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Birth:          ABT  906 of Constantinople
Death:          19 Sep  961 

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Lekapene
Helena Lekapene (Latinized to Lecapena) (c. 910 – 19 September 961) was the 
Empress consort of Constantine VII. She was a daughter of Romanos I and his wife 
Theodora.
Background[edit]

The deaths of Emperor Leo VI the Wise in 912 and his brother and successor 
Alexander in 913, left the throne of the Byzantine Empire to Constantine VII. 
Constantine was only seven years old when he assumed the throne. The Empire was 
placed in the care of regents.

Nicholas Mystikos, Patriarch of Constantinople was the principal regent until March 
914. He was displaced by Zoe Karbonopsina, mother of the young emperor. Zoe 
reigned with the support of influential general Leo Phocas until 919. However, Leo led 
the Byzantine army into a series of lost battles against Simeon I of Bulgaria in one 
campaign of the Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars. This strengthened the opposition to the 
Regent and her favorite general.

In 919, a coup d'état involving various factions managed to remove Zoe from power. 
The new effective regent was Romanos Lekapenos, Drungarios (admiral) of the 
Byzantine navy. Romanos orchestrated the marriage of Helena to Constantine VII as a 
way to secure a connection to the legitimate Macedonian dynasty.

Reign of Romanos[edit]

The work Theophanes Continuatus was a continuation of the chronicle of Theophanes 
the Confessor by other writers, active during the reign of her husband. The description 
of her marriage at the chronicle places the event in April or May 919. The groom was 
still four or five months short of his fourteenth birthday. The age of Helena is not 
recorded but she was likely also of minor age. They would not have children until the 
930s.

Romanos was proclaimed basileopator ("father of the emperor") on the occasion of the 
marriage. In September, 920, Romanos was invested as kaisar (Caesar). On 17 
December 920, Romanos was crowned co-emperor and in effect became the senior of 
the two associate emperors.

Helena was now married to the junior co-ruler. Her mother Theodora was crowned 
Augusta in January 921 and was her senior in palace hierarchy until her death on 20 
February 922.

Helena became in effect the senior co-empress of the palace following the death of 
her mother. Her brother Christopher Lekapenos became co-emperor in 921. Prior to his 
elevation to the throne, Christopher was married to Sophia, daughter of magistros 
Niketas. Sophia was crowned empress in February 922. They had three children.

In 924, there was a senior Emperor (Romanos), two junior emperors (Constantine VII 
and Christopher) and two Empresses (Helena and Sophia). However Romanos 
crowned two more of his sons as co-emperors, Stephen Lekapenos and Constantine 
Lekapenos. By 933, Stephen was married to Anna, daughter of Gabalos. No children 
are mentioned by the chronicle. By 939, Constantine Lekapenos was married to 
another Helena, daughter of patrikios Hadrian. Helena died on 14 January 940 and 
subsequently Constantine married Theophano Mamas on 2 February 940. Constantine 
had a son but the identity of the mother was not recorded.

With the favor of Romanos, Christopher held seniority among the four junior co-
emperors. He was the heir to the throne while Constantine VII, Stephen and 
Constantine Lekapenos were to remain junior co-rulers. However Christopher died in 
931. Romanos did not advance his younger sons in precedence over Constantine VII. 
His son-in-law was now the heir over his own sons. Helena was bound to become the 
principal Empress upon the death of her father.

This period lasted until 16 December 944. Fearing that Romanos would allow 
Constantine VII to succeed him instead of them, his younger sons Stephen and 
Constantine arrested their father and carried him off to the Prince's Islands compelling 
him to become a monk.

Reign of Constantine[edit]


 


 Depiction of Helena on her deathbed
Constantine VII was restored to his position as senior emperor after twenty-four years 
as junior co-ruler. On 27 January 945 his brothers-in-law and co-rulers Stephen and 
Constantine were also deposed. They were sent into exile, leaving Constantine VII 
sole emperor. Helena was by then the only Empress.

Having never exercised executive authority, Constantine remained primarily devoted to 
his scholarly pursuits and relegated his authority to bureaucrats and generals, as well 
as his energetic wife Helena.

Their marriage resulted in the birth of several children, including:
Leo, who died young.
Romanos II.
Zoe, sent to a convent.
Theodora, who married Emperor John I Tzimiskes.
Agatha, sent to a convent.
Theophano, sent to a convent.
Anna, sent to a convent.

Romanos II was the co-ruler and heir. When Constantine VII died on 9 November 959, 
Romanos II succeeded him to the throne. His own wife Theophano convinced him to 
send all five of his sisters to the convent of Kanikleion. Helena seems to have retired 
from palace life after this point. Her death on 19 September 961 is among the last 
events recorded in the Theophanes Continuatus chronicle.

Parents
LEKAPENOS Romanos I (ABT  869 - 15 Jun  948)
____ Theodora (ABT  874 - 20 Feb  923)

Siblings
LEKAPENOS Christopher (ABT  890 -  931)
LEKAPENA Agatha (ABT  903 - )
LEKAPENE Helena (Eleni) (ABT  906 - 19 Sep  961)

Marriage To ____ Konstantinos VII (18 May  905 - 9 Nov  959)
    m.  919 

Notes

Parents
____ Leo VI "the Philosopher" (1 Sep  866 - 12 May  912)
KARBONOPSINA Zoe ()

Children by ____ Konstantinos VII 18 May  905 - 9 Nov  959
____ Romanos II ( 938 - 15 Mar  963)

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