Irene of Athens

Irene of Athens was the wife of Emperor Leo IV, and later ruled as Byzantine Empress during the mid 8th century. When her husband died, instead of their son taking the throne, she had him exiled, and was herself crowned as Byzantine Empress. In early life, she was a low noble, being the daughter of an upstart military officer. As her father rose to prominence as a military commander, eventually becoming the supreme commander of the empire's armies, Irene was betrothed to the young Leo IV. They had two children, their son Basil, and their daughter Anna. Her coronation, widely seen as illegitimate, sparked controversy across Europe, and resulted in the title of Holy Roman Emperor being forged by Karl I in the west, and the ultimate schism between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches of Christianity. An attempt was made between the two Empires to reunify the church and resurrect a true successor to the Roman Empire by marrying Irene to Karl I, but he was unenthusiastic, and Irene herself would be deposed in a rebellion several years after the plan was made. Irene's daughter, Anna, was married to the leader of the rebellion, a Serbian nobleman named Aleskandir Komnonas, who would reign as Constantine IV, founder of the Comnenus Dynasty, who ruled the Byzantine Empire for much of it's medieval history.