@N.N., daughter of Theodora
I'm totally confused on this one and maybe I'm just needing some clarification. I can't find anything documenting the parentage of this profile. When I go to the Wikipedia link for her connected parents, they have no children at all listed and, in fact, it states that her supposed father left no children and was succeeded by his nephew:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justinian_I -
When he died on 14 November 565, he left no children, though his wife Theodora had given birth to a stillborn son several years into his reign. He was succeeded by Justin II, who was the son of his sister Vigilantia and married to Sophia, the niece of Empress Theodora.
In the excerpt above it says the nephew was the son if Justinian I's sister Vigilantia and also that Justinian I's mother was also named Vigilantia, so maybe they've gotten some info on the same-name folks jumbled up. Regardless, no child by the name of Balbila-II-Theodora- is showing up for either couple. When I Google Balbila-II-Theodora to find more info, it actually takes me to the profile of Justinian I's wife and since she can't be her own child, that doesn't help.
The Wikipedia page on Justinian I's sister, mother of his nephew Justin II, states that the name of their is unknown:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigilantia
Their father was named Sabbatius, while the name of their mother is not actually recorded
If this is true, then it's an error that both Justinian I and his nephew are listed with mothers of the same name on Wikipedia, which could indicate that the lines have been confused.
Justinian II's Wikipedia page repeats the information about him succeeding his uncle and, once again, no children are mentioned for Justinian I:
Justinian I died on the night of 14 to 15 November 565. Callinicus [pl], the praepositus sacri cubiculi, seems to have been the only witness to his dying moments, and later claimed that Justinian had designated "Justin, Vigilantia's son" as his heir in a deathbed decision.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_II
Granted, I don't have access to every resource for research, but I was unable to find any historical documentation on a descendant named Balbila or any children for Emperor Justinian I and Empress Theodora, Emperor.
The information in their supposed daughter's profile really doesn't validate anything. The information in Justin I's and Theordora's profiles has a lot of historical information about them but doesn't mention any children other than this:
In 525, when Euphemia had died, Justin repealed the law, and Justinian managed to marry Theodora. By this point, she already had a daughter (whose name has been lost). Justinian apparently treated the daughter and the daughter's son Athanasius as fully legitimate,[7] although sources disagree whether Justinian was the girl's father.
Notice that the only daughter mentioned is biologically Theodora's before her marriage to Justinian I but does indicate her treated her as his own daughter, but no name is mentioned for her.
I would think if Balbila II (Theodora) 'the Younger', Byzantine Empress was historically accurate as the daughter of the questioned parents, there would be better documetnation on her as an Empress but since her supposed father is documented as having been succeeded as emperor by his nephew named for him, where would she fit in as Empress? Neither of her husbands were the Emperor.
Same-name connections usually put my head in a fog trying to sort them out, especially when there isn't sufficient documentation. The only clue I found about her being the daughter Theodora had before marrying Justinian I is on the Wikipedia page of her husband Flavius Probus Sabinian Pompey Alexander, where is states:
"He took to himself in marriage to Theodora, the daughter of Theodora, wife of Justinian 1 of the emperor, in marriage, and brought him to"
So, what evidence I can find indicates this Theodora was actually Justinian's step-daughter/adopted daughter born to Theodora by an unnamed man back when she was an actress and prostitute before marrying Justinian. At least she is named here as Theodora. Still the name Balbila isn't used. I simply can't find where that comes from. In any case, there is no hyperlink to his wife Theodora to a page about her and her being an Empress. Not from her husband's Wikipedia page nor from her mother's or Justinian's, whom I believe wasn't her biological father.
My interest in all this is that these are supposed direct ancestors for me and I'd like to know if the connections and subsequent pathways are correct.
Thanks so very much for any clarification, assistance and/or correction on these connections.
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