I emailed Mrs. Turner!

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

 
So, many of us have long been puzzled by the Empress Irene of Athens question. The powerful women who ruthlessly and efficiently controlled Byzantine from 797-802 AD before she was dethroned and banished to live in dignified exile.

Ruthless and ambitious, she is widely suspected of having poisoned her husband...

Irene of Athens was one of the most ruthless, ambitious, and forceful women ever to hold a throne... 

-From Answers.com

If that wasn't coincidence enough, she was also known by the familiar term baselius. No joke. 

In order to bring all matters to light, I finally worked up the nerve to ask our dear authoress if her character was inspired by this remarkably similar women. After all, what's the worse she could do? Call me a nosy parker and banish me from Sounis? Okay, that's probably just my imagination.


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