A History of Byzantium (Blackwell History of the Ancient World) by Gregory Timothy E

Author:Gregory, Timothy E. [Gregory, Timothy E.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2011-08-25T16:00:00+00:00

Meanwhile, the rule of Irene and Constantine faltered in the face of military defeats at the hands of the Arabs and continued friction between mother and son. Finally, in 797 some of Irene’s supporters seized the young emperor and blinded him, probably as a result of which Constantine died. In the aftermath Irene was in sole control of the Byzantine state, and she was (as we have seen), the only empress to use the male form of the imperial title basileus.

Plots continued to haunt Irene, centering on the sons of Constantine V who, although mutilated and exiled, formed a focus for the discontented. The Arabs also had military successes, especially since Irene’s policies had weakened the army and drained the treasuries and since the caliph Harun-ar-Raschid (786– 809) was one of the strongest and most accomplished rulers the Byzantines were to face. In the West the reign of Irene witnessed an especially important development, when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as emperor at Rome on Christmas day of 800.

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