Theodora (senatrix)

Theodora (c. 870 ? 916) was a senatrix and serenissima vestaratrix of Rome . Theodora was married to Theophylact I, Count of Tusculum . The couple shared effective rulership of Rome between 905 and her death in 916.

Her daughter, Marozia , was the alleged concubine to Pope Sergius III , and mother of Pope John XI . The latter, according to Liutprand of Cremona and the Liber Pontificalis , was fathered by Sergius. ^[1] However, the annalist Flodoard (c. 894?966), a direct contemporary of Theodora's, says John XI was the brother of Count Alberic II of Spoleto . Because Alberic II was Marozia's son by her husband Count Alberic I of Spoleto , John was likely the son of Marozia and Alberic I.

Theodora was characterized by the aforementioned Liutprand as a "shameless whore ... [who] exercised power on the Roman citizenry like a man". ^[2] Liutprand, a bishop of Cremona, was known to his contemporaries and modern historians as being unfair to adversaries.

General bibliography [ edit ]

E. Dummler, Auxilius u. Vulgarius. Quellen und Forschungen zur Geschichte des Papsttums im Anfange des zehnten Jahrhunderts , Leipzig 1866, pp. 12?26;
P. Fedele, Ricerche per la storia di Roma e del papato al secolo X , in "Archivio della Societa Romana di Storia Patria", 33, 1910, pp. 177?247; 34, 1911, pp. 75?115 e 393?423;
L. Duchesne, Serge III. et Jean XI. , in "Melanges d'archeologie et d'histoire", 33 (1913), pp. 25?64
Ferdinand Gregorovius , Storia di Roma nel medioevo , New Compton Editori Srl, Roma 1972
Lexikon des Mittelalters , Munchen 2002
Daniela Schumacher-Immel (1996). "Theodora, die Altere". In Bautz, Traugott (ed.). Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German). Vol. 11. Herzberg: Bautz. cols. 919?920. ISBN 3-88309-064-6 .

Citations [ edit ]

^ Abbott, Elizabeth (2010). A history of mistresses . London: Duckworth. ISBN 978-1590208762 .
^ McCabe, Joseph (200u). Crises in the history of the papacy: a study of twenty famous popes whose careers and whose influence were important in the development of the church and in the history of the world . [Whitefish, Mont.]: Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 0766179044 .

External links [ edit ]

"Liutprand of Cremona" in the Catholic Encyclopedia

This Catholic Church ?related biographical article is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it .

[Abbott_2010-1] Abbott, Elizabeth (2010). A history of mistresses . London: Duckworth. ISBN 978-1590208762 .

[McCabe-2] McCabe, Joseph (200u). Crises in the history of the papacy: a study of twenty famous popes whose careers and whose influence were important in the development of the church and in the history of the world . [Whitefish, Mont.]: Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 0766179044 .

[1]

[2]