Person:Constantine VI (1)

Constantine VI _____
b.771
d.797
  1. Constantine VI _____771 - 797
  • HConstantine VI _____771 - 797
  • WMaria of AmniaAbt 770 - Aft 823
  1. Euphrosyne _____Abt 790 - Aft 836
Facts and Events
Name Constantine VI _____
Gender Male
Birth[1] 771
Marriage to Maria of Amnia
Engagement 781 to Rotrude of the Franks
Death[1] 797
Reference Number? Q41661?


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Constantine VI (Kōnstantinos; 14 January 771 – before 805) 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 remain an active participant in the government. After a brief interval 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 blinding his loyal general Alexios Mosele and 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 alone, 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 Byzantines' 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.

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References
  1. 1.0 1.1 Constantine VI, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.