← Explore on the interactive map

Irene Doukaina

Type Figure Region Byzantine Empire Time 1066–1138 Also known as Irene Doukas

Irene Doukaina (1066–1138) was a Byzantine empress of the Doukas family; she married Alexios I in 1078 and bore Anna and John II among other children…

Timeline

  1. 1066–1100Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireBorn into the noble Doukas family, she married Alexios after his successful coup in 1078, consolidating the alliance between the Komnenoi and the old aristocracy. She bore several children, including Anna Komnene and John II, and played an important role in court ceremony and religious charity.
  2. 1101–1110Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireBetween 1101 and 1110, as Alexios grew old, Irene formed a political alliance with her daughter Anna, pushing hard for her son-in-law Nikephoros Bryennios to succeed, in sharp opposition to John II, who enjoyed his father's favor. Her faction's activities profoundly shaped the power dynamics of the Komnenian court.
  3. 1111–1138Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireAfter Alexios died in 1118, John II succeeded without difficulty, and Irene entered a convent for the rest of her life. Though she lost the succession struggle, she retained the Doukas family's residual influence at court, dying in Constantinople in February 1138.

Sources