| Thekla | |
|---|---|
| Augusta Empress of the Romans | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Byzanz-_Michael_III.,_Theodora_und_Thecla_-_M%C3%BCnzkabinett,_Berlin_-_5480493_(cropped).jpg) Thekla (right) with her brother Michael III on the reverse of a solidus minted during the reign of her mother, Theodora | |
| Byzantine co-empress | |
| Reign | 842 – c. 856 |
| Successor | Michael III |
| Alongside | Theodora and Michael III |
| Born | Early 820s or 830s |
| Died | After 870 |
| Burial | |
| Dynasty | Amorian dynasty |
| Father | Theophilos |
| Mother | Theodora |
Thekla (Greek: Θέκλα; early 820s or 830s – after 870), Latinized as Thecla, was a princess of the Amorian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire. The eldest child of Byzantine emperor Theophilos and empress Theodora, she was proclaimed augusta in the late 830s. After Theophilos's death in 842 and her mother becoming regent for Thekla's younger brother, Michael III, Thekla was associated with the regime as co-empress alongside Theodora and Michael.
Thekla was deposed by Michael III, possibly alongside her mother, in 856 and consigned to a convent in Constantinople. Some time later, she allegedly returned to imperial affairs and became the mistress of Michael's friend and co-emperor Basil I. After Basil murdered Michael in 867 and took power as the sole emperor, Thekla was neglected as his mistress and she took another lover, John Neatokometes. Once Basil found out about the affair, Thekla fell out of favor, was beaten and had her property confiscated.