Theophano | |
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![]() Depicted in John Skylitzes's History (11th century) | |
Empress of the Byzantine Empire | |
Tenure | 959 – March 963; August 963 – 969 |
Born | Anastasia c. 941 Laconia |
Died | after 978 |
Spouse | Romanos II Nikephoros II |
Issue | Helena Basil the Bulgar-Slayer Constantine VIII Anna Porphyrogenita |
Father | Craterus |
Theophano (Greek: Θεοφανώ, romanized: Theophanō; c. 941 – after 978) was a Greek woman from the region of Laconia,[1] who became Byzantine empress by marriage to emperors Romanos II and Nikephoros II. In 963, between the deaths of Romanos and her marriage to Nikephoros, she was regent for her sons, Basil II and Constantine VIII. Contemporary sources have depicted Theophano as scheming and adulterous, although modern scholars have called this into question.