Reassessing Empress Eirene in the context of Byzantine iconomachy

Date

2026-8-21

Author

Katı, Yüsra

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Between the eighth and ninth centuries, the agenda of Byzantine elites was drastically impacted by iconomachy, the icon debate. There is a lack of academic study in the literature on the assessment of iconomachy from the perspective of queenship studies and women’s history, even though this topic has been extensively explored in terms of religion, society, and politics. This study evaluates the attempt by Empress Eirene (r. 797-802), the first woman who ruled the Byzantine Empire in her own right, to consolidate her political power in the context of Byzantine iconomachy. By shedding light on how Empress Eirene legitimized her rule, this master’s thesis aims to evaluate not only how iconophile thought served as the basis of her political power, but also how her agency, political alliances, and eunuchs at her court shaped her rule. It utilizes near-contemporary narrative sources as well as ecclesiastical and liturgical texts to comprehend the theological and social framework of Byzantium in the eighth century. In addition, it examines how women’s experiences with power influenced this era as well as the significance of icons in Byzantine cultural history. By placing Eirene at the center of analysis and drawing upon gender studies, network theory, and kinship theory, this thesis argues that the iconophile consolidation was her primary tool in this context. It thus aims to address the subject not merely as a relationship between women and religion, but as a relationship between politics and religion.

Subject Keywords

Iconomachy, Women's history, Agency, Iconophile

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/120090

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis