Theophanes Continuatus records that Emperor Leon crowned "Annam Zoes filiam Zantzæ neptem" as "Augusta", recorded in the passage which follows the record of her mother's death and before the text which mentions her father's remarriage, presumably therefore dated to early 900. Emperor Konstantinos VII's De Ceremoniis Aulæ records that "Anna et Eudocia, filiæ beati eiusdem Leonis ex [secunda uxore] Zoe" (the Greek text specifying "Aννα και Aννα" although the editor suggests that "Ευδοκία" be substituted for the second Anna without giving his reasons: this may result from confusion with Anna's older half-sister of that name) were buried in the church of the Holy Apostles. It is not known whether this is an error, but in any case both daughters named Anna (assuming that there were two) must have died young. The basis for her betrothal is a letter written by Nikolaos Mystikos, which Settipani quotes in French translation, recalling the writer's admonishing Emperor Leon VI for his unsuitable third marriage (dated to Spring 900), excused because of "l'accord…conclu avec le Franc…tu lui destinais comme épouse ta fille unique…[au] cousin de Berta auquel il est arrive l'infortune que l'on sait". The date, the relationship with "Berta" (assuming, as Settipani proposes, that this is Berta daughter of Lothaire II King of Lotharingia who married Adalberto Marchese of Tuscany), and "l'infortune" (his blinding) are consistent with "le Franc" being identified with Louis III King of Italy (his title in 900). Settipani assumes that the marriage actually took place. However, the translation only refers to a proposed marriage ("…tu lui destinais…") and provides no proof that the marriage ever happened or, if it did occur, that the bride ever left Byzantium for Provence. Her burial in Constantinople suggests that she never left her father's court. Anna is not named in any of the surviving charters of Emperor Louis, nor has any mention of her been found in any of the primary sources so far consulted. This would have been the first marriage between the families of the eastern and western emperors as no previous betrothal resulted in a marriage. This absence from contemporary western documentation is therefore striking. It also contrasts sharply with the extensive records which relate the Byzantine origin of Theofano, wife of Emperor Otto II, even though Theofano's precise ancestry is still a mystery (although it is recognised that Anna's career was cut short by a premature death in contrast to Theofano's). Traditional genealogies show Emperor Louis III's son, Charles Constantin, as the child of this alleged first marriage of Emperor Louis, presumably because of his grandiose name. However, another possible explanation is that the name symbolised the emperor's hope that his son would one day unite the two successor parts of the ancient Roman empire, in the name of his illustrious predecessors Emperors Charlemagne and Constantine I "the Great", completely independent of his mother's maternal ancestry. Tougher suggests that Anna was legitimate, born after her parents' marriage, and that the marriage to King Louis did not take place. If he is correct about her legitimacy at birth, this excludes her from being the mother of King Louis's son Charles Constantin. 1
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