Constantine VI

See also: Ecumenical Patriarch Constantine VI of Constantinople

Constantine VI
Emperor of the Byzantine Empire
Constantine VI (right to the cross) presiding over the Second Council of Nicaea. Minature from early 11th century.
Reign	776–797
Born	771
Died	802 (aged 31)
Predecessor	Leo IV
Successor	Irene
Wives	Maria of Amnia Theodote
Offspring	Euphrosyne Irene Leo
Dynasty	Isaurian Dynasty
Father	Leo IV
Mother	Irene

Constantine VI (Ancient Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Ϛ΄, Kōnstantinos VI) (771–802^[1]) was Byzantine Emperor from 780 to 797.

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 at the age of nine under the regency of Irene in 780.

In 782 he was betrothed to Rotrude, a daughter of the Frankish King Charlemagne by his third wife Hildegard. Irene herself broke off the engagement in 788. In 787 Constantine had signed the decrees of the Second Council of Nicaea, but he appears to have had iconoclast sympathies. By then Constantine had turned 16 years old, but his mother did not relinquish executive authority to him.

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, she was allowed to keep the title of Empress, which was confirmed in 792.

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 Maria of Amnia, who had failed to provide him with a male heir, and married his mistress Theodote, an unpopular and possibly illegal act, although the Patriarch ignored it. By his actions Constantine had lost all support, both of the ruling orthodox and the iconoclast opposition.

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.

Constantine VI and his father Leo IV.

Family

By his first wife Maria of Amnia, Constantine VI had two daughters:

• Euphrosyne, who married Emperor Michael II
• Irene

By his mistress and then second wife Theodote, Constantine VI had a son:

• Leo, who died in 797.

References

1. ^ Révai Nagy Lexikona, XI. kötet (Jób–Kontúr), Révai Testvérek Irodalmi Intézet Részvénytársaság, Budapest, 1914, 860. oldal

• The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, 1991.
• Ostrogorsky, G., History of the Byzantine State
• Dominique Barbe, Irène de Byzance: La femme empereur, Paris, 1990.
• [1]
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
• Herrin, Judith (2001). Women in Purple:Rulers of Medieval Byzantium. London: Phoenix Press. ISBN 1-84212-529-X. 

Constantine VI Isaurian Dynasty Born: 771 Died: 797
Regnal titles
Preceded by Leo IV	Byzantine Emperor 780–797	Succeeded by Irene