List of Roman and Byzantine empresses

The term Roman empress usually refers to the consorts of the Roman emperors, the rulers of the Roman Empire. The duties, power and influence of empresses varied depending on the time period, contemporary politics and the personalities of their husband and themselves. Empresses were typically highly regarded and respected, and many wielded great influence over imperial affairs. Several empresses served as regents on behalf of their husbands or sons and a handful ruled as empresses regnant, governing in their own right without a husband.
Given that there were sometimes more than one concurrent Roman emperor, there were also sometimes two or more concurrent Roman empresses. For most of the period from 286 to 480, the Roman Empire, though remaining a single polity, was administratively divided into the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire. Through most of this period, the separated imperial courts had their own lines of succession, and as a result their own sequences of concurrent Roman empresses. The western empire fell in the late 5th century, its final empress being the wife of Emperor Julius Nepos. The eastern empire, often referred to as the 'Byzantine Empire' by modern historians, endured for almost another millennium until its fall through the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The final empress of the east, and final Roman empress overall, was Maria of Trebizond, wife of Emperor John VIII Palaiologos.
Though the constitutional power of empresses was never defined, it was generally accepted that their coronation, performed after that of their husbands, granted them some imperial power. Often, their primary duties were to oversee the organization of ceremonies at the imperial court as well as to partake in imperial and religious affairs. Although governmental power was most often vested only in the emperor, empresses could gain significant authority as regents for young children or when their husbands were absent. Though they were bound by the wishes and temperaments of their husbands, empress consorts could at times also effectively become influential co-regents. In some cases, emperors reinforced their legitimacy through marrying the daughter of a previous emperor. In such cases, empresses sometimes stressed their dynastic legitimacy, greater than that of their husbands, to achieve great influence. Several influential consorts, such as Theodora, wife of Justinian I, and Euphrosyne, wife of Alexios III, held their own courts. Theodora and Euphrosyne, during their husbands' reigns, established a parallel court alongside the imperial court—a separate palace with their own staff, royal attendants, and imperial guard, with their own imperial seal. State affairs were reported to them, and decrees issued by them carried the same weight as those of the emperor. Additionally, empresses, Irene of Montferrat, wife of emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos, and Anna of Savoy, wife of emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos and mother of emperor John V Palaiologos, left Constantinople for Thessalonica and established their own courts, ruling independently in that province. Irene did so following a disagreement with her husband over succession, while Anna, after losing in the Second Civil War, establishing her own court in Thessalonica and acting independently.

Titles

There was no single official term for the position of "empress" in Ancient Rome.

Common titles

The Latin title augusta, the female form of augustus, was usually given to Roman consorts. Insofar as augustus is understood as meaning "emperor", then a given woman could not become "empress" until being named augusta. However, not all consorts were given the title by their husbands. The title was sometimes given to other female members of the family, so empress and augusta are not always treated as synonyms. In the third century, empresses could also receive various honorific titles, such as māter castrōrum "mother of the castra" and māter patriae "mother of the fatherland".
The Greek title basilissa, the female form of basileus, was a common title for Byzantine empresses. Empress regnant Irene sometimes adopted the male title basileus.
The title despoina, the female form of despotes, was also a common title for empresses in the later eastern empire.
Noncommon titles
The title caesarissa, the female form of caesar, was used for Ino Anastasia, etc. It was used by the consorts of emperors as caesar's wife until being named augusta.
The Latin term imperatrix, the feminine form of imperator, was used for Pulcheria, etc. It seems to have rarely been used for Roman empresses.
The title autokratorissa, the female form of autokrator, was used for Anna of Savoy, etc. It was not a common title for Roman empresses. Empresses regnant Zoe and Theodora sometimes adopted the male title autokrator.
The title sebaste, the feminine form of sebastos, was used for Maria Skleraina, etc. It was the Greek translation of augusta and ranked as a quasi-empress.
Principate (27 BC – AD 284)

Julio-Claudian dynasty (27 BC – AD 68)

Portrait	Name	Tenure	Life details & notes	Emperor	Ref
	Livia Drusilla	16 January 27 BC – 19 August AD 14	30 January 59 BC – AD 29 ----Daughter of Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus; married Tiberius Claudius Nero in 43 BC and then Octavian on 17 January 38 BC. Known as Julia Augusta after his death; deified by Claudius on 17 January AD 42.	Octavian Augustus
	Julia Augusta	September AD 14 – AD 29	30 January 59 BC – AD 29 ----Daughter of Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus; married Tiberius Claudius Nero in 43 BC and then Octavian on 17 January 38 BC. Known as Julia Augusta after his death; deified by Claudius on 17 January AD 42.	Octavian Augustus
	Orestilla	AD 37	Second wife of Caligula; forced to marry him immediately after her marriage to Gaius Calpurnius Piso. After the divorce they were both exiled for alleged adultery. Probably the shortest-reigning empress.	Caligula
	Lollia Paulina	AD 38	Daughter of Marcus Lollius, originally married to Publius Memmius Regulus. Forced to commit suicide.	Caligula
	Milonia Caesonia	Summer 39 – 24 January 41	Born on 3 June of an unknown date, married to another man before becoming Caligula's mistress. Murdered alongside Caligula and their daughter Julia Drusilla.	Caligula
	Julia Drusilla	Posthumously named augusta* in AD 38*	R. B. Hoffsten considered Drusilla to have also become Augusta, because, after her death, she received all the honors that Livia had received.	Caligula
	Antonia Minor	Posthumously named augusta* in AD 41*	31 January 36 BC – 1 May 37 AD ----Mother of Claudius; daughter of Mark Antony and Octavia Minor.	Claudius
	Valeria Messalina	24 January 41 – AD 48	Daughter of Marcus Valerius Messalla. Executed after having an affair with Gaius Silius; suffered damnatio memoriae.	Claudius
	Agrippina the Younger Julia Agrippina	1 January 49 – 13 October 54	6 November 15 – 23 March 59 ----Daughter of Germanicus Julius Caesar, sister of Caligula, and mother of Nero, named augusta in AD 50. Murdered on the orders of Nero.	Claudius
	Claudia Octavia	13 October 54 – AD 62	39/40 AD – 9 June 62 ----Daughter of Claudius and Valeria Messalina. Exiled and later executed.	Nero
	Poppaea Sabina	AD 62 – AD 65	30/32 AD – early Summer 65 ----Daughter of Titus Ollius; married Rufrius Crispinus 50, then the future emperor Otho in 58. Named augusta shortly after Claudia's birth in January 63, posthumously deified.	Nero
	Claudia	Posthumously named augusta* in AD 63*	Only daughter of Nero and Sabina; was born on 21 January 63 and died on May of the same year.	Nero
	Statilia Messalina	early 66 – 9 June 68	35 – after 68 ----Daughter of Titus Statilius Taurus, married consul Marcus Julius Vestinus Atticus in AD 63/64. Married Nero after the forced suicide of her husband.	Nero

Year of the Four Emperors (69)

Flavian dynasty (81–96)

Nerva–Antonine dynasty (98–192)

All empresses of this period received the title augusta.

Portrait	Name	Tenure	Life details & notes	Emperor	Ref
	Pompeia Plotina	28 January 98 – 11 August 117	70 – c. 123 ----Daughter of Lucius Pompeius, named augusta around 105, posthumously deified. She was interested in Epicurean philosophical school. May have been involved in the appointment of Hadrian as successor.	Trajan
	Ulpia Marciana	105 – 114	15/30 August 48 – 29 August 122 ----Sister of Trajan. She was given the title of augusta, but apparently did not immediately accept it	Trajan
	Salonia Matidia	29 August 112 – 119	4 July 68 – 23 December 119 ----Daughter of Ulpia Marciana and praetor Gaius Salonius Matidius Patruinus, in practice adopted daughter of Trajan. Great grand-mother of Marcus Aurelius	Trajan
	Vibia Sabina	11 August 117 – c. 137	c. 85 – 136/137 ----Daughter of senator Lucius Vibius Sabinus, married Hadrian around 100, named augusta around 119, posthumously deified.	Hadrian
	Faustina the Elder Annia Galeria Faustina	10 July 138 – late October 140	97 – late October 140 ----Daughter of Marcus Annius Verus the Elder, married Antoninus around 120, named augusta in 138, posthumously deified	Antoninus Pius
	Faustina the Younger Annia Galeria Faustina	7 March 161 – 175	130 – 176 ----Daughter of Antoninus Pius, betrothed to Lucius Verus on 25 February 138, married Marcus Aurelius on 13 May 145. Named augusta on 1 December 147 and mater castrorum in 174, posthumously deified.	Marcus Aurelius
	Lucilla Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla	163 – 169	7 March 149 – 181/182 ----Daughter of Marcus Aurelius, betrothed to Lucius Verus in 161, named augusta shortly after the marriage. Exiled to Capri and executed by Commodus.	Lucius Verus
	Bruttia Crispina	178 – 191/2	Daughter of Gaius Bruttius Praesens, named augusta after her marriage with Commodus, sometime before 3 August 178. Exiled to Capri for alleged adultery and executed soon after; suffered damnatio memoriae.	Commodus