Theophanu Gets The Band Back Together

Theophanu (957-991) was recruited to bring a touch of class to Germany. That she did, and so much more.

Otto The Great, the Holy Roman Emperor, went looking for a bride for his son, and he knew just where to find her - in Constantinople, the New Rome. He asked the pope to write the eastern emperor a very nice letter to ask for a Byzantine princess to be his son’s wife.

The pope was happy to oblige, but his note made a huge breach of protocol because it was addressed to the “Emperor of the Greeks.” The Greek-speaking Byzantines hated that, as they only ever thought of themselves as “The Romans.”

There was much grumbling, a few shenanigans, but eventually the new emperor did send a princess. But she wasn’t a daughter or sister of the emperor; she was a niece-in-law. They weren’t going to waste a top tier “born in the purple” princess on these grubby Germans.

So, off she went. The 15-year-old Theophanu arrived, draped in silks, bathed in perfume, and bedazzled in jewels. She was sophisticated. She had a regal bearing. She was well-mannered, introducing the fork to noble tables in western Europe.

Emperor Otto was impressed, as was his son, Otto II. You know who wasn’t impressed? Her future mother-in-law. This foreigner was a threat to her influence over her son. Mom tried to push Theophanu aside, never using her name, only ever calling her “that Greek girl.”

Mom’s objections notwithstanding, in 972 Theophanu and Otto II were married at the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome. On the same day, they were crowned emperor and imperatrix. Otto I was still alive, but he wanted to make sure everyone was onboard with the succession of the crown to his son whenever he died, which, as it would turn out, was the very next year.

In 980, Theophanu did the most important duty of a medieval queen, and that was to give birth to a son and heir. Can you guess what they named the son of Otto II and Grandson of Otto I? Did you guess Otto III? You got it. They also had three daughters, but nobody talks about them, because, you know, they’re girls.

With the son and heir in her lap, Theophanu encouraged Otto II to reassert authority in Italy. At this time, the north of Italy was part of the Holy Roman Empire. But the emperor’s control there was always challenged. The Papal States made a strip across the middle of the boot that belonged to the pope.

Southern Italy was a patchwork of mini-territories, split mostly between the Byzantine Empire and various Lombard rulers. But every patch of dirt, and especially the cities along the coastline, were constantly contested by Muslim raiders sent by the Emir of Sicily. It was a mess.

Theophanu wanted Otto II to reassert imperial control in the north, then march south to annex the lands in the south. Her vision was a reunited Roman Empire, the west and the east brought back together. This combined empire would of course be ruled by her husband and then her son. Quite a big goal.

So Otto II confidently sailed south and was immediately bested by the Muslim pirates. The Byzantines rescued him, but once on board their ship, he had a lot of explaining to do about his proposed conquest of their empire. Otto II finally made it back to Rome in December 983, just in time to die of malaria.

That Christmas, Theophanu had Otto III crowned at Aachen Cathedral by the archbishop, cementing her as Empress Regent, ruling on her son’s behalf. Theophanu ran the Holy Roman Empire in the name of her son until her death in 991. She did all the usual ruling stuff: subduing unruly German barons, fighting French incursions into imperial land, signing treaties with the Danes and the Rus, sponsoring scholars at court. You know, the medieval works.

Although she failed in reuniting the two halves of the Roman Empire, she succeeded in planting that idea deep in her son’s head. That bold dream would manifest into his lifelong desire to make the Holy Roman Empire great again, but that’s another story.

It’s good to have a big goal when you step into a new role. They put you in the chair for a reason, and the reason probably was not to put your feet up on the desk and relax.

So, should you jump right in and tackle the goal first thing? Or is it better to get some smaller wins under your belt first?

Theophanu took a gradual approach. She notched up several small important wins: bring sophistication to the court, get crowned imperatrix, push aside mother-in-law, produce an heir.

Those important medieval queenly achievements laid the foundation for her bigger ambition to reunite the Roman Empire. And yes, she failed to achieve that goal. But if it was a sure win, it wouldn’t be much of an achievement, right? Go big or go home.

Many corporate initiatives today are multi-year endeavors. A leader might try and fail, but if the company learns from the failure, it increases the chance that they’ll succeed the next time. Really big victories often happen after many defeats.

So go out there and try to make your big change happen. Maybe you’ll win, maybe you’ll fall short. If your goal isn't a little bit scary, then it’s not much of a goal.