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Zoë (Greek: Ζωή "life"), the daughter of Constantine VIII, succeeded her father on his death as the only surviving member of the Macedonian dynasty, along with her sister Theodora. Her three husbands, Romanos III (1028–1034), Michael IV (1034–1041) and Constantine IX (1042–1050) later ruled alongside her. From April 19 to June 11, 1042 she reigned as Byzantine Empress alongside her sister Theodora.
Theodora Porphyrogenita (Greek: Θεοδώρα, Theodōra) was born into the Macedonian dynasty that had ruled the Byzantine Empire for almost two hundred years. She was co-empress with her sister Zoe for two months in 1042 and sole empress regnant from 11 January 1055 to 31 August 1056. She was the last of the Macedonian line, and upon her death the empire entered a period of decline that lasted until the ascension of Alexios I Komnenos in 1081. |
