Editing Theophanu

{{Short description|Holy Roman Empress from 973 to 983}}
{{other uses|Theophanu (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox royalty
| consort      = yes
| name         = Theophanu
| image        = Otton II et Théophano.JPG
| caption      = Christ blessing Otto (left) and Theophano (right), ivory book cover, dated 982/3, [[Musée de Cluny]], [[Paris]].
| succession   = [[List of Holy Roman Empresses|Holy Roman Empress]]
| reign        = 7 May 973&nbsp;– 7 December 983
| succession1  = [[List of German queens|Queen consort of Germany]]
| reign1       = 14 April 972&nbsp;– 7 December 983
| coronation1  = 14 April 972
| cor-type1    = [[Coronation]]
| issue        = [[Adelaide I, Abbess of Quedlinburg]]<br>[[Sophia I, Abbess of Gandersheim]]<br>[[Matilda of Germany, Countess Palatine of Lotharingia|Mathilde, Countess Palatine of Lorraine]]<br>[[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor]]
| issue-link   = #Issue
| issue-pipe   = details
| spouse       = [[Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor]]<br>(m. 972; died 983)
| birth_date   = {{circa|955}}
| birth_place  = [[Constantinople]]<br />(modern-day [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]])
| death_date   = {{death date|991|6|15|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Nijmegen]]<br />(modern-day [[Netherlands]])
| father       = Constantine [[Skleros]]
| mother       = Sophia [[Phokas (Byzantine family)|Phokaina]]
| religion     = [[Chalcedonian Christianity]]
}}

'''Theophanu''' '''Skleraina''' ({{IPA|de|te.o.fa.ˈnuː}}; also ''Theophania'', ''Theophana'', ''Theophane'' or ''Theophano''; [[Medieval Greek]] {{lang|el|Θεοφανώ}};<ref>Θεοφανώ is a Greek diminutive of Θεοφάνεια "[[Theophany]]". G. S. Henrich, "Theophanu oder Theophano? Zur Geschichte eines 'gespaltenen' griechischen Frauennamensuffixes' in: Euw and Schreiner (eds.), ''Kaiserin Theophanu'' II (1991), 88&ndash;99.</ref> {{c.}} AD 955{{spaced ndash}} 15 June 991) was [[empress of the Holy Roman Empire]] by marriage to [[Emperor Otto II]], and regent of the Empire during the minority of their son, [[Emperor Otto III]], from 983 until her death in 991.
She was the niece of the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] Emperor [[John I Tzimiskes]]. Theophanu was known to be a forceful and capable ruler, and her status in the history of the Empire was in many ways exceptional. According to Wilson, "She became the only consort to receive the title 'co-empress' (''coimperatrix augusta''), and it was envisaged she would succeed as sole ruler if Otto II died without a son."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Peter H. |title=The Holy Roman Empire: A Thousand Years of Europe's History |date=28 January 2016 |publisher=Penguin Books Limited |isbn=978-0-14-195691-6 |page=PR17 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I5lFCgAAQBAJ&pg=PR17 |access-date=6 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

==Early life==
[[File:Urkunde01.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Marriage Charter of Empress Theophanu]], State Archive, [[Wolfenbüttel]].]]

According to the [[Marriage Charter of Empress Theophanu|marriage certificate]] issued on 14 April 972 Theophanu is identified as the ''neptis'' (niece or granddaughter) of Emperor [[John I Tzimiskes]] (925&ndash;976, reigned 969&ndash;976) who was of [[Armenians|Armenian]] and [[Byzantine Greeks|Byzantine Greek]] descent. She was of distinguished noble heritage: the Vita Mahthildis identifies her as ''augusti de palatio'' and the Annales Magdeburgenses describe her as ''Grecam illustrem imperatoriae stirpi proximam, ingenio facundam''.<ref>Hlawitschka, p. 146</ref> Recent research tends to concur that she was most probably the daughter of Tzimiskes' brother-in-law (from his first marriage) Constantine [[Skleros]] (c. 920&ndash;989) and cousin Sophia [[Phokas (Byzantine family)|Phokas]], the daughter of ''[[Curopalates|Kouropalatēs]]'' [[Leo Phokas the Younger|Leo Phokas]], brother of Emperor [[Nikephoros II Phokas|Nikephoros II]] (c. 912&ndash;969).<ref>Hlawitschka, pp. 145–153.</ref><ref>Schwab (2009), p. 14</ref><ref>Davids (2002), pp. 79–80</ref><ref>Settipani, pp. 244–245.</ref>

==Marriage==
Theophanu was not ''[[born in the purple]]'' as the Ottonians would have preferred. The Saxon chronicler Bishop [[Thietmar of Merseburg]] writes that the Ottonian preference was for [[Anna Porphyrogenita]], a daughter of late Emperor [[Romanos II]].  Theophanu's uncle [[John I Tzimiskes]] had overthrown his predecessor [[Nikephoros II Phokas]] in 969.  Theophanu was escorted back to Rome for her wedding by a delegation of German and Italian churchmen and nobles.  When the Ottonian court discovered Theophanu was not a scion of the [[Macedonian dynasty]], as had been assumed, Otto I was told by some to send Theophanu away.  His advisors believed that Theophanu's relation to the usurper John Tzimiskes would invalidate the marriage as a confirmation of Otto I as [[Holy Roman Emperor]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite book|title=Communication and Power in Medieval Europe: The Carolingian and Ottonian Centuries|url=https://archive.org/details/communicationspo00leys|url-access=registration|last=Leyser|first=Karl|publisher=The Hambledon Press|year=1994|isbn=1-85285-013-2|location=London|pages=[https://archive.org/details/communicationspo00leys/page/n182 156]–163}}</ref>  He was persuaded to allow her to stay when it was pointed out that John Tzimiskes had wed [[Theodora, daughter of Constantine VII|Theodora]], a member of the Macedonian dynasty and sister to Emperor Romanos II.<ref>{{cite book |last=Norwich |first=John Julius |date=1993 |title=Byzantium: The Apogee |location=London |publisher=Penguin |page=220 }}</ref>  John was therefore a Macedonian, by marriage if not by birth.  Otto I must have been convinced, because Theophanu and Otto's heir, Otto II, were married on 14 April 972.

A reference by the Pope to Emperor Nikephoros II as "Emperor of the Greeks"<ref>Paul Collins. ''The Birth of the West: Rome, Germany, France, and the creation of Europe in the tenth century''. p. 264, citing Liutprand of Cremona in ''The Works of Liutprand of Cremona'', translation by F.A. Wright, London: George Routledge, 1930.</ref> in a letter while Otto's ambassador, Bishop [[Liutprand of Cremona]], was at the Byzantine court, had destroyed the first round of marriage negotiations.<ref>Collins, p. 264</ref> With the ascension of John I Tzimiskes, who had not been personally referred to other than as Roman Emperor, the treaty negotiations were able to resume. However, not until a third delegation led by Archbishop [[Gero (Archbishop of Cologne)|Gero of Cologne]] arrived in [[Constantinople]], were they successfully completed. After the marriage negotiations completed, Theophanu and Otto II were married by [[Pope John XIII]] in April 972 and she was crowned as Holy Roman Empress the same day in Rome. According to Karl Leysers' book ''Communications and Power in Medieval Europe: Carolingian and Ottonian,'' Otto I's choice was not "to be searched for in the parlance of high politics" as his decision was ultimately made on the basis of securing his dynasty with the birth of the next Ottonian emperor.<ref name=":02"/>

According to Laura Wangerin, her father-in-law Otto the Great played an instrumental role in establishing her position as a future ruler. But despite his support, she met a lot of opposition and envy due to her foreign origins and education. After his death in 973, she lost her greatest support at court.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wangerin |first1=Laura |title=Empress Theophanu, Sanctity, and Memory in Early Medieval Saxony |journal=Central European History |date=December 2014 |volume=47 |issue=4 |pages=716–736 |doi=10.1017/S0008938914001927|s2cid=144928369 }}</ref><ref name=MeinWeg>{{cite web |title=Theophanu: Von einer byzantinischen Prinzessin zur römisch-deutschen Kaiserin |url=https://mein-weg-ins-museum.de/theophanu-kaiserin/ |website=Mein Weg ins Museum |access-date=15 August 2022 |language=de-DE |date=26 March 2021 |archive-date=15 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815041859/https://mein-weg-ins-museum.de/theophanu-kaiserin/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Empress==
Otto II succeeded his father on 8 May 973. Theophanu accompanied her husband on all his journeys, and she is mentioned in approximately one quarter of the emperor's formal documents – evidence of her privileged position, influence and interest in affairs of the empire. It is known that she was frequently at odds with her mother-in-law, [[Adelaide of Italy]]. The young couple and Adelaide collided with each other in several matters, including Adelaide's early association with [[Henry the Quarrelsome]].<ref name=MeinWeg/><ref>{{cite web |last1=University |first1=Center for Teaching and Learning at Columbia |title=Theophanu, empress |url=https://epistolae.ctl.columbia.edu/woman/26.html |website=Epistolae |access-date=15 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref> According to Abbot [[Odilo of Cluny]], Adelaide was very happy when "that Greek woman" died.<ref name="Davids (2002) 53">Davids (2002), p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Db9Z_BagLw8C&pg=PA53 53].</ref>

Nevertheless, the imperial couple were able to secure the trust of their allies at the 973 Reichstag in Worms, after which they traveled the country together, searching for new alliances and strengthening old ties. The young Theophanu showed diplomatic skills and displayed herself as an active partner in political negotiations.<ref name=MeinWeg/>

The [[Order of Saint Benedict|Benedictine]] chronicler [[Alpert of Metz]] describes Theophanu as being an unpleasant and chattery woman.<ref name="Davids (2002) 53"/> Theophanu was also criticized for having introduced new luxurious garments and jewelry into France and Germany.<ref>Davids (2002), p. 54.</ref>  The theologian [[Peter Damian]] even asserts that Theophanu had a love affair with John Philagathos, a Greek monk who briefly reigned as [[Antipope John XVI]].<ref>Davids (2002), p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Db9Z_BagLw8C&pg=PA56 56].</ref>

Otto II died suddenly on 7 December 983 at the age of 28, probably from [[malaria]].<ref name="Davids (2002) 18, 36">Davids (2002), pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Db9Z_BagLw8C&pg=PA18 18], [https://books.google.com/books?id=Db9Z_BagLw8C&pg=PA36 36].</ref> His three-year-old son, [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto III]], had already been appointed [[King of the Romans]] during a diet held on [[Pentecost]] of that year at [[Verona]]. At Christmas, Theophanu had him crowned by the [[Electorate of Mainz|Mainz]] archbishop [[Willigis]] at [[Aachen Cathedral]], with herself ruling as Empress Regent on his behalf. Upon the death of Emperor Otto II, Bishop [[Folcmar (bishop)|Folcmar of Utrecht]] released his cousin, the [[Duchy of Bavaria|Bavarian]] duke [[Henry II, Duke of Bavaria|Henry the Quarrelsome]] from custody.<ref name="Davids (2002) 18, 36"/> Duke Henry allied with Archbishop [[Warin of Cologne]] and seized his nephew Otto III in spring 984, while Theophanu was still in [[Kingdom of Italy (medieval)|Italy]] in the royal palace of [[Pavia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.monasteriimperialipavia.it/pavia-citta-regia/?lang=en|title=Pavia Royal town|work=Monasteri Imperiali Pavia|access-date=29 July 2022}}</ref> Nevertheless he was forced to surrender the child to his mother, who was backed by Archbishop Willigis of Mainz and Bishop Hildebald of [[Bishopric of Worms|Worms]].

==Regency==
[[File:Eschwege_St._Dionys_119.JPG|thumb|upright|Modern statue at St Dionysius Church, [[Eschwege]].]]

===Consolidation of power===
Theophanu ruled the Holy Roman Empire as regent for a span of five years, from May 985 to her death in 991, despite early opposition by the Ottonian court. In fact, many queens in the tenth century, on an account of male rulers dying early deaths, found themselves in power, creating an age of greater diversity. Her power as queen, empress and regent was based on the basis of Saxon tradition (which assigned the women an equal role in the family), Byzantine influence (which presented a model of a female counterpart to the emperor) and her mother-in-law Adelaide's legacy.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Görich |first1=Knut |title=Imperial Ladies of the Ottonian Dynasty (reviewed by Knut Görich) – recensio.net |website=www.recensio.net |date=2021 |pages=89, 91–93 |url=https://www.recensio.net/rezensionen/zeitschriften/german-historical-institute-london-bulletin/vol-xliii-2021/2/ReviewMonograph715948032 |access-date=9 July 2022 |language=en |archive-date=15 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715211753/https://www.recensio.net/rezensionen/zeitschriften/german-historical-institute-london-bulletin/vol-xliii-2021/2/ReviewMonograph715948032 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Norris |first1=Harper J. |title=Empress Theophanu: The Politics of Power at the Intersection of Byzantium and the Ottonian Empire |date=2020 |publisher=University of Central Florida |pages=27, 29 |url=https://stars.library.ucf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1746&context=honorstheses |access-date=31 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mckitterick |first1=Rosamond |date=1993 |title=Ottonian intellectual culture in the tenth century and the role of Theophanu |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1468-0254.1993.tb00010.x |journal=Early Medieval Europe |language=en |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=53–74 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-0254.1993.tb00010.x}}</ref> Theophanu and her mother-in-law, Adelaide, are known during the empress' regency to have butted heads frequently—[[Adelaide of Italy]] is even quoted as referring to her as "that Greek empress."<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Ottonian Queenship|last=Maclean|first=Simon|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2017|isbn=978-0-19-880010-1|location=Oxford, United Kingdom}}</ref> However, according to historian and author Simon Maclean, Theophanu's rivalry with her mother-in-law is overstated. Theophanu's "Greekness" was not an overall issue. Moreover, there was a grand fascination with the culture surrounding Byzantine court in the west that slighted most criticisms to her Greek origin.<ref name=":1" />

Theophanu did not remain merely as an image of the Ottonian empire, but as an influence within the Holy Roman Empire. She intervened within the governing of the empire a total of seventy-six times during the reign of her husband Otto II—perhaps a foreshadowing of her regency.<ref name=":02"/> Her first act as regent was in securing her son, Otto III, as the heir to the Holy Roman Empire. Theophanu also placed her daughters in power by giving them high positions in influential nunneries all around the Ottonian-ruled west, securing power for all her children.<ref name=":02" /> She welcomed ambassadors, declaring herself "imperator" or "imperatrix", as did her relative contemporaries [[Irene of Athens]] and [[Theodora (wife of Theophilos)|Theodora]]; the starting date for her reign being 972, the year of her marriage to the late Otto II.<ref name="Davids (2002) 26, 38">Davids (2002), pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Db9Z_BagLw8C&pg=PA26 26], [https://books.google.com/books?id=Db9Z_BagLw8C&pg=PA38 38].</ref> Theophanu's regency is a time of considerable peace, as the years 985-991 passed without major crises.

===Internal peace, diplomacy, warfare and cultural achievements===
[[File:Muurschildering Theophanu door Gerco Hiddink en Maaike van den Heuvel, Veerpoorttrappen, Nijmegen.jpg|thumb|left|Theophanu, mural, Nijmegen]]

In the North, she made a treaty with King [[Eric the Victorious]], which promoted an alliance against Slavic tribes as well as reinforced trade and cultural connections. In the East, she sent envoys to [[Vladimir the Great]] of Kiev, who was married to the Byzantine princess Anna, sister of Emperor [[Basil II]]. Economou notes that, "Theophano had in mind a 'family of kings,' in parallel to Byzantine tradition: The emperor was the 'father' of other kings, who were his 'sons' and 'friends' (amici) in a kind of family hierarchy. She also adopted the Byzantine model of relations between the emperor and patriarch in her relations to the pope (Ostrogorsky 1956b). The 'family' of the western empire included the duke of Poland, [[Mieszko I]], Bohemia and Hungary".{{sfn|Economou|2021|p=9}} Her model of imperial rulership, influenced by Byzantine and Ancient Roman ideas, was taken over by Otto II and especially Otto III who developed it further (although his abrupt death at a very young age prevented it from becoming an established foundation for the future).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Weinfurter |first1=S. |title=Frühmittelalterliche Studien Band 33 |date=31 December 1999 |publisher=De Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-242202-1 |pages=1–19 |doi=10.1515/9783112422021-002 |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110242317.1/pdf |access-date=10 July 2022 |chapter=Kaiserin Adelheid und das ottonische Kaisertum |archive-date=15 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715211755/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVncnV5dGVyLmNvbS9kb2N1bWVudC9kb2kvMTAuMTUxNS85NzgzMTEwMjQyMzE3LjEvcGRm |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to historian [[Gerd Althoff]], Theophanu's prowess in diplomacy could be exaggerated. Royal charters present evidence that magnates were at the core of governing the empire. Althoff highlights this as unusual, since kings or emperors in the middle ages rarely shared such a large beacon of power with nobility.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Otto III|url=https://archive.org/details/ottoiii00alth|url-access=registration|last=Althoff|first=Gerd|publisher=Pennsylvania State University Press|year=2003|isbn=0-271-02232-9|location=University Park, Pennsylvania|pages=[https://archive.org/details/ottoiii00alth/page/n52 40]–42}}</ref>

Theophanu introduced Byzantine protocol, "which influenced dress, crowns and jewelry, eating habits and utensils, even furniture". Her retinue of scholars brought to the empire Byzantine lawyers' procedures. The cult of Saint Nicholas in the empire traces its origin from her too.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Economou |first1=Emmanouel/Marios/Lazaros |title=Kaiserin Theophano's: The political, economic and cultural deeds of a Byzantine princess who became empress of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation |date=2021 |publisher=University of Thessaly |url=https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/107530/1/MPRA_paper_107530.pdf}}</ref>
[[File:Sarcophagus-Theophanu-Cologne.jpg|200px|thumb|Sarcophagus of Empress Theophanu, [[Church of St. Pantaleon|St.&nbsp;Pantaleon]], [[Cologne]].]]

As she and her husband and her son promoted trade in the Empire, [[Magdeburg]] and its traders were granted various privileges. Historical evidences show strong commercial activities in regions from [[Lüneburg]] to [[Halle (Saale)|Halle]]. There are traces of Byzantine, Slavic as well as Arab traders.{{sfn|Economou|2021|p=10}}

As with many Byzantine monarchs, Theophanu preferred diplomacy, but she did wage wars when necessary and accepted personal risk. She carried out at least one (successful) military expedition herself, in 987, when she marched with an imperial army to assist the Prince-Bishop [[Notker of Liège]] against [[Odo I, Count of Blois]].{{sfn|Economou|2021|pp=10, 11}}

Due to illness beginning in 988, Theophanu eventually died at [[Nijmegen]] and was buried in the [[Church of St. Pantaleon]] near her [[wittum]] in [[Cologne]] in 991.<ref>Althoff, p. 50.</ref> The chronicler [[Thietmar of Merseburg|Thietmar]] eulogized her as follows: "''Though [Theophanu] was of the weak sex she possessed moderation, trustworthiness, and good manners. In this way she protected with male vigilance the royal power for her son, friendly with all those who were honest, but with terrifying superiority against rebels''."<ref name="Davids (2002) 46">Davids (2002), p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Db9Z_BagLw8C&pg=PA46 46].</ref>

Because Otto III was still a child, his grandmother [[Adelaide of Italy]] took over the regency until Otto III became old enough to rule on his own.

==Historiography and depictions in arts==
{{Main|Cultural depictions of Theophanu}}

Theophanu has always attracted considerable controversy from chroniclers and historiographers. While praised by [[Thietmar of Merseburg]] and [[Bruno of Querfurt]], she was also criticized by some other scholars, notably [[Odilo of Cluny]], the hagiographer of her mother-in-law and rival [[Adelaide of Italy|Adelaide]]. Odilo even blamed her for the failed Italian expedition of [[Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto II]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Walter |first1=Katherine Clark |title=The Profession of Widowhood: Widows, Pastoral Care, and Medieval Models of Holiness |date=2018 |publisher=CUA Press |isbn=978-0-8132-3019-1 |page=119 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2S93DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA119 |access-date=22 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Conference |first1=State University of New York at Binghamton Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies |title=Saints: Studies in Hagiography |date=1996 |publisher=Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies |isbn=978-0-86698-179-8 |page=70 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MhjaAAAAMAAJ |access-date=22 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Her modern historiographers are similarly divided, although {{ill|Knut Görich|de}} sees the general trend as leaning towards the positive. Some see her as passive, reactive and conservative while the others see her as extremely future-oriented and energetic; still others like Jestice opine that current evidences are not enough to definitely conclude that Theophanu and the other prominent female Ottonian rulers were extraordinarily talented as individuals or not but it is clear that the Ottonian society (which basically treated women and men as equals, except in physical prowess) allowed women the chance to succeed.{{sfn|Görich|2021}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Theophanu: Von einer byzantinischen Prinzessin zur römisch-deutschen Kaiserin |url=https://mein-weg-ins-museum.de/theophanu-kaiserin/ |website=Mein Weg ins Museum |access-date=22 August 2022 |language=de-DE |date=26 March 2021 |archive-date=15 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815041859/https://mein-weg-ins-museum.de/theophanu-kaiserin/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Jestice |first1=Phyllis G. |title=Imperial Ladies of the Ottonian Dynasty: Women and Rule in Tenth-Century Germany |year=2018 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-77306-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gHRVDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA268 |access-date=22 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Her personal role or non-role in the contact or merging between the [[Macedonian Renaissance]] and [[Ottonian Renaissance]] inspires a lot of debate as well.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cohen |first1=Adam |title=Abbess Uta of Regensburg: Patterns of Patronage Around 1000 |year=2003 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9hhIAQAAIAAJ |access-date=22 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Graham |first1=Mark W. |title=Review of The Empress Theophano: Byzantium and the West at the Turn of the First Millennium |journal=Medieval Prosopography |date=1996 |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=275–280 |jstor=44946221 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44946221 |access-date=21 August 2022 |issn=0198-9405}}</ref>

==Commemoration==
[[File:Ottonen Theophanu.jpg|thumb|Theophanu's name on the ''Weg der Ottonen'', [[Magdeburg]]]]
The Empress Theophano Prize, awarded by the Empress Theophano Foundation based in [[Thessaloniki]], "rewards individuals or organisations who make an outstanding contribution to bridging Europe's historic diversities."<ref>{{cite web |title=Theophano Foundation – Prize 2021 |url=https://www.theophano.eu/winners-2021/ |website=theophano.eu |access-date=23 July 2022}}</ref>

On the occasion of the millennial commemoration of her death, multiple events in Germany and the Netherlands were organized.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davids |first1=Adelbert |title=The Empress Theophano: Byzantium and the West at the Turn of the First Millennium |date= 2002 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-52467-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Db9Z_BagLw8C&pg=PR12 |access-date=23 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

==Issue==
* [[Adelaide I, Abbess of Quedlinburg]] and Gandersheim, born 973/974, died 1045.
* [[Sophia I, Abbess of Gandersheim]] and [[Essen Abbey|Essen]], born October 975,<ref>{{cite book |last= Seibert |first=Hubertus |year=1998 |title=Otto II |work=[[Neue Deutsche Biographie]] (NDB) Volume 19 |pages=660–662 |url=http://www.deutsche-biographie.de/sfz74083.html |publisher=Historische Kommission, [[Bavarian Academy of Sciences|Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften]] (BAdW) |language=de}}</ref> died 1039.
* [[Matilda of Germany, Countess Palatine of Lotharingia|Mathilde]], born summer 978, died 1025; who married [[Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lotharingia|Ezzo]], [[count palatine]] of [[Lotharingia]].
* [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor]], born end June/early July 980.
*  A daughter, a twin to Otto, who died before October 8, 980.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* Davids, Adelbert. ''The Empress Theophano: Byzantium and the West at the turn of the first millennium'', 2002. {{ISBN|0-521-52467-9}} 
* Hlawitschka, Eduard, ''Die Ahnen der hochmitteralterlichen deutschen Konige, Kaiser und ihrer Gemahlinnen, Ein kommentiertes Tafelwerk, Band I: 911–1137, Teil 2'', Hanover 2006. {{ISBN|978-3-7752-1132-1}}
* Hans K. Schulze, ''Die Heiratsurkunde der Kaiserin Theophanu'', Hanover 2007 {{ISBN|978-3-7752-6124-1}}
* {{cite book | title = Theophanu: eine oströmische Prinzessin als weströmische Kaiserin | first = Sandra | last = Schwab | publisher = GRIN Verlag | year = 2009 | language=de | isbn = 978-3-640-27041-5}}
* Settipani, Christian, ''Continuité des élites à Byzance durant les siècles obscurs. Les princes caucasiens et l'Empire du VI<sup>e</sup> au IX<sup>e</sup> siècle,'' Boccard, Paris 2006. {{ISBN|978-2-7018-0226-8}} 
* Sotiriades, Moses, "Theophanu, die Prinzessin aus Ost-Rom" in: von Steinitz, Peter (Editor), ''Theophanu, Regierende Kaiserin des Westreichs'', Freundeskreis St. Pantaleon 2000. {{ISBN|3980519716}}
* Paul Collins. ''The Birth of the West: Rome, Germany, France, and the creation of Europe in the tenth century''. Public Affairs, 2013. {{ISBN|978-1-61039-013-2}}
* Althoff, Gerd. ' 'Otto III' ', trans. Phyllis G. Jestice, 2003. {{ISBN|978-0-271-02401-1}}

==External links==
* [http://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/woman/26.html ''Women's Biography: Theophanu, empress''], contains several letters received by Theophanu.

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{{s-bef | rows=2 | before=[[Adelaide of Italy]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[List of German queens|Queen consort of Germany]] | years=972–983}}
{{s-aft | rows=2 | after=[[Cunigunde of Luxembourg]]}}
|-
{{s-ttl | title=[[List of Holy Roman Empresses|Empress consort of<br>the Holy Roman Empire]] | years=973–983}}
{{s-end}}

{{Holy Roman Empresses}}
{{Royal consorts of Germany}}
{{Italian consorts}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Theophanu}}
[[Category:Theophanu| ]]
[[Category:950s births]]
[[Category:991 deaths]]
[[Category:10th-century women regents]]
[[Category:10th-century German nobility]]
[[Category:10th-century German women]]
[[Category:10th-century Byzantine people]]
[[Category:10th-century Byzantine women]]
[[Category:German female regents]]
[[Category:Ottonian dynasty]]
[[Category:Holy Roman Empresses]]
[[Category:Queens consort of Italy (Holy Roman Empire)]]
[[Category:Regents of the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:People from Constantinople]]
[[Category:Skleros family]]
[[Category:Queen mothers]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:Byzantine Empire–Holy Roman Empire relations]]
[[Category:10th-century regents]]
[[Category:Mothers of Holy Roman Emperors]]
[[Category:Mothers of Italian monarchs]]
[[Category:Mothers of German monarchs]]