Byzantine empress in the context of "John VIII Palaiologos"

The coronation (Greek: στέψιμον, romanized: stépsimon, or στεφάνωσις, stephánosis) was the main symbolic act of accession to the throne of a Byzantine emperor, co-emperor, or empress. Founded on Roman traditions of election by the Senate or acclamation by the army, the ceremony evolved over time from a relatively simple, ad hoc affair to a complex ritual.

In the 5th–6th centuries the coronation became gradually standardized, with the new emperor appearing before the people and army at the Hippodrome of Constantinople, where he was crowned and acclaimed. During the same time, religious elements, notably the presence of the patriarch of Constantinople, became prominent in what was previously a purely military or civilian ceremony. From the early 7th century on, the coronation ceremony usually took place in a church, chiefly the Hagia Sophia, the patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople. The association of the coronation ceremony with Constantinople and the Hagia Sophia became so close that even emperors who had been proclaimed, and crowned, outside the capital as military rebels or usurpers, usually repeated their coronation in the capital once they had won power.

Theophano (Greek: Θεοφανώ, romanized: Theophanō; c. 941 – after 978) was a Greek woman from the region of Laconia, 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 some modern scholars have called this into question.

The tablion (Greek: ταβλίον) was a rectangular or trapezoidal panel embroidered on the ceremonial mantle (chlamys) of courtiers during the Byzantine Empire.

The tablia were chosen to contrast with the mantle colour, and sewn pairwise on the front edges of the mantle. They could be further decorated with embroidered designs or images of the emperor. The emperor's mantle originally (in the 4th century) featured tablia sewn almost at the bottom of the mantle, below the knees, but from the 6th century they were moved to the centre of the mantle opening. As the chlamys was the chief civilian court dress, the tablion was a part of male court costume, and had to be purchased by the office-holders (for example, a patrikios paid 24 gold solidi in the 9th century). The only women allowed to wear a chlamys and tablion were the empresses. In the middle Byzantine period, the chlamys is much more richly decorated, but is sometimes depicted without tablia. The exact significance of this is unclear, although it has been suggested that it might denote lower court ranks.

Theodora (Greek: Θεοδώρα; c. 815 – c. 867), sometimes called Theodora the Armenian or Theodora the Blessed, was Byzantine empress as the wife of Byzantine emperor Theophilos from 830 to 842 and regent for the couple's young son Michael III, after the death of Theophilos, from 842 to 856. Theodora is most famous for bringing an end to the second Byzantine Iconoclasm (814–843), an act for which she is recognized as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Though her rule saw the loss of most of Sicily and failure to retake Crete, Theodora's foreign policy was otherwise highly successful; by 856, the Byzantine Empire had gained the upper hand over both the Bulgarian Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate, and the Slavic tribes in the Peloponnese had been forced to pay tribute, all without decreasing the imperial gold reserve.

Possibly of Armenian descent, Theodora was born into a rural family of traders and military officials in Paphlagonia. In 830 she was selected by Euphrosyne, step-mother of the emperor Theophilos, as a candidate in a bride-show for the young emperor. After being chosen by Theophilos she was crowned empress on 5 June 830. Theophilos was an iconoclast, who opposed the veneration of icons; it is unclear how aware he was that Theodora was an iconophile. The couple had seven children and Theodora was a loyal participant in imperial affairs and ceremonies, but she continued to secretly venerate icons throughout her husband's reign. Theophilos died of dysentery on 20 January 842, probably younger than 30. On his deathbed, he named Theodora as regent for their two-year-old son Michael III and designated a selection of advisors to assist her. The most prominent of these advisors was the logothete and eunuch Theoktistos, who would become a close confidant of Theodora.

Maria Megale Komnene (Greek: Μαρία Μεγάλη Κομνηνή; 1404 – 17 December 1439), known as Maria of Trebizond (Greek: Μαρία της Τραπεζούντος), was Byzantine Empress by marriage to the Byzantine emperor John VIII Palaiologos (r. 1425–1448). She was the last crowned Byzantine empress.

She was one of the daughters of Alexios IV of Trebizond and Theodora Kantakouzene.

Eudokia Makrembolitissa (Greek: Εὐδοκία Μακρεμβολίτισσα, romanized: Evdokía Makremvolítissa) was a Byzantine empress by her successive marriages to Constantine X Doukas and Romanos IV Diogenes. She acted as ruler with her two sons in 1067, and resigned her rule by marriage to Romanos IV Diogenes. When he was deposed in 1071 she resumed the rule with her son Michael VII, but was soon forced to resign again.

Because she essentially ruled in her own right during her rules and retained the title of empress, several modern scholars consider Eudokia to have been empress regnant in 1067 and some also in 1071.

Aelia Sophia (Greek: Σοφία) (c. 530 – c./aft. 601) was Byzantine empress as the wife of Emperor Justin II. Sophia participated in the governance of the empire; she took an interest in the financial and foreign policies, and served as regent alongside Tiberius II during Justin's incapacity from 573 until 578.

Theodora (/ˌθiːəˈdɔːrə/; Greek: Θεοδώρα; c. 490/500 – 28 June 548) was a Roman empress and wife of emperor Justinian I. She was of humble origins and became empress when her husband became emperor in 527. Theodora was one of his chief political advisers. She is recognized as a saint in the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and commemorated on 14 November.

Bardanes, nicknamed Tourkos, "the Turk" (Greek: Βαρδάνης ὁ Τοῦρκος, romanized: Bardanēs ho Tourkos, fl. 795–803), was a Byzantine general who launched an unsuccessful rebellion against Emperor Nikephoros I (r. 802–811) in 803. Although a major supporter of Byzantine empress Irene of Athens (r. 797–802), soon after her overthrow he was appointed by Nikephoros as commander-in-chief of the Anatolian armies. From this position, he launched a revolt in July 803, probably in opposition to Nikephoros's economic and religious policies. His troops marched towards Constantinople, but failed to win popular support. At this point, some of his major supporters deserted him and, reluctant to engage the loyalist forces in battle, Bardanes gave up and chose to surrender himself. He retired as a monk to a monastery he had founded. There he was blinded, possibly on Nikephoros's orders. He was of Turkic origin