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What ridiculous history fact is your favorite? (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
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[โ€“] 15 points 2 years ago (4 children)

TIL Rome once had an empress.

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  • [โ€“] 41 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    Empress-consort rather than empress-regnant, I'm afraid. She was Julia Domna, wife of emperor Septimus Severus and accompanying him on his attempt to bring the north of Britain under his control

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  • [โ€“] 17 points 2 years ago* (2 children)

    That said, there absolutely were empresses-regnant of the Byzantine empire, and there's no reason to consider that a separate entity. Irene Sarantapechaena and about four or five others absolutely were ruling Roman empresses

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  • [โ€“] 6 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    TIL. Did the Greeks get less patriarchal over time? In the classical era they were Taliban-tier and complained they even had to see women.

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  • [โ€“] 8 points 2 years ago

    I'm afraid I am completely unqualified to answer this beyond that Irene's reign was a very messy one, ending with a rebellion against her. Her own son (the legal heir to the throne for who she was originally just regent) also rebelled against her earlier, and she had his eyes put out. It seems to me like Irene specifically was just absolutely ruthless enough to get past whatever societal rules may have been levelled against her

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