- Ino Anastasia
Ino, renamed Aelia Anastasia (d. 593) was the Empress consort of
Tiberius II Constantine of theByzantine Empire .Marriages
According to the account of
John of Ephesus , Ino was first married to Ioannes. Her first husband was anoptio , anexecutive officer of theByzantine army . They had a daughter who was bethrothed toTiberius II Constantine . Her husband and daughter both died prior to the conclusion of the marriage contract. Instead Ino herself married Tiberius. [Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire , vol. 3 ]John of Ephesus mentions Ino and Tiberius had three children. Daughters Constantina and Charito are known by name. The third child is considered to have died prior to the elevation of Tiberius to the rank of Caesar. [
Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire , vol. 3 ]Caesar's wife
Tiberius served as "
Comes Excubitorum" (Commander of theExcubitors ) underJustin II . Justin reportedly suffered from temporary fits of insanity and was unable to perform his duties as early as the fall of Dara toKhosrau I of theSassanid Empire in November, 573. [http://www.roman-emperors.org/justinii.htm James Allan Evans, "Justin II (565-578 A.D.)." ] According toGregory of Tours , sole power of the Empire at this point was assumed by Sophia. Sophia was a niece of Theodora and Empress consort of Justin II.Evagrius Scholasticus reports that Sophia managed to conclude a three-year truce with Khosrau by her own. But as a Regent she would require supporters and she picked Tiberius as her colleague in power. [http://www.roman-emperors.org/justinii.htm James Allan Evans, "Justin II (565-578 A.D.)." ]According to the chronicle of
Theophanes the Confessor , Tiberius was officially appointed Caesar by Justin on7 December ,574 . [http://www.roman-emperors.org/justinii.htm James Allan Evans, "Justin II (565-578 A.D.)." ] He was also adopted by Justin and thus became his appointed heir. [http://www.roman-emperors.org/sophia.htm Lynda Garland, "Sophia, Wife of Justin II" ] At this point Ino emerged as Caesarissa, the second-ranking lady in the Empire. [http://www.roman-emperors.org/ino.htm Lynda Garland, "Ino Anastasia, wife of Tiberius II Constantine" ]The Ecclesiastic history of John of Ephesus and the chronicle of
Theophanes the Confessor both consider Sophia planning to marry Tiberius herself. [http://www.roman-emperors.org/sophia.htm Lynda Garland, "Sophia, Wife of Justin II" ] His current marriage seen as an offense to her. Ino and her daughters were not allowed to enter theGreat Palace of Constantinople . They were instead settled in the palace of Hormisdas, residence ofJustinian I prior to his elevation to the throne. According to John of Ephesus, Tiberius joined them every evening and returned to the Great Palace every morning. Sophia also refused to let the ladies at court visit Ino and her daughters as a token of respect to them. [http://www.roman-emperors.org/ino.htm Lynda Garland, "Ino Anastasia, wife of Tiberius II Constantine" ]Ino eventually left
Constantinople in favor of Daphnudium, her previous residence. According to John of Ephesus, Tiberius left Constantinople to visit Ino when she fell sick. [http://www.roman-emperors.org/ino.htm Lynda Garland, "Ino Anastasia, wife of Tiberius II Constantine" ] Her daughters are assumed to have joined her in her departure from the capital.Empress
In September, 578 Justin II appointed Tiberius as his co-emperor. On
October 5 ,578 , Justin was dead and Tiberius became the sole Emperor. According to John of Ephesus, Sophia sentPatriarch Eutychius of Constantinople to Tiberius to convince him to divorce Ino. Offering both herself and her adult daughter Arabia as prospective brides for the new Emperor. Tiberius refused. [http://www.roman-emperors.org/ino.htm Lynda Garland, "Ino Anastasia, wife of Tiberius II Constantine" ]Tiberius apparently feared for the safety of his wife and daughters. John of Ephesus reports the three women secretly smuggled into Constantinople by boat, late at night. Ino arrived safely and her husband arranged for her meetings with Eutychius and members of the
Byzantine Senate . Ino was proclaimed Empress in a public ceremony and received the rank of Augusta. [http://www.roman-emperors.org/ino.htm Lynda Garland, "Ino Anastasia, wife of Tiberius II Constantine" ]According to John of Ephesus, her name was considered inappropriate for a
Christian Empress as it had Hellenic overtones. [ [http://www.roman-emperors.org/tina.htm "Constantina, wife of Emperor Maurice"] ] The original Ino was a daughter ofCadmus and Harmonia, identified with thegoddess Leucothea . As an Empress Ino received the name Anastasia, suggested by the Bluechariot racing club. Their rivals the Greens had suggested the name Helena. [ [http://www.roman-emperors.org/tina.htm "Constantina, wife of Emperor Maurice"] ]Anastasia was not the only Augusta. Sophia also retained her rank and continued to hold a section of the palace to herself. Anastasia's religious affiliation is unknown. According to John of Ephesus she was hostile to the
Chalcedonian religious faction. He claims that she lacked knowledge on their actual beliefs. [http://www.roman-emperors.org/ino.htm Lynda Garland, "Ino Anastasia, wife of Tiberius II Constantine" ] However John does not mention her supportingMonophysitism either.Mother-in-law
On
14 August ,582 , Tiberius died. He was succeeded by Maurice, a general betrothed to Constantina. The marriage of Constantina and Maurice took place in Autumn, 582. The ceremony was performed byPatriarch John IV of Constantinople and is described in detail byTheophylact Simocatta . Constantina was proclaimed an Augusta while both Sophia and Anastasia also kept the same title. John of Ephesus mentions all three Augustas residing in the Great Palace. [http://www.roman-emperors.org/sophia.htm Lynda Garland, "Sophia, Wife of Justin II" ]Theophanes records the death of Anastasia in the year 593. She was buried in the
Church of the Holy Apostles , alongside her husband. [http://www.roman-emperors.org/ino.htm Lynda Garland, "Ino Anastasia, wife of Tiberius II Constantine" ]References
External links
** [http://books.google.com/books?id=fBImqkpzQPsC&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=Daphnudium&source=web&ots=JElJV96UEO&sig=Vgoz9InGhM3qFG4onky71gaKsH4#PPA60,M1- -Her listing in the Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire]
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