Constantine VI - Wikipedia Constantine VI From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Byzantine emperor from 780 to 797 Not to be confused with Ecumenical Patriarch Constantine VI of Constantinople. Emperor of the Romans Constantine VI Emperor of the Romans Constantine VI – gold solidus. The inscription reads constantinos basiΘ. Byzantine emperor Reign 8 September 780 – 19 August 797 Coronation 14 April 776[1] Predecessor Leo IV Successor Irene Regent Irene Born 14 January 771 Died before 805 Spouse Maria of Amnia Theodote Issue Detail Euphrosyne Dynasty Isaurian Father Leo IV Mother Irene Isaurian or Syrian dynasty Chronology Leo III 717–741 with Constantine V as co-emperor, 720–741 Constantine V 741–775 with Leo IV as co-emperor, 751–775 Artabasdos' usurpation 741–743 Leo IV 775–780 with Constantine VI as co-emperor, 776–780 Constantine VI 780–797 under Irene as regent, 780–790, and with her as co-regent, 792–797 Irene as empress regnant 797–802 Succession Preceded by Twenty Years' Anarchy Followed by Nikephorian dynasty Constantine VI (Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος, Kōnstantinos; 14 January 771 – before 805[2]) was Byzantine emperor from 780 to 797. The only child of Emperor Leo IV, Constantine was named co-emperor with him at the age of five in 776 and succeeded him as sole Emperor in 780, aged nine. His mother Irene exercised control over him as regent until 790, assisted by her chief minister Staurakios. The regency ended when Constantine reached maturity, but Irene sought to continue her participation in government. After a few years of sole rule Constantine named his mother Empress in 792, making her his official colleague. Constantine suffered military defeats and made controversial decisions, such as illicitly marrying his mistress, Theodote. Taking advantage of her son's unpopularity, Irene had Constantine deposed, blinded and imprisoned in 797 and seized power for herself, becoming the first Empress regnant of the Empire. Constantine likely died shortly thereafter. Constantine VI was the final ruler to be universally recognized as Roman emperor, being recognized as such by both the Empire which he ruled in the east, the papacy and the Western European powers over which the pope held suzerainty. The Byzantine's ability to protect the Papacy had waned following the Arab Conquests, leading to the Papacy to increasingly seek protection from the Franks. This culminated in 800 when Pope Leo III, who owed his power and position to the Franks, crowned Charlemagne as 'Emperor of the Romans'. Based on the assertion that a woman could not be Empress in her own right, this laid the foundations of a new polity, independent of the East, that would evolve into the Holy Roman Empire.[3] Contents 1 Early life and the regency of Irene 2 Reign 3 Family 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 Sources Early life and the regency of Irene[edit] Constantine VI was the only child of Emperor Leo IV and Irene. Constantine was crowned co-emperor by his father in 776, and succeeded as sole emperor in 780, at the age of nine. Due to his minority, Irene and her chief minister Staurakios exercised the regency for him.[2] In 787 Constantine had signed the decrees of the Second Council of Nicaea, but he appears to have had iconoclast sympathies.[2] By then Constantine had turned 16 years old, but his mother did not relinquish executive authority to him.[citation needed] In 788, Irene herself broke off the engagement of Constantine with Rotrude, a daughter of Charlemagne. Turning against Charlemagne, the Eastern Romans now supported Lombard pretender Adalgis, who had been forced into exile after the Frankish invasion of Italy. Adalgis was given command of a Roman expeditionary corps, landing in Calabria towards the end of 788 but was defeated by the united armies of the Lombard dukes Hildeprand of Spoleto and Grimoald III of Benevento as well as Frankish troops under Winiges.[4] After a conspiracy against Irene was suppressed in the spring of 790 she attempted to get official recognition as empress. This backfired and with military support Constantine finally came to actual power in 790, after the Armeniacs rebelled against Irene. Nevertheless, after campaigning unsuccessfully in the Balkans, Constantine restored his mother in 792 after just two years out of power and made her co-ruler.[5] Reign[edit] Once in control of the state, Constantine proved incapable of sound governance. His army was defeated by the Muslims,[where?] and Constantine himself suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Kardam of Bulgaria in the 792 Battle of Marcellae.[2] 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.[2] He then divorced his wife Maria of Amnia, who had failed to provide him with a male heir, and married his mistress Theodote, an unpopular and canonically illegal act which sparked off the so-called "Moechian Controversy". Although the Patriarch Tarasios did not publicly speak against it, he did refuse to officiate the marriage. Popular disapproval was expressed by Theodote's uncle, Plato of Sakkoudion, who even broke communion with Tarasios for his passive stance. Plato's intransigence led to his own imprisonment, while his monastic supporters were persecuted and exiled to Thessalonica. The "Moechian Controversy" cost Constantine what popularity he had left, especially in the church establishment, which Irene took care to vocally support against her own son.[2][6][7] On 19 August 797[a] Constantine was captured, blinded, and imprisoned by the supporters of his mother, who had organized a conspiracy, leaving Irene to be crowned as first Empress regnant of Constantinople. It is unknown when exactly Constantine died; it was certainly before 805, but he very likely died of his wounds shortly after being blinded. He was buried in the Monastery of St. Euphrosyne, which Irene had founded.[2][6][10] In the early 820s, the rebel Thomas the Slav claimed to be Constantine VI in an effort to gain support against Michael II.[11] Family[edit] Obverse: Leo IV with his son and co-emperor Constantine (VI). Reverse: his grandfather Leo III and his father Constantine V. By his first wife Maria, Constantine VI had two daughters:[12] Irene (789 - 1 August 796), became a nun in 796 Euphrosyne (790 - 837), who married Emperor Michael II the Stammerer By his mistress and then second wife Theodote, Constantine VI had two sons, both of whom died young:[12] Leo (7 October 796 - 1 May 797) Constantine (posthumously 1 January 798 - 805) See also[edit] Byzantine Empire portal List of Byzantine emperors Notes[edit] ^ The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium gives 19 April, but this seems to be a mistake. Philip Grierson & Cyril Mango's "Tombs and Obits of the Byzantine Emperors", one of the primary sources for the ODB, indicates 19 August. In his chronicle, Theophanes the Confessor writes: "[They] reached the City on Saturday morning, 15 August." The 15th was Tuesday, so the correct date would be August 19.[8][9] References[edit] ^ PBW, "Konstantinos VI". ^ a b c d e f g Cutler & Hollingsworth (1991), pp. 501–502 ^ James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce, The Holy Roman Empire, 1864, pp. 62–64 ^ Ottorino Bertolini, "Adelchi, re dei Longobardi", Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani 1 (1960). ^ "Constantine VI (780–797)", Dumbarton Oaks ^ a b Treadgold (1997), p. 422 ^ Garland (1999), pp. 84–85 ^ Mango, Cyril A., ed. (1997). "A.M. 6289". The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198225683. ^ Grierson, Philip; Mango, Cyril; Ševčenko, Ihor (1962). "The Tombs and Obits of the Byzantine Emperors (337–1042); With an Additional Note". Dumbarton Oaks Papers. 16: 54–55. doi:10.2307/1291157. ISSN 0070-7546. JSTOR 1291157. ^ Garland (1999), pp. 85–87, 260 (Note 67) ^ Treadgold (1997), p. 435 ^ a b Crawley, Charles (29 May 2014). "BYZANTIUM 395–1057". Medieval Lands (3rd ed.). Retrieved 17 April 2018 – via Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Sources[edit] Barbe, Dominique (1990). Irène de Byzance: La femme empereur. Paris. Cutler, Anthony; Hollingsworth, Paul A. (1991). "Constantine VI". The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 501–502. ISBN 0-19-504652-8.. Garland, Lynda (1999). Byzantine Empresses: Women and Power in Byzantium, AD 527–1204. New York and London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-14688-3. Ostrogorsky, George (1956). History of the Byzantine State. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. Treadgold, Warren (1997). A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2630-2. Constantine VI Isaurian dynasty Born: 14 January 771 Died: before 805 Regnal titles Preceded by Leo IV Byzantine Emperor 8 September 780 – 19 August 797 (With Irene) Succeeded by Irene v t e Roman and Byzantine emperors and ruling empresses Principate 27 BC – AD 235 Augustus Tiberius Caligula Claudius Nero Galba Otho Vitellius Vespasian Titus Domitian Nerva Trajan Hadrian Antoninus Pius Marcus Aurelius Lucius Verus Commodus Pertinax Didius Julianus (Pescennius Niger) (Clodius Albinus) Septimius Severus Caracalla Geta Macrinus Diadumenian Elagabalus Severus Alexander Crisis 235–285 Maximinus Thrax Gordian I Gordian II Pupienus Balbinus Gordian III Philip the Arab Philip II Decius Herennius Etruscus Hostilian Trebonianus Gallus Volusianus Aemilianus Valerian Gallienus Saloninus Claudius Gothicus Quintillus Aurelian Ulpia Severina Tacitus Florian Probus Carus Carinus Numerian Gallic emperors Postumus (Laelianus) Marius Victorinus (Domitianus II) Tetricus I with Tetricus II as caesar Palmyrene emperors Vaballathus Zenobia Septimius Antiochus Dominate 284–395 Diocletian Maximian Galerius Constantius I Severus Constantine the Great Maxentius Licinius Maximinus Daza (Valerius Valens) (Martinian) Constantine II Constantius II Constans I Magnentius Vetranio Julian Jovian Valentinian I (west) Valens (east) Gratian (west) Valentinian II (west) Theodosius I Magnus Maximus Victor (Eugenius) Western Empire 395–480 Honorius Constantine III with son Constans II Constantius III Joannes Valentinian III Petronius Maximus Avitus Majorian Libius Severus Anthemius Olybrius Glycerius Julius Nepos Romulus Augustulus Eastern/ Byzantine Empire 395–1204 Arcadius Theodosius II Marcian Leo I Leo II Zeno Basiliscus Marcus Anastasius I Dicorus Justin I Justinian I Justin II Tiberius II Constantine Maurice with son Theodosius as co-emperor Phocas Heraclius Constantine III Heraklonas Constans II Constantine IV with brothers Heraclius and Tiberius and then Justinian II as co-emperors Justinian II (first reign) Leontios Tiberius III Justinian II (second reign) with son Tiberius as co-emperor Philippikos Anastasios II Theodosius III Leo III the Isaurian Constantine V Artabasdos Leo IV the Khazar Constantine VI Irene Nikephoros I Staurakios Michael I Rangabe with son Theophylact as co-emperor Leo V the Armenian with Symbatios-Constantine as junior emperor Michael II the Amorian Theophilos Michael III Basil I the Macedonian Leo VI the Wise Alexander Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos Romanos I Lekapenos with sons Christopher, Stephen and Constantine as junior co-emperors Romanos II Nikephoros II Phokas John I Tzimiskes Basil II Constantine VIII Zoë (first reign) and Romanos III Argyros Zoë (first reign) and Michael IV the Paphlagonian Michael V Kalaphates Zoë (second reign) with Theodora Zoë (second reign) and Constantine IX Monomachos Constantine IX Monomachos (sole emperor) Theodora Michael VI Bringas Isaac I Komnenos Constantine X Doukas Romanos IV Diogenes Michael VII Doukas with brothers Andronikos and Konstantios and son Constantine Nikephoros III Botaneiates Alexios I Komnenos John II Komnenos with Alexios Komnenos as co-emperor Manuel I Komnenos Alexios II Komnenos Andronikos I Komnenos with John Komnenos as co-emperor Isaac II Angelos Alexios III Angelos Alexios IV Angelos Nicholas Kanabos (chosen by the Senate) Alexios V Doukas Empire of Nicaea 1204–1261 Constantine Laskaris Theodore I Laskaris John III Doukas Vatatzes Theodore II Laskaris John IV Laskaris Byzantine Empire 1261–1453 Michael VIII Palaiologos Andronikos II Palaiologos with Michael IX Palaiologos as co-emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos John V Palaiologos John VI Kantakouzenos with John V Palaiologos and Matthew Kantakouzenos as co-emperors John V Palaiologos Andronikos IV Palaiologos John VII Palaiologos Andronikos V Palaiologos Manuel II Palaiologos John VIII Palaiologos Constantine XI Palaiologos Italics indicates a junior co-emperor, while underlining indicates a usurper. Authority control General Integrated Authority File VIAF 1 WorldCat National libraries United States Sweden Other Faceted Application of Subject Terminology Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Constantine_VI&oldid=1027508686" Categories: 8th-century Byzantine emperors Isaurian dynasty Medieval child rulers Byzantine people of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars 771 births 797 deaths 800s deaths Saints from Anatolia 8th-century Christian saints 780s in the Byzantine Empire 790s in the Byzantine Empire Sons of Byzantine emperors Christian royal saints Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Use dmy dates from April 2021 Articles containing Greek-language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2021 Vague or ambiguous geographic scope from April 2021 Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers Wikipedia articles with FAST identifiers Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Languages Afrikaans Alemannisch العربية Aragonés Asturianu Български Català Čeština Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Euskara فارسی Français Galego 客家語/Hak-kâ-ngî 한국어 Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Latina Magyar Македонски مصرى Nederlands 日本語 Norsk bokmål Polski Português Română Русский Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Zazaki 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 8 June 2021, at 10:01 (UTC). 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