The first woman to rule the Byzantine Empire alone was deposed and exiled in 802
Empress Irene made history as the first woman to rule the Byzantine Empire in her own right, but her reign ended abruptly in 802 following a dramatic palace coup.
Empress Irene was a powerful and controversial figure who rose from humble beginnings to command the Byzantine Empire. In 797, she took the unprecedented step of blinding her own son to seize total control, becoming the first woman to officially rule as 'Basileus' or Emperor. However, her reign was cut short on October 31, 802.
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