Imperial and Royal Child Brides in Byzantium and Beyond

This book focuses on the Byzantine court in Constantinople and the young females (aged fourteen or younger) who married into the royal and imperial households of Byzantium and medieval Europe to eventually become queens or empresses. Some married within their own culture, while many travelled hundreds of miles from their homes to encounter new customs, languages, and sometimes religion.

Covering the period from the tenth to the fifteenth centuries, this survey addresses a range of neglected areas of study: the crucial importance of children in society in general; the key responsibilities laid on girls and the vital roles of female children in building alliances; and the promotion of political and religious agendas. It addresses both history and art, with evidence drawn from historical sources, religious foundations, manuscripts, wall paintings, ivories, and metalwork.

Cecily Hennessy is a Byzantine art historian and former Academic Director of Christie’s Education. Her research includes images of the young and the family in Byzantine art; the art and architecture of Constantinople, Jerusalem, and Ravenna; and connections between Byzantine and Western art.