ABSTRACT
The marriage of Theophilos and Theodora, with far-reaching consequences, must have taken place when Thekla was still Michael’s wife and the Amorian had not yet repudiated her in order to marry Euphrosyne, the daughter of Constantine VI. 1 We know that Michael took the bold step of marrying Euphrosyne probably ca. 824, as the civil war with Thomas was already over and he was a widower. We will consider shortly his motivations for this act. For the moment it suffices to underline the fact that the Armenian Thekla must have stood behind Theophilos’ marriage. The first evidence is provided by the name given by Theophilos to his daughter Thekla, perhaps the eldest of all his children 2 as Euphrosyne was not yet Theophilos’ stepmother.
