Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 1.djvu/423

409 ST. IRENE 400 St. Irene (12), empress, Aug. 7, 13, 15,+ 803. The first of three empresses of the same name acconnted saints. Called "the new Athaliah" (Bossange, Dictionnatre de la canversation^ "Nic6- phore I."). Wife of Leo IV., emperor 775-780. Mother of Constantino VL 780-797. She was one of the most extraordinary characters in Byzantine history. Tillemont says of her — "Jamais femme ne fat moins digne de vivre qne cette d^testahle princesse." The Emperor Constantino Y. (called Copronymos) had an idea of marrying his son Leo IV. to Gisla, sister of Charlemagne and daughter of Pepin the Short, king of the Franks ; but his over- tures were not favourably received, and seeing no other alliance with royalty desirable in every respect, he looked around for a suitable wife for his son, and chose Irene, a young Athenian lady of extreme beauty and great ability. She hid her real inclinations so well beneath a mask of modesty and piety, and showed herself so clever and energetic on several critical occasions, that her father-in-law was completely charmed with her. He had her crowned empress, and looked to her to guide her amiable but weak hus- band. He did not perceive that she was more concerned to grasp all the power in her own hands than to use it well. She was fond of grandeur and display. If she had any of the good qualities with which Constantino credited her, they were stifled by prosperity and wealth. The iconoclastic controversy had been distracting the Church for half a century, and the most bitter hatred reigned on either side, dividing families and estrang- ing dear friends. Leo and his father were both iconoclasts. Irene favoured the opposite party, but concealed her opinions, one condition of her elevation to the throne being that she should swear never to tolerate images. When her husband, Leo IV., succeeded his father in 775, he was twenty-five years old. He was very amiable, and was unboundedly kind to his wife and her family. In the following year their son Constantino, then six years old, was crowned with great state, in the Church of St. Sophia. In 780 Leo, who was as violent an iconoclast as his father, found some images in Irene's apartments. He was very angry, but as she always made principle yield to expediency, she coolly declared they did not belong to her, and she knew nothing about them. Leo did not believe her. She managed to throw the blame on others and have them punished, but she never succeeded in clearing herself. Whether in conse- quence of this religious dispute or that he discovered other offences and crimes of hers, they never were reconciled, and she has been suspected of poisoning him for fear of losing her position. A dif- ferent story was, however, circulated to account for his death. Leo, who had Asiatic blood, had a passion for jewels, incomprehensible to the western mind. Being often at services in the great Church of St. Sophia, he admired and coveted a splendid jewelled crown which was suspended over the altar. He ordered it to be taken down, placed it on his own head, and carried it to his palace. No sooner had he arrived there than pesti- lential tumours burst out round his fore- head, an attack of fever came on, and he died the same day, having lived thirty years and reigned five. Irene now reigned for her son Constan- tino VI., who was ten years old. She had a difficult part to play, but *' no one was ever endowed with greater talents for removing opposition and conciliating personal support than she." She took the side of image- worship, both from in- clination and policy, but did not openly declare her sentiments at first because all the chief offices were filled by mem- bers of the iconoclastic party: the favour of the army had to be secured. Leo's death and the regency of a woman gave an opportunity to his five half-brothers to br^k the oath of allegi- ance they had made some years before, to the young emperor on his coronation. Irene quickly and cleverly quashed their plot, and compelled them, as the price of their lives, to enter the priesthood. She and her son at the same time restored the treasures taken from the Church by the iconoclastic emperors. In 781, thinking the help of tho