Macedonia (theme)

The Theme of Macedonia ( _el. θέμα Μακεδονίας) was a province of the Byzantine Empire, organised by Empress Irene in about 800, out of the Theme of Strymon. It had no relation with the historical or geographical region of Macedonia, but instead it was centered in Thrace, including the area from Adrianople (the theme's capital) and the Evros valley eastward along the Sea of Marmara. It did not include any part of ancient Macedon, which (insofar as the Byzantines controlled it) was in the Theme of Thessalonica. According to Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, it included also Thessaly, regions of Trikalia and Larissa, and even island Skiathos; this view is, however, controversial. John I Tzimisces replaced this with a duchy of Adrianople, which included much of his Bulgarian conquests.

References

* Warren Treadgold, "A History of the Byzantine State and society" (1997), pp. 421, 478, "et passim".
* Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, "De Thematibus", Lib. II.