In 1217 she left England, supposedly to arrange the wedding of her daughter, Joan, but she never returned. Zoe’s father had been emperor since the age of 2, meaning that Zoe was ‘born into the purple’ – born to a reigning emperor. Probably the most famous woman of the middle ages, she is the only woman to have ever worn the crowns of both England and France. She was the niece of Basil II, the warrior emperor who had co-ruled, as senior emperor, with Constantine for over 60 years. At a time when the perceived main purpose of a wife was to produce and raise children, these women made a remarkable imprint on history that has ensured their stories are still being told today. Michael V was crowned in 1041 but immediately turned against those who had raised him to the throne. When the Welsh king eventually submitted to Æthelflæd, he promised to serve her faithfully, and to pay compensation for the murder of the abbot and his people. His father-in-law, King Louis VII welcomed the disgruntled Angevin prince and Eleanor of Aquitaine, having sided with her sons against her husband, sent two of her other sons, fifteen-year-old Richard and fourteen-year-old Geoffrey, to join their older brother at the French court, while she rallied her barons in Poitou to their cause. Although King Tewdr escaped Æthelflæd, his wife did not; Queen Angharad and thirty-three others, many of them relatives of the Welsh king, were taken back to Mercia as hostages. A version of this article first appeared in the 2019 edition of All About History magazine. The rebellion was quashed within a year, with the aid of Harald Hardrada and his 500 Norwegians, who had joined the Varanagian Guard in 1034. If she had done everything of which she was accused – murder, incest, adultery and rebellion – Eleanor would be the ultimate she-wolf. Constantine was rich and elegant, with a reputation as a ladies man, but with experience of Byzantine government as a senior civil administrator. [2], It was announced in early 2010 that Henry would be reprising her role of Rhona Goskirk in Emmerdale. Later rumours again mired Eleanor in scandal, accusing her of murdering Henry’s lover Rosamund Clifford. You can be the first to read new articles by clicking the ‘Follow’ button, liking our Facebook page or joining me on Twitter and Instagram. He co-ruled the empire with the 2 imperial sisters. ", http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s12/emmerdale/news/a299043/zoe-henry-no-baddie-in-emmerdale-plot.html, http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/film-and-tv/cain-ready-and-able-for-wedded-bliss-1137322, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zoe_Henry&oldid=971526142, Alumni of Manchester Metropolitan University, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 August 2020, at 17:58. She has also made appearances in various other television series including Grafters and Conviction. Of course, a closely guarded prisoner in Old Sarum or at Winchester as Eleanor was at the time of Rosamund’s death, it was impossible for her to do any such thing. She is an actress, known for Emmerdale (1972), Emmerdale: Paddy and Marlon's Big Night In (2011) and Coronation Street (1960). A version of both parts of Medieval She-Wolves first appeared in the 2019 edition of All About History magazine. Losing four of her greatest captains in the battle to capture Derby in 917, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reported: ‘With God’s help Ethelfleda, lady of Mercia, captured the fortress known as Derby with all its assets. The inscription reads ‘Zoe, the most pious Augusta’. britannica.com; A History of the Vikings by T.D. In another the discarded queen forced Rosamund to drink from a poison cup. Isabella saw an opportunity to take a stand against the unfairness of her situation. For a wife to rebel against her husband was practically unheard of, and went against the natural order of society, and therefore deserved harsher punishment – where would the world be if women refused to behave? Zoe was described by a palace courtier, Michael Psellos, as; ‘a woman of great beauty, most imposing in her manner and commanding respect … a woman of passionate interests, prepared with equal enthusiasm for both alternatives, death or life, I mean. However, as the character has developed, it was revealed that Rhona will give birth to a child born with Down syndrome. Although not all their actions were womanly, and some of what they did could be seen as dishonourable and ruthless, what is certain is that these women – and many others from their time – left their mark on history. Her younger sister, Theodora, was sent to a monastery. Zoe and Theodora Now 64-years-old, Zoe was empress, once again. She was only released after Henry II’s death in 1189, when her favourite son, Richard I, the Lionheart, ascended England’s throne. However, they ignored the challenges faced by a queen whose husband was sinking deeper and deeper into the realms of insanity, going so far as killing four of his own knights during one mental breakdown and thinking he was made of glass in another. Following the death of her uncle, and with no legitimate male heir to succeed him, Zoe’s father, Constantine, sought to settle the empire’s future by finally arranging Zoe’s marriage. To add to this, France was – not that they knew it at the time – halfway through the conflict with England that would become known as the Hundred Years’ War. The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway by Snorre Strurluson; Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest by Sharon Bennett Connolly; Ancient History Encyclopedia. And when her sister, Theodora, died in 1056, the Macedonian dynasty founded by Basil I (reigned 867-886) came to an end. Men who performed similar actions and had similar aims tended to be called strong and determined rulers. Joan had been betrothed, at the age of 4, to Hugh X de Lusignan, Count of La Marche and the son of Hugh IX de Lusignan (the man who had been betrothed to Isabella before John married her). Michael’s nephew, Zoe’s adopted son, ascended the throne as Michael V. When Michael V was crowned, Zoe was again banished to a monastery, an act which caused an uprising in Constantinople. Isabella of France was the wife and queen of Edward II of England. A ruthless empress who knew what she wanted, Zoe was not afraid to dispose of her rivals – whether they be a husband or an adopted son. In 918, Æthelflæd captured Leicester, ravaging the countryside around the town until the Danes surrendered. Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest. The war was going badly for France – Henry V defeated them decisively at Agincourt – and Isabeau was forced to put her signature to the Treaty of Troyes in 1420. Henry played the character for a month in 2001, before returning for 8 months in 2002. Throughout history – and particularly in medieval times – strong, determined women have been labelled ‘she-wolves’. With her son Edward, the heir to the throne, in her in France, and with the help of her close friend and adviser – and, quite possibly, her lover – Roger Mortimer, Isabella started attracting support from the disappointed and disillusioned of Edward’s subjects. Ladies of Magna Carta: Women of Influence in Thirteenth Century England will be released in the UK on 30 May 2020 and is now available for pre-order from Amazon UK and from Book Depository worldwide. Isabella herself was implicated in a plot to poison King Louis IX of France and his brother, only to be foiled at the last minute. She was married at a very young age – she was no more than 12 and may have been as young as 10 – to ‘Bad’ King John, the man who left women to starve in his dungeons and murdered his own nephew. on WordPress.com, Guest Post: Joan, Lady of Wales by Danna R. Messer, Book Corner: Drake – Tudor Corsair by Tony Riches, Matilda Marshal: A Favourite Historical Figure, Book Corner: Sons of Rome by Simon Turney and Gordon Doherty, Book Corner: Joan, Lady of Wales by Danna R. Messer, Guest Post: All the Ælfgifus by Annie Whitehead. Zoe is remembered in the gold and glass mosaic of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (now Istanbul) in which she is portrayed with Constantine IX and Jesus Christ. Louis and Eleanor’s marriage had been dealt a fatal blow; they left the Holy Land in 1149 and their divorce was finally proclaimed 21 March 1152. He was exiled to a monastery, but complaints about such lenient treatment meant that Zoe issued orders for his mutilation and he was blinded, an act symbolically rendering him incapable of ruling. Ladies of Magna Carta: Women of Influence in Thirteenth Century England will be released in the UK on 30 May 2020 and is now available for pre-order from Pen & Sword, Amazon UK and from Book Depository worldwide. He was blinded, an act symbolically rendering him incapable of ruling, supposedly by Harald Hadrada, the future king of Norway, himself. Her younger sister, Theordora, was sent to a monastery. As it was, her rebellion, an act unprecedented for a queen, meant she paid the price with her freedom for the next fifteen years. Neglected by her husband, who took a lover and refused to allow Zoe any say in affairs of state, the empress took a much younger, teenage lover, her chamberlain, Michael. Further losses in Sicily and the emperor’s worsening epilepsy added to the empire’s woes. She has also made appearances in various other television series including Grafters and Conviction Career. "Which soapy face is to guest in 'EastEnders'? His uncle, John the Orphanotrophos, was exiled from court and Zoe was again banished to a monastery, an act which caused an uprising in Constantinople. Married to King Charles VI of France, also known as Charles ‘the Mad’, Isabeau was left to raise her children and navigate the dangers and intrigues of court politics with little assistance from her mentally disturbed husband. After this, Henry appeared between March and September 2007 in another ITV soap, Coronation Street. At the age of 50, in 1028, she was married to her father’s designated successor, probably to add legitimacy to his claim to the imperial throne.

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