Dionysia Tzoumene
| Dionysia Tzoumene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Perateian Empress consort | |
| Tenure | 18 August 1944 – 16 January 1964 |
| Coronation | 18 August 1944 |
| Born | Dionysia Zaoutzaina Tzoumene 11 March 1914 Leonople, Perateia |
| Died | 3 July 2000 (aged 86) Kainourgion, Leonople |
| Burial | 16 July 2000 Hagia Euergetou |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | |
| House | Tzoumenes (by birth) Anicia (by marriage) |
| Father | Hypatios Tzoumenes |
| Mother | Ariadne Zaoutzaina |
| Religion | Ecumenicism |
Dionysia Tzoumene (Perateian: Διονυσια Ζαοuτζαινα Τζοuμενε; 11 March 1914 – 3 July 2000) was Perateian empress consort by virtue of her marriage to John X Anicius. She became empress upon her marriage in 1944 and remained consort until her husband's death in 1964. Prior to her marriage to Emperor John X, Tzoumene was married to Perateian nobleman and soldier Isaac Exazenos.
Tzoumene was born and raised in Leonople, as the youngest child of Hypatios Tzoumenes and Ariadne Zaoutzaina. Her father served as an administrative official in Leonople at the time of her birth, and later served as Kephale of Selenitis from 1922 to 1929, and as Deputy Eparch of Leonople from 1929 to 1935. In 1934, Tzoumene married Perateian nobleman Isaac Exazenos, with whom she had two children over the course of their marriage. Their marriage ended in 1939 following Exazenos' untimely death, after which Tzoumene resided in Kynegion, Leonople with her brother's family.
She was introduced to Emperor John X Anicius in 1940 by her older brother Dionysios, and was granted a place at court. Tzoumene's engagement to Emperor John was announced in 1943, and the pair were married in 1944. Tzoumene had two children with John: Eusebios and Maria. Tzoumene was noted for her ability as a political operator throughout her tenure as empress consort and later as dowager empress. She was a gifted administrator and a great patron of the church and the arts, providing support for a number of newly established imperial charities and renovations of churches throughout Leonople and schools in the countryside. Even as dowager empress, Tzoumene retained a high level of influence at court and was a key supporter of her husband's successor Diana I Anicia. The Empress Dionysia Bridge, the third bridge spanning the Perseid Strait and completed in 1989, was named in her honor.