV · Emperor (r. 959–963) · Macedonian
Romanos (AD 938 – 963). Emperor (r. 959–963). Married Theophano around AD 956. First wife Bertha-Eudokia (d.949, no issue), then Theophano. He came to the throne at twenty-one and promptly remade the court, sweeping out his father’s men in favour of his own circle, sending his mother Helena away from court and consigning his five sisters to convents — yet several of his choices proved able, none more than his chief adviser, the eunuch Joseph Bringas. Devoted to his pleasures, Romanos left the fighting to his generals, and the trust paid off handsomely: Nikephoros Phokas retook Crete after the long siege of Chandax, then swept through Cilicia to Aleppo itself, plundering the emir’s palace, while Leo Phokas and Marianos Argyros beat back Magyar raids in the Balkans. Falling ill after a long hunting trip, he died suddenly; gossip accused his wife Theophano of poison, though nothing supports it and his death cost her far more security than it gained her.
Place in the family
- Romanos II was the elder of 2 children of Constantine VII and Helena Lekapene recorded in this archive.
- The archive records 5 of his descendants, across 2 generations.
One of 19 people of Macedonian (811–1057) in this archive. The empire’s widest reach — a house of soldier-emperors and scholars.
Line of descent: Basil I → Leo VI → Constantine VII → Romanos II.
Parents
- Constantine VII (905 – 959)
- Helena Lekapene (910 – 961)
Siblings
- Theodora (946 – ?)
Partners
- Married Theophano (941 – 976) in 956 — 3 children together
Children
- Basil II (958 – 1025)
- Constantine VIII (960 – 1028)
- Anna (963 – 1011)
Life
- 938 — Born
- 956 — Married Theophano
- 963 — Died