Today, Tuesday Trivia is a not a place for nuance, for reading through sources to redeem those women who were unfairly maligned for acting against gender stereotypes or simply for political motivations of the author.
Not today.
Tell me about the evil women of the past. Who are they, and what did they do to earn a place in this thread?
Allow me to introduce you to Zoë Porphyrogenita. Zoë was married to Byzantine emperor Romanos III in 1028. Zoë developed a crush on an advisor of her husband by the name of Michael. Romanos didn't pay much attention to her, and he gave her very little spending money. Zoë began an affair with Michael, and she even began flaunting him around town, talking of making him emperor. Romanos began to get suspicious, and confronted Michael. Michael swore to God that he was not the lover of Zoë.
Then, on April 11th 1034, Romanos was found mysteriously dead in his bathtub with no known cause. The rumor began circulating that Zoë and Michael began poisoning Romanos slowly, but Michael became impatient and strangled Romanos. The very day that Romanos was found dead, Zoë married Michael.
Did Zoë and Michael kill Romanos? It's likely, but you decide!