Byzantine Empire under the Isaurian dynasty
Byzantine Empire Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων ( Emperor | |||||||||||||
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• 717–741 | Leo III the Isaurian | ||||||||||||
• 741–775 | Constantine V | ||||||||||||
• 775–780 | Leo IV | ||||||||||||
• 780–797 | Constantine VI (with his mother Irene serving as regent from 780–790 and as co-ruler from 792–797) | ||||||||||||
• 797–802 | Irene of Athens (as sole ruler) | ||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||
• Accession of Leo III the Isaurian | 717 | ||||||||||||
• Deposition of Irene of Athens | 802 | ||||||||||||
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| History of the Byzantine Empire |
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| Early period (330–717) |
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The
The Isaurian dynasty is chiefly associated with
By the end of the Isaurian dynasty in 802, the Byzantines were continuing to fight the Arabs and the Bulgars for their very existence, with matters made more complicated when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as emperor of the Romans, which was seen as an attempt at making the Carolingian state the successor to the Roman Empire.
Background: Byzantium in the 7th century
The
Following the
At the same time, the disasters of the 7th century saw major changes in the society and nature of what remained of the Empire: the urbanized, cosmopolitan civilization of
The Empire in crisis, 705–717
After
Artemios was crowned as
The Opsicians chose
Leo III the Isaurian, 717–741
Arab siege of Constantinople and its aftermath
Within months, the new Emperor faced his first great challenge, with a
From July 717 to August 718, the city was besieged by land and sea by the Muslims, who built an extensive double line of
Even during the siege, Leo had been able to stifle attempts at secession: his troops swiftly overthrew a revolt in
Beginning of Iconoclasm
Leo's frustration at his military failures led him to believe, in the fashion of the time, that the Empire had lost divine favour. Already in 722 he had tried to force the conversion of the Empire's Jews, but soon he began to turn his attention to the veneration of
Leo's espousal of iconoclasm caused reactions among both the populace and the Church. The soldiers that took down the image of Christ from the Chalke were lynched, and a thematic rebellion that broke out in Greece in 727, was at least in part motivated by iconophile fervour. The
The rift with the Papacy had other reasons as well: Leo transferred the dioceses of the eastern Illyricum (roughly the old Diocese of Macedonia) from Rome to the jurisdiction of Constantinople, and further deprived the Pope of the revenues of Sicily and Calabria. At the same time, Leo failed to provide aid to the embattled Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna. In 727, the local Byzantine forces overthrew their commander, and in c. 738, the city was taken for a time by the Lombard king Liutprand.[26][27][28]
Final years
The adoption of iconoclasm seemed indeed to be vindicated in the Emperor's eyes, for success returned to the Imperial arms, and the Muslims suffered a series of defeats between 727 and 732. The next years were more difficult, especially as the Arabs defeated the Khazars and forced their leader to convert to Islam. In 740 however the emperor and his son scored a decisive victory over an invading Arab army at Akroinon, which halted the momentum of the Arab attacks.[28][29][30]
In March 741 (older sources prefer to date it to 726), Leo also promulgated the
Leo died peacefully in his bed on 18 June 741, the first emperor to do so since Constantine IV. During his reign, he had succeeded in warding off the Arab attacks and consolidating the Empire's eastern frontier. On the other hand, his introduction of a new and unnecessary theological dispute, albeit for the moment relatively mild, compromised his efforts to restore stability to the Empire.[33]
Constantine V, 741–775
Constantine was born in
Civil war against Artabasdos and first battles against veneration of images
Constantine was crossing
Defeated, Constantine sought refuge in Amorion, while the victor advanced on Constantinople and was accepted as emperor. While Constantine now received the support of the Anatolic and Thracesian themes, Artabasdos secured that of the themes of Thrace and Opsikion, in addition to his own Armeniac soldiers.
After the rival emperors had bided their time in military preparations, Artabasdos marched against Constantine, but was defeated in May 743. Three months later Constantine defeated Artabasdos' son Niketas and headed for Constantinople. In early November Constantine was admitted into the capital and immediately turned on his opponents, having them blinded or executed. Perhaps because Artabasdos' usurpation was interconnected with the restoration of veneration of images, Constantine now became perhaps an even more fervent iconoclast than his father.
Constantine's derogatory epithet Kopronymos ("Dung-named": from kopros, "
Campaign against icons
Constantine's position about iconoclasm was clear:
....He cannot be depicted. For what is depicted in one person, and he who circumscribes that person has plainly circumscribed the divine nature which is incapable of being circumscribed.[34]
In February 754 Constantine convened a synod at Hieria, which was attended entirely by Iconoclast bishops. The council approved of Constantine's religious policy and secured the election of a new Iconoclast patriarch, but refused to follow in all of Constantine's views. The council confirmed the status of Mary as Theotokos, or Mother of God, reinforced the use of the terms "saint" and "holy" as meet, and condemned the desecration, burning, or looting of churches in the quest to quench Iconophiles.
It was followed by a campaign to remove images from the walls of churches and to purge the court and bureaucracy of
An iconodule abbot, Stephen Neos, was brutally lynched by a mob at the behest of the authorities. As a result, many monks fled to southern Italy and Sicily. By the end of Constantine's reign, Iconoclasm had gone as far as to brand relics and prayers to the saints as heretical.
Ultimately, iconophiles considered his death a divine punishment. In the 9th century, he was disinterred and his remains were thrown into the sea.
Campaigns against the Arabs and Bulgaria
Constantine was also an able general and administrator. He reorganised the themes, the military districts of the empire, and created new field army divisions called tagmata. This organization was intended to minimize the threat of conspiracies and to enhance the defensive capabilities of the Empire. With this reorganized army he embarked on campaigns on the three major frontiers.
In 746, profiting by the unstable conditions in the Umayyad Caliphate which was falling apart under
These successes made it possible to pursue an aggressive policy in the Balkans. With the resettlement of Christian populations from the East into Thrace, Constantine V aimed to enhance the prosperity and defence of this area which caused concern to the Empire's northern neighbour,
Three year later he was defeated in the battle of the Rishki Pass but the Bulgarians did not exploit their success. In 763, he sailed to Anchialus with 800 ships carrying 9,600 cavalry and some infantry. Constantine's victories, including that at Anchialus in 763 caused considerable instability in Bulgaria, where six monarchs lost their crowns on account of their failures.
In 751, Lombard king Aistulf captured Ravenna, ending over two centuries of Byzantine rule.
In 775, Constantine was persuaded to reveal to the Bulgarian ruler
Constantine's campaigns were costly; during his reign the Byzantine Empire's annual revenues were reduced to about 1,800,000
Leo IV, 775–780
Leo was the son of Emperor
On 24 April 776 Leo, following the precedent set by his father and grandfather, appointed his son, Constantine VI, co-emperor. This led to an uprising of Leo's five half-brothers, including Caesar Nikephoros, who had hoped to gain the throne themselves. The uprising was put down quickly, with the conspirators being beaten, tonsured, and exiled to Cherson under guard.[37]
Leo IV was raised as an
Leo's reign coincided with that of the third
Constantine VI and the regency of Irene, 780–797
The only child of Emperor Leo IV and Irene, Constantine VI was crowned co-emperor by his father in 776. Leo's premature death in 780 left Constantine as sole emperor at the age of nine, with Irene serving as his regent.
In 782 he was betrothed to
Upon turning sixteen, Constantine was eligible to rule independently. Irene remained an active participant in the government; after a conspiracy against her was suppressed in the spring of 790, she sought official recognition as empress. With military support from the
The weakness of Constantine caused dissatisfaction among his supporters. He showed unheroic behaviour after the defeats at the hands of Kardam of Bulgaria in 791 and 792. A movement developed in favor of his uncle, the Caesar Nikephoros. Constantine had his uncle's eyes put out and the tongues of his father's four other half-brothers cut off. His former Armenian supporters revolted after he had blinded their general Alexios Mosele. He crushed this revolt with extreme cruelty in 793.
He then divorced his wife
In 797 Constantine was captured and blinded by the supporters of his mother, who had organized a conspiracy. According to most contemporary accounts, he died from his wounds a few days later, leaving Irene to be crowned as first Empress regnant of Constantinople. Pretenders to the throne claiming to be Constantine VI later appeared during the reign of Michael II.
Irene's sole rule and downfall, 797–802
Although it is often claimed that, as monarch, Irene called herself "basileus" (βασιλεύς), 'emperor', rather than "basilissa" (βασίλισσα), 'empress', in fact there are only three instances where it is known that she used the title "basileus": two legal documents in which she signed herself as "Emperor of the Romans" and a gold coin of hers found in Sicily bearing the title of "basileus". In relation to the coin, the lettering is of poor quality and the attribution to Irene may, therefore, be problematic. In reality, she used the title "basilissa" in all other documents, coins and seals.[43]
Family tree of Isaurian/Syrian dynasty
| Leo III emperor 717-741 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eudokia | Constantine V 741-775 ∞ 1.Tzitzak ∞ 2.Maria | Anna ∞ Artabasdos rival emperor 741/2-743 | Nikephoros I emperor 802-811 NIKEPHORIANS | Theophylact Rangabes admiral | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Theodotus I Cassiteras Patriarch | Theoktiste | Plato of Sakkoudion abbot | Anna | (3) Nikephoros caesar | (1) Leo IV emperor 775-780 | Irene empress 797-802 | Theophano of Athens (relative) | Staurakios emperor 803-811 | Prokopia | Michael I Rangabes emperor 811-813 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Stuarakios (II) co-emperor 811-813 | Theophylact co-emperor 811-813 | St. Ignatios Patriarch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2. Theodosia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AMORIANS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
References
- ^ Whittow (1996), pp. 73–82
- ^ Cheynet (2006), pp. 3–6
- ^ Cheynet (2006), pp. 6–9
- ^ Cheynet (2006), pp. 10–12
- ^ Whittow (1996), p. 138
- ^ Kazhdan (1991), pp. 350–351
- ^ Whittow (1996), pp. 89–95
- ^ Kazhdan (1991), pp. 351, 2035
- ^ Whittow (1996), pp. 119–121
- ^ Cheynet (2006), p. 9
- ^ Haldon (1990), pp. 73–74
- ^ Kazhdan (1991), pp. 1014, 1208
- ^ a b Kazhdan (1991), p. 1208
- ^ Treadgold (1997), p. 345
- ^ Cheynet (2006), p. 12
- ^ Treadgold (1997), pp. 346–347
- ^ Treadgold (1997), p. 347
- ^ a b c d e Cheynet (2006), p. 13
- ^ Treadgold (1997), pp. 347–349
- ^ a b Treadgold (1997), pp. 347, 349
- ^ Kazhdan (1991), p. 1209
- ^ Treadgold (1997), pp. 349–350
- ^ Treadgold (1997), pp. 350–353
- ^ Whittow (1996), pp. 139–142
- ^ Treadgold (1997), pp. 352–354
- ^ Kazhdan (1991), pp. 1208–1209, 1774
- ^ Treadgold (1997), pp. 352, 355
- ^ a b Cheynet (2006), p. 14
- ^ Whittow (1996), p. 143
- ^ Treadgold (1997), p. 355
- ^ Kazhdan (1991), pp. 672–673, 1208
- ^ Treadgold (1997), p. 350
- ^ Treadgold (1997), p. 356
- ^ Nikephoros, Antiherreticus I, PG 100, 301C; trans. Bryer & Herrin
- ^ "Roman Emperors – DIR Irene (wife of Leo III)". www.roman-emperors.org. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- ^ The Chronicle of Theophanes Anni Mundi 6095–6305 (A.D. 602–813): Tr. Harry Turtledove (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1982), p 135-136.
- ^ The Chronicle of Theophanes Anni Mundi 6095–6305 (A.D. 602–813): Tr. Harry Turtledove (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1982), 137.
- ^ Byzantium: The Imperial Centuries (A.D. 610–1071): Romilly Jenkins (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1966), p 92.
- ^ The Byzantine Revival: Warren Treadgold (Stanford University Press, 1988), p 5.
- ^ Byzantium: The Imperial Centuries (A.D. 610–1071): Romilly Jenkins (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1966), p 91.
- ^ "Roman Emperors – DIR Leo III". www.roman-emperors.org. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- ^ A History of Byzantium (second edition): Timothy E. Gregory (Blackwell, 2010), p 213.
- ISBN 978-1-4051-3241-1
Sources
- Cheynet, Jean-Claude, ed. (2006), Le Monde Byzantin: Tome II, L'Empire byzantin 641–1204 (in French), Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, ISBN 978-2-13-052007-8
- Haldon, John F. (1990), Byzantium in the Seventh Century: The Transformation of a Culture, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-31917-1
- ISBN 1-85728-495-X.
- ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
- ISBN 3-631-30582-6
- ISBN 978-0-8135-1198-6
- Rochow, Ilse (1994), Kaiser Konstantin V. (741–775). Materialien zu seinem Leben und Nachleben (in German), Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, ISBN 3-631-47138-6
- ISBN 978-0-416-70380-1
- ISBN 978-0-8047-1462-4.
- ISBN 0-8047-2630-2.
- ISBN 978-0-520-20496-6.
