Constantine Vii Porphyrogenitus
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus , ( modern Greek : , (born September 3 905 at Constantinople , who died on 9 November 959 in Constantinople ), was Emperor Byzantine from 913 until his death, although does indeed have the power only from 944. It belongs to the Macedonian dynasty.
Summary |
Childhood
Constantine is the son of Emperor Leo VI the Wise and his mistress Zoe Carbonopsina. The emperor has no other son, he married Zoe, fourth marriage (a ttragamie), violating all rules of the Church of the Code of laws he himself had promulgated which prohibited any common beyond the second.
For the Orthodox Church, in fact, the first marriage is sacred; the death of the wife, a second marriage is permitted, to allow the perpetuation of the family, the third and fourth marriages, a fortiori, are considered of fornication and sentenced, the children of such unions are regarded as illegitimate.
Born into a fourth union, Constantine is regarded as illegitimate.
The legitimization
Leon fight for over a year to impose the legitimization, forcing it to the abdication of the patriarch Nicolas, and substituting Euthyme, which gives Leo the necessary dispensation to marry and legitimize Zoe Constantine.
Constantine Porphyrogenitus earns his nickname was born in the purple, purple symbolizes the emperor. It means born in the imperial family - is far from the general rule for the Roman emperors, whose estate is not governed by clear rules, not to mention the numerous coups - and who therefore implies legitimacy of its descent.
On the death of Leo, the 11 May 912 , his brother succeeded him in the name of Alexander. Shortly before his death in 913 , he confirmed Constantine, aged 7 years, as his successor, but holds a council of regency with Nicolas in his head, and pulling against all uses, Zoe, the mother of the emperor.
Emperor Trust
Nicolas sends Zoe to a convent. But it is discredited by concluding an agreement only too badly with the king of Bulgaria Simeon , and the regency council imposes recall 914 Zoe, whom he recognizes as the new Empress.
In 918 , after initial success, his armies were in turn defeated by the Bulgarians. Constantine, encouraged by his tutor, uses the admiral Roman Lecapenus to avoid a possible takeover by General Leo Phocas , called by Zoe.
Roman Lecapenus needed, is to marry his daughter Helena to Constantine in 920 , it returns to the convent Zoe, then December 17 , proclaims himself Basileus. Although formally held all the power, he respects the person of Constantine and his title, recognizing him as co-emperor, but in second place. He would later proclaim his three co-emperors son, placing the eldest, Christopher, in second place, relegating Constantine in third position. However, after the death of Christopher, his only son that he felt worthy of succeeding him, Romain aging confirms second place in Constantine and preparing the estate for the latter's son, born in 939 and named Roman, who is also his own grand-son. In December 944 , his two other son, Stephen Constantine and the overturn and trap it in a monastery, but a popular uprising requires them to share power with the Porphyrogenitus. In January 945 , they try to get rid of him but fail, and it also locks them in monasteries. Now sole emperor Constantine VII.
Emperor scholar
Confined to the imperial palace during the reign of his father-Romanus I, Constantine VII proved to be a talented painter and embarked on a major undertaking scholarly research, which led him to compose three books including forming a triptych on the subject government of the empire: first, De ceremoniis aula Byzantinae (The Book of Ceremonies), extensive compilation of texts on the life and rituals of the imperial court, also including also information on the army and military campaigns, and financial administration, and secondly the De imperio administrando , he intended for the education of his son Roman, later Romanus II , and is particularly concerned with relations with foreign nations , which are given different information and finally De thematibus, which describes the situation of "themes", that is to say the administrative districts of the Empire.
He also put together a set of historical narratives take over from the Chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor , which stops at the fall of Emperor Michael I Rhangab in 813. These stories, organized by the reigns of Emperor, cover the period from 813 to 961 , the set is called the Continuation of Theophanes (Latin Continuatus Theophanes). Within this set, the fifth book, which is the Life of Basil the Macedonian , was Constantine himself, who has left to anyone else to celebrate the founding of his dynasty.
He also compile so-called Excerpta, a set of fifty-three thematic anthologies of extracts from ancient literary works, including historical four remain, in fact incomplete: On the embassies on the conspiracies, On the virtues and vices, On Fire. These anthologies have preserved numerous excerpts from ancient works otherwise lost. It also was his initiative that compiled the Geoponica on agriculture, Iatrica on medicine, Strategica on military art, and was made the menology of Simeon Metaphrastes. All this scholarship is encyclopedic in nature.
The personal rule
Enemy of the family Lecapenus, Phocas family enjoys the preference of the Emperor Phocas Bardas is named General of the Armies of the East while his son Nicephorus Phocas and Leo Phocas become strategists of Asia Minor and Cappadocia.
Domestically, Constantine VII continues the policy implemented by Roman I and promotes smallholder farmers, ordering even 947 that are returned without compensation all land acquired by the great landed aristocracy from the beginning of his reign, 913. The peasant farmers are the foundation of military power and particularly tax the Empire, and strong emperors to protect them.
In 949 , he tries to regain Crete to Arabs , but as his father in 911 , it fails. It causes an Arab attack against the Byzantine territory in Syria , in Armenia , and Italy. The territories to the east are reclaimed by General John Tzimiskes. In 957 an Arab fleet was destroyed by Greek fire. In 958 , he receives a visit from Olga , a Russian princess of Kiev , who was baptized in the name of Helen and begins to convert his people. The Christianization of Russia will not, however, that under her little son Vladimir.
On the death of Constantine in 959, his son Romanos II succeeded him.
Union and posterity
Constantine VII was married on May 4 919 Helen ( 961), daughter of Roman Lecapenus which,
- Roman II
- Zoe
- Agathe
- Theodora married in November 970 John I Tzimiskes
- Theophano
- Anne
The five daughters of the Emperor were locked by their brother Romanus II in the monastery of Kanikleios then transferred one at the monastery of Antiochus and the rest in one of the nuns Myrelaion and mowed by Abbot John of Studios. Roman II gave them the same pension at the Imperial Palace but they rejected the monastic habit. Later John I Tzimiskes married Theodora, who had probably not spoken greeting.
Bibliography
Sources
- Jean Skylitzes Emperors of Constantinople "Synopsis Historin" translated and annotated by Bernard Flusin pat Jean-Claude P. Cheynet editions Lethilleux Paris 2003 ( ISBN 2283604591 ) "Constantine's son Leo, p.167-178 &" Second personal reign of Constantine , p.197-208.
Works by Constantine Porphyrogenitus
- Constantine Porphyrogenitus, The Book of Ceremonies, text translated by Albert Vogt, Paris, Belles Lettres, 1967, 4 volumes.
- Ibid. De Thematibus, untranslated
- Ibid. Administrando De imperii, untranslated
- Ibid. Basilii Vita, unpublished.
Works
- Jean-Claude Cheynet , Power and challenges in Byzantium, 963-1210, Paris, 1996
- Ibid., The Byzantine World: Volume 2, The Byzantine Empire 641-1204, Paris, PUF, 2006
- John Julius Norwich, History of Byzantium, Paris, Perrin, 2002
| Preceded by | Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus | Followed by | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander |
| Roman II |
Loading ...