Zoe

Am I considered lucky to be born into the purple? I am the daughter of an emperor in Constantinople. Actually, I am a prisoner in anguish and pain. I am forbidden to marry during my father’s reign. All in the court hail the Emperor Constantine. As a father, he has been cruel and mean. Many have called me the most beautiful of our time. However, a woman in her late forties is past her prime. My father has been emperor since Uncle Basil’s death. He is now quite near to taking his last breath. As a result, he has placed his seal on an edict. I am to marry Romanus Argyros, the city’s prefect. This man Romanus had been married previously. My father made him divorce in order to marry me. I have no feelings for Romanus at all. The man catching my fancy is named Michael. Romanus can only be an emperor of the worst kind. A way out of this problem is what I must find. Empress Zoe of the Byzantine Empire lived from 950 to 1022 AD