List of Augustae
{{Short description|Roman imperial honorific title given to empresses}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{lang|la|Augusta}} ({{IPA|la-x-classic|au̯ˈɡʊsta|lang|link=yes}}; plural {{Langx|la|Augustae|label=none}}; {{langx|el|αὐγούστα}}){{sfn|Kazhdan|1991|pp=694–695}} was a Roman imperial honorific title given to empresses and women of the imperial families. It was the feminine form of Augustus. In the third century, {{Langx|la|Augustae|label=none}} could also receive the titles of {{Langx|la|Mater Senatus|label=none}} ("Mother of the Senate"), {{Langx|la|Mater Castrorum|label=none}} ("Mother of the Camp"), and {{Langx|la|Mater Patriae|label=none}} ("Mother of the Fatherland").{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}
{{Clarify span|The title implied the greatest prestige.|date=July 2024}} {{Langx|la|Augustae|label=none}} could issue their own coinage, wear imperial regalia, and rule their own courts.{{sfn|Kazhdan|1991|pp=694–695}}
Agrippina, the wife of Claudius, was the first wife of the emperor in Roman history to receive the title of {{Langx|la|Augusta|label=none}}, a position she held for the rest of her life, ruling with her husband and son.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}
In the third century, Julia Domna was the first empress to receive the combined title {{Langx|la|Pia Felix Augusta|label=none}} after the death of her husband Septimius Severus, which may have implied greater powers being vested in her than was usual for a Roman empress mother. In this official position and honor, she accompanied her son on an extensive military campaign and provincial tour.{{harvnb|Langford|2013|loc=Introduction, note 88}}; {{harvnb|Bédoyère|2018|p=282}}.
{{Expand list|date=August 2011}}
Principate period
{{Main|Principate}}
=Julio-Claudian dynasty=
{{Main|Julio-Claudian dynasty}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
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|Livia |style="text-align:right"|30 January 58 BC |style="text-align:right"|AD 14 |Wife of Emperor Augustus and mother of Emperor Tiberius. |style="text-align:right"|28 September AD 29 |
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|Antonia Minor |style="text-align:right"|31 January 36 BC |style="text-align:right"|AD 41 |Mother of Emperor Claudius. |style="text-align:right"|AD 37 |
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|Agrippina the Younger |style="text-align:right"|7 November AD 15 |style="text-align:right"|AD 50 |Wife of Emperor Claudius and mother of Emperor Nero |style="text-align:right"|23 March AD 59 |
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|Poppaea Sabina |style="text-align:right"|AD 30 |style="text-align:right"|AD 63 |Wife of Emperor Nero. |style="text-align:right"|AD 65 |
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|Claudia Augusta |style="text-align:right"|21 January AD 63 |style="text-align:right"|AD 63 |Daughter of Emperor Nero. |style="text-align:right"|April AD 63 |
=Flavian dynasty=
{{Main|Flavian dynasty}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
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|Domitilla the Younger |style="text-align:right"|45 |style="text-align:right"|Before 80 |Daughter of Emperor Vespasian. |style="text-align:right"|66 |
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|Domitia Longina |style="text-align:right"|50 |style="text-align:right"|80 |Wife of Emperor Domitian. |style="text-align:right"|After 120 |
=Nerva–Antonine dynasty=
{{Main|Nerva–Antonine dynasty}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
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|Pompeia Plotina |style="text-align:right"|54–68 |style="text-align:right"|105 |Wife of Emperor Trajan. |style="text-align:right"|123 |
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|Ulpia Marciana |style="text-align:right"|48 |style="text-align:right"|105 |Sister of Emperor Trajan. |style="text-align:right"|112–114 |
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|Salonia Matidia |style="text-align:right"|4 July 68 |style="text-align:right"|112 |Niece of Emperor Trajan. |style="text-align:right"|23 December 119 |
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|Vibia Sabina |style="text-align:right"|13 August 83 |style="text-align:right"|128 |Wife of Emperor Hadrian. |style="text-align:right"|136–137 |
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|Faustina the Elder |style="text-align:right"|21 September 100 |style="text-align:right"|138 |Wife of Emperor Antoninus Pius. |style="text-align:right"|140 |
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|Faustina the Younger |style="text-align:right"|125–130 |style="text-align:right"|1 December 147{{cite book|author=Barbara Levick|author-link=Barbara Levick|title=Faustina I and II: Imperial Women of the Golden Age |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-537941-9 |page=170}} |Daughter of Emperor Antoninus Pius; wife of Emperor Marcus Aurelius; mother of Emperor Commodus. |style="text-align:right"|175 |
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|Lucilla |style="text-align:right"|148–150 |style="text-align:right"|164 |Daughter of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and wife of Emperor Lucius Verus. |style="text-align:right"|182 |
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|Bruttia Crispina |style="text-align:right"|164 |style="text-align:right"|177 |Wife of Emperor Commodus. |style="text-align:right"|191 |
=Year of the Five Emperors=
{{Main|Year of the Five Emperors}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
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|Manlia Scantilla |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|193 |Wife of Emperor Didius Julianus. |style="text-align:right"|193 |
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|Didia Clara |style="text-align:right"|153 |style="text-align:right"|193 |Daughter of Emperor Didius Julianus. |style="text-align:right"|Unknown |
=Severan dynasty=
{{Main|Severan dynasty}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
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|Julia Domna |style="text-align:right"|{{circa|160}} | |Wife of Emperor Septimius Severus. |style="text-align:right"|217 |
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|Fulvia Plautilla |style="text-align:right"|185—189 |style="text-align:right"|210s |Wife of Emperor Caracalla. |style="text-align:right"|212 |
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|Julia Cornelia Paula |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|219 |First wife of Emperor Elagabalus. |style="text-align:right"| |
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|Aquilia Severa |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|220 |Second and fourth wife of Emperor Elagabalus. As a Vestal Virgin her marriage to the Emperor was very controversial. |style="text-align:right"| |
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|Julia Avita Mamaea |style="text-align:right"|180 |style="text-align:right"|222 |Mother of Emperor Alexander Severus and co-regent, in his name, during his adolescence. |style="text-align:right"|235 |
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|Sallustia Orbiana |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|225 |Wife of Emperor Alexander Severus. |style="text-align:right"| |
=Crisis of the Third Century=
{{Main|Crisis of the Third Century}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
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|Tranquillina |style="text-align:right"|c. 225 |style="text-align:right"|241 |Wife of Emperor Gordian III. |style="text-align:right"|After 244 |
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|Marcia Otacilia Severa |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|240s |Wife of the Emperor Philip the Arab. |style="text-align:right"| |
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|Herennia Etruscilla |style="text-align:right"|Unknown |style="text-align:right"|September 249 |Wife of Emperor Trajan Decius; mother of Emperor Herennius Etruscus and Emperor Hostilian. |style="text-align:right"|{{circa}} 253 |
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|Cornelia Supera |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|253 |Wife of Aemilianus. |style="text-align:right"| |
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|Cornelia Salonina |style="text-align:right"|Unknown |style="text-align:right"|253 |Wife of Emperor Gallienus. |style="text-align:right"|268 |
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|Sulpicia Dryantilla |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|c. 260 |Wife of usurper Emperor Regalianus, who named her {{smallcaps|{{lang|la|avgvsta}}}} as part of legitimizing his claim. |style="text-align:right"|260 |
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|style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|271 |Mother of Victorinus |style="text-align:right"|271 |
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|Zenobia |style="text-align:right"|240 |style="text-align:right"|272 |Queen of the Palmyrene Empire, a short lived splinter empire that revolted during the Crisis. She proclaimed herself {{smallcaps|{{lang|la|avgvsta}}}} and annexed the Eastern Mediterranean from Rome. |style="text-align:right"|c. 275 |
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|Ulpia Severina |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|274 |Wife of Emperor Aurelian; possibly reigned in her own right after the death of her husband in 275. |style="text-align:right"| |
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|Magnia Urbica |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|283 |Wife of Emperor Carinus. |style="text-align:right"| |
Dominate period
{{Main|Dominate}}
=Tetrarchy=
{{Main|Tetrarchy}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
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|Galeria Valeria |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|308 |Daughter of Emperor Diocletian and wife of Emperor Galerius. |style="text-align:right"|315 |
=Constantinian dynasty=
{{Main|Constantinian dynasty}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
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|Fausta |style="text-align:right"|289 |style="text-align:right"|324 |Wife of Constantine I and daughter of Emperor Maximian. Mother of: Constantina, Constantine II, Constantius II, Constans I and Helena. |style="text-align:right"|326 |
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|Helena |style="text-align:right"|246—250 |style="text-align:right"|c.324–325 |Mother of Constantine I and ex-wife or mistress of Emperor Constantius Chlorus (separated before his accession as Caesar). |style="text-align:right"|18 August 330 |
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|Constantina |style="text-align:right"|307—317 |style="text-align:right"|After 312, before 337. |Daughter of Emperor Constantine I. Wife of Hannibalianus, Rex Regum et Ponticarum Gentium, "King of Kings and of the Pontic People". Wife of Caesar Constantius Gallus. |style="text-align:right"|354 |
= Valentinianic dynasty =
{{Main|Valentinianic dynasty}}
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! style="width:100px" |Portrait !Name ! style="width:8em" |Birth ! style="width:8em" |Date of naming !Description ! style="width:8em" |Death |
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|Galla Placidia |392 |c. 416 |Daughter of Theodosius I, wife of Constantius III, regent for her son Valentinian III. |27 November 450 |
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|Justa Grata Honoria | |After 426 |Sister of Valentinian III. | |
=Theodosian dynasty=
{{Main|Theodosian dynasty}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
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|Aelia Flaccilla |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|Before 385 |Wife of Emperor Theodosius I. |style="text-align:right"|386 |
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|Eudoxia |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|9 January 400 |Wife of Emperor Arcadius. |style="text-align:right"|6 October 404 |
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|Pulcheria |style="text-align:right"|19 January 398–399 |style="text-align:right"|414 |Daughter of Arcadius, sister of Theodosius II, and then wife of Marcian. |style="text-align:right"|July 453 |
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|Eudocia |style="text-align:right"|401 |style="text-align:right"|2 January 423 |Wife of Theodosius II |style="text-align:right"|20 October 460 |
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|Licinia Eudoxia |style="text-align:right"|422 |style="text-align:right"|439 |Daughter of Theodosius II, Wife of Valentinian III. |style="text-align:right"|462 |
=Leonid dynasty=
{{Main|Leonid dynasty}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
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|Marcia Euphemia |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|c. 453 |Daughter of Marcian by an unknown woman. Wife of Anthemius. |style="text-align:right"|472 |
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|Verina |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|457 |Wife of Leo I, sister of Basiliscus, mother of Ariadne and Leontia. |style="text-align:right"|484 |
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|Ariadne |style="text-align:right"|before 457 |style="text-align:right"|474 |Daughter of Leo I. Wife of Zeno. Mother of Leo II. Wife of Anastasius I. |style="text-align:right"|515 |
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|Zenonis |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|475 |Wife of Basiliscus. |style="text-align:right"|476–477 |
Byzantine period
{{Main|History of the Byzantine Empire}}
=Justinian dynasty=
{{Main|Justinian dynasty}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
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|Euphemia |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|518 |Wife of Justin I. Originally named Lupicina, renamed Euphemia on her husband's accession. |style="text-align:right"|c.523/4, before 527. |
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|Theodora I |style="text-align:right"|c. 500 |style="text-align:right"|9 August 527 |Wife of Justinian I. |style="text-align:right"|28 June 548 |
File:Follis of Justin II & Sophia (obverse).jpg
|Sophia |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|568 |Wife of Justin II, intermittent regent. |style="text-align:right"|c. 601 |
File:Tiberius II Constantine and Anastasia.png
|Ino Anastasia |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|578 |Wife of Emperor Tiberius II. |style="text-align:right"|593 |
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|Constantina |style="text-align:right"|c. 560 |style="text-align:right"|582 |Wife of Emperor Maurice. |style="text-align:right"|c. 605 |
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|Leontia |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|602 |Wife of Emperor Phocas. |style="text-align:right"| |
=Heraclian dynasty=
{{Main|Heraclian dynasty}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
|Fabia Eudokia, {{lang|el|Εύδοκία}} |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|5 October 610 |First wife of Heraclius. |style="text-align:right"|13 August 612 |
|Augustina, {{lang|el|Αὐγουστίνα}} |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|639 |Daughter of Heraclius. |style="text-align:right"| |
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|Martina |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|639 |Second wife of Heraclius, regent of Constantine III and Heraclonas |style="text-align:right"| |
|Fausta {{lang|el|Φαύστα}} |style="text-align:right"|{{Circa|630}} |style="text-align:right"|642 |Wife of Constans II. |style="text-align:right"|After 668 |
=Isaurian dynasty=
{{Main|Isaurian dynasty}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
|Maria {{lang|el|Μαρία}} |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|25 August 718 |Wife of Emperor Leo III the Isaurian. |style="text-align:right"| |
|Anna {{lang|el|Ἄννα}} |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|741–742 |Wife of Artabasdos. |style="text-align:right"| |
|Eudokia {{lang|el|Ευδοκια}} |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|1 April 769 |Third wife of Emperor Constantine V. |style="text-align:right"| |
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|Irene of Athens |style="text-align:right"|{{circa|752}} |style="text-align:right"|17 December 769 |Wife of Emperor Leo IV the Khazar, empress dowager and regent from 780 to 797. |style="text-align:right"|9 August 803 |
=Nikephorian dynasty=
{{Main|Nikephorian dynasty}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
|Prokopia {{lang|el|Προκοπία}} |style="text-align:right"|{{circa|770}} |style="text-align:right"|12 October 811 |Daughter of Emperor Nikephoros I and wife of Michael I Rhangabe. |style="text-align:right"|After 813 |
=Amorian dynasty=
{{Main|Amorian dynasty}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
130x130px
|Theodora |style="text-align:right"|{{circa|815}} |style="text-align:right"|830 |Wife of Emperor Theophilos and regent of Michael III. |style="text-align:right"|After 867 |
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|Thekla |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|830s |Daughter of Theophilos. |style="text-align:right"| |
rowspan="2" |100px
|Anna |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|830s |Daughter of Emperor Theophilos. |style="text-align:right"| |
Anastasia {{lang|el|Ἀναστασία}} |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|830s |Daughter of Emperor Theophilos. |style="text-align:right"| |
=Macedonian dynasty=
{{Main|Macedonian dynasty}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
|Zoe Zaoutzaina {{lang|el|Ζωή Ζαούτζαινα}} |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|898 |Third wife of Leo VI the Wise |style="text-align:right"|May 899 |
|Theodora {{lang|el|Θεοδώρα}} |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|921 |Wife of Romanos I. |style="text-align:right"|20 February 922 |
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|Helena Lekapene |style="text-align:right"|{{circa|910}} |style="text-align:right"|February 922 |Wife of Constantine VII. |style="text-align:right"|19 September 961 |
|Sophia {{lang|el|Σοφία}} |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|February 922 |Wife of Christopher Lekapenos. |style="text-align:right"| |
|Anna {{lang|el|Ἄννα}} |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"|933 |Daughter of Gabalas and wife of Stephen Lekapenos. |style="text-align:right"| |
=Komnenos dynasty=
{{Main|Komnenid dynasty}}
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!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
|Catherine of Bulgaria {{lang|el|Αἰκατερίνη}} |style="text-align:right"|before 1018 |style="text-align:right"|1057 |Empress-consort of Emperor Isaac I Komnenos. |style="text-align:right"|after 1059 |
=Doukid dynasty=
{{Main|Doukid dynasty}}
width=100% class="wikitable"
!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
149x149px
|Eudokia Makrembolitissa |style="text-align:right"|{{circa|1021}} |style="text-align:right"|1059–1067 |Second wife of Constantine X Doukas and later wife of Romanos IV Diogenes, also regent of Michael VII Doukas |style="text-align:right"|1096 |
=Komnenos dynasty=
{{Main|Komnenid dynasty}}
width=100% class="wikitable"
!style="width:100px"|Portrait !Name !style="width:8em"|Birth !style="width:8em"|Date of naming !Description !style="width:8em"|Death |
|Anna Dalassene {{lang|el|Ἄννα Δαλασσηνή}} |style="text-align:right"|1025 |style="text-align:right"|1081 |Mother of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. |style="text-align:right"|1102 |
= Palaiologos dynasty =
{{Main|Palaiologos}}
class="wikitable" width="100%"
! style="width:100px" |Portrait !Name ! style="width:8em" |Birth ! style="width:8em" |Date of naming !Description ! style="width:8em" |Death |
155x155px
|Anna of Savoy |1306 |{{circa|1326}} |Wife of Andronikos III Palaiologos, mother and regent of John V Palaiologos. |1365 |
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|Helena Dragaš |1372 |{{circa|1392}} |Wife of Manuel II Palaiologos. |1450 |
See also
References
= Citations =
{{Reflist}}
= Sources =
{{refbegin|30em}}
- {{cite book|last=Bédoyère|first=Guy de la|title=Domina: The Women Who Made Imperial Rome|year=2018|publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=9780300230307|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7VJxDwAAQBAJ}}
- {{cite book |editor-last = Kazhdan |editor-first = Alexander Petrovich |title = The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium |location=New York, New York and Oxford, United Kingdom |publisher = Oxford University Press |year = 1991 |isbn = 0-19-504652-8 }}
- {{cite book|last=Langford|first=Julie|title=Maternal Megalomania: Julia Domna and the Imperial Politics of Motherhood|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M9eQR4PoMuAC|year=2013|publisher=JHU Press |isbn=9781421408484}}
- {{cite book|author=Société française de numismatique et d'archéologie|title=Comptes rendus de la Société française de numismatique et d'archéologie|volume=IV|location=Paris|year=1873|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=19hbAAAAcAAJ|language=fr}}
{{refend}}