Family
She was a daughter of Constantine Martiniakos. Her further ancestry is uncertain. However, Theophanes Continuatus, a continuation of the chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor by writers active during the reign of Constantine VII, records the story of a possible ancestor during the reign of Theophilos (reigned 829–842).
According to said story, there was an elder Martiniakos related by marriage to Theophilos. A prophecy circulated at the time predicted that the family of Martiniakos would come to rule the Byzantine Empire. In reaction Theophilos forced his kinsman to become a monk and convert his personal house into a monastery.
Christian Settipani has suggested the Martiniakos family could share common ancestry with the Phrygian Dynasty, allowing descendants some claim to the throne. He has suggested the relation may be through one of the sisters of dynasty founder Michael II. The origins of the dynasty are poorly recorded.
Read more about this topic: Theophano Martiniake
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