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Constantine Lekapenos
Constantine Lekapenos
Constantine Lekapenos
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Constantine Lekapenos or Lecapenus (Ancient Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος Λακαπηνός or Λεκαπηνός, romanized: Kōnstantīnos Lakapēnos or Lekapēnos) was the third son of the Byzantine emperor Romanos I Lekapenos (r. 920–944), and co-emperor from 924 to 945. With his elder brother Stephen, he deposed Romanos I in December 944, but was overthrown and exiled by the co-emperor Constantine VII (r. 913–959) a few weeks later. Constantine Lekapenos was exiled to the island of Samothrace, where he was killed while attempting to escape sometime between 946 and 948.

Key Information

Biography

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Family

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Constantine was one of the youngest sons of Romanos I and his wife Theodora. The chronicler Theophanes Continuatus mentions him as the youngest son of the imperial couple, while the 11th-century chronicler George Kedrenos mentions as the third of four known sons. His older brothers were Christopher Lekapenos (co-emperor 921–931) and Stephen Lekapenos (co-emperor 924–945). It is unclear if his brother Theophylact (Patriarch of Constantinople in 933–956) was younger or slightly older than Constantine. His sisters included Helena, who married Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (r. 913–959), and Agatha, who married Romanos Argyros. He probably also had at least two unnamed sisters, known only because of their marriages to the magistroi Romanos Mosele and Romanos Saronites.[1]

Reign

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Silver miliaresion from 931–944, showing Romanos I's bust on a cross on the obverse and listing the names of Romanos and his co-emperors, Constantine VII, Stephen Lekapenos and Constantine Lekapenos, on the reverse.

Romanos Lekapenos had risen to power in 919, when he had managed to appoint himself regent over the young Constantine VII and marry his daughter Helena to him. Within a year, he successively rose from basileopator to Caesar, and was eventually crowned senior emperor on 17 December 920.[2][3] To consolidate his hold on power, and with a view of supplanting the ruling Macedonian dynasty with his own family, he raised his eldest son Christopher to co-emperor in May 921, while Stephen and Constantine were proclaimed co-emperors on 25 December 924.[4][3][5]

Following Christopher's early death in 931, and given Constantine VII's de facto sidelining, Stephen and Constantine assumed an increased prominence, although formally they still ranked after their brother-in-law in the college of emperors.[6] In 939, Constantine married his first wife Helena, a daughter of the patrikios Adrian, an Armenian.[7]

Seal of Constantine Lekapenos

The historian Symeon Magister records the death of Helena on 14 January 940, and on 2 February of the same year, Constantine married his second wife, Theophano Mamas. Constantine had a son, named Romanos, but it is not recorded by which of his two wives.[8] This Romanos was castrated in 945, after the Lekapenoi lost power, to prevent him from claiming the Byzantine throne. He nevertheless pursued a career in the court, eventually reaching the rank of patrikios and the post of Eparch of Constantinople.[9]

Stephen and Constantine Lekapenos came to the fore in 943, when they opposed a dynastic marriage for their nephew, Romanos II. Their father wanted to have his eldest surviving grandson married to Euphrosyne, a daughter of his successful general John Kourkouas. Although such a union would effectively cement the loyalty of the army, it would also strengthen the position of the legitimate Macedonian line, represented by Romanos II and his father Constantine VII, over the imperial claims of Romanos's own sons.[10] Predictably, Stephen and Constantine opposed this decision, and prevailed upon their father, who was by this time ill and old, to dismiss Kourkouas in the autumn of 944.[11][12] Romanos II instead married Bertha, an illegitimate daughter of Hugh of Arles, King of Italy, who changed her name to Eudokia after her marriage.[3]

With Romanos I approaching the end of his life, the matter of his succession became urgent. In 943, Romanos drafted a will which would leave Constantine VII as the senior emperor following his death. This greatly upset his two sons, who feared that their brother-in-law would have them deposed and force them to take monastic vows. Motivated, in the opinion of Steven Runciman, partially by self-preservation and partially by genuine ambition, they started planning to seize power through a coup d'état, with Stephen apparently the ringleader and Constantine a rather reluctant partner.[13]

Their fellow conspirators included Marianos Argyros, the protospatharios Basil Peteinos, Manuel Kourtikes, the strategos Diogenes, and a certain Clado and Philip. Kedrenos, however, considers Peteinos to have served as an agent of Constantine VII among the conspirators. On 16 or 20 December 944,[14] the conspirators set their plans in motion. The two brothers smuggled their supporters into the Great Palace of Constantinople during the midday break in palace activities. They then led their men into the chamber of Romanos I, where they easily captured the "ill old man". They were able to transport him to the nearest harbour and from there to Prote, one of the Princes' Islands and a popular place of exile. There, Romanos agreed to take monastic vows and retire from the throne.[15]

Having managed to quietly depose their father, the brothers now had to deal with Constantine VII. Unfortunately for them, rumours soon spread around Constantinople to the effect that, following Romanos's deposition, Constantine VII's life was in danger. Before long, crowds gathered before the palace, demanding to see their emperor in person. The contemporary Lombard historian Liutprand of Cremona notes that the ambassadors and envoys from Amalfi, Gaeta, Rome, and Provence present in the capital also supported Constantine VII. Stephen and his brother had to submit to the inevitable, recognizing their brother-in-law as the senior emperor.[16]

The new triumvirate lasted for about 40 days. The three emperors soon appointed new leaders for the military services. Bardas Phokas the Elder was appointed as the new Domestic of the Schools, and Constantine Gongyles as head of the Byzantine navy. Stephen and his brother managed to reward their fellow conspirators. Peteinos became patrikios and Great Hetaeriarch, Argyros was appointed Count of the Stable, Kourtikes a patrikios and droungarios of the Watch.[17]

On 27 January 945,[14] however, at the urging of their sister, the Augusta Helena, another coup removed the two Lekapenoi from power under the accusation that they attempted to poison Constantine VII, and restored the sole imperial authority to the latter.[9][18]

Exile and death

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Initially, the two brothers were sent to Prote. The Byzantine chroniclers have their father welcoming them by quoting a passage from the Book of Isaiah, specifically Chapter 1.2:[9] "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for Jehovah hath spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me."[19] Liutprand of Cremona, however, gives a slightly different account, having Romanos I receive his sons with bitter sarcasm, thanking them for not neglecting him and begging them to excuse the monks for their ignorance on how to properly receive emperors.[9]

Constantine was soon transported to Tenedos, and then to Samothrace. He was ultimately killed while attempting to escape the island. The exact date is unknown, but since Theophanes Continuatus claims that the exiled Romanos I had a nightmare featuring his son's descent to Hell at the time of Constantine's death, it can be placed between 946 and Romanos's own death in 948.[20]

References

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Sources

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  • Charanis, Peter (1963). The Armenians in the Byzantine Empire. Lisbon: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian Armenian Library. OCLC 17186882.
  • Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991). The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
  • Runciman, Steven (1988) [1929]. The Emperor Romanus Lecapenus and His Reign: A Study of Tenth-Century Byzantium. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-35722-5.
  • Treadgold, Warren (1997). A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2630-2.
  • Lilie, Ralph-Johannes; Ludwig, Claudia; Pratsch, Thomas; Zielke, Beate (2013). Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit Online. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Nach Vorarbeiten F. Winkelmanns erstellt (in German). Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter.
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Constantine Lekapenos

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Constantine Lekapenos (Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος Λεκαπηνός, Konstantinos Lekapenos; died 946) was a Byzantine noble and co-emperor, the third son of Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos (r. 920–944) and his wife Theodora. Elevated to the imperial dignity in 924 alongside his brothers Christopher and Stephen to secure the Lekapenos dynasty's hold on power, he participated in the deposition of his father in December 944 but was himself overthrown the following month by the legitimate ruler Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos. As a junior co-emperor, Constantine held no significant administrative roles and lacked the military or political achievements of his father, who had risen from to through decisive actions against threats and internal rivals. His tenure was marked by familial maneuvering to supplant the , including the failed elevation of his brother Christopher as senior in 931, which underscored the Lekapenoi's insecure legitimacy. The defining controversy of Constantine's career unfolded after the 944 coup against Romanos I, when he and Stephen briefly exercised power but alienated key supporters through overreach. In January 945, facing rebellion from the fleet and army loyal to Constantine VII, the brothers surrendered; both were blinded, tonsured as monks, and confined to monasteries to neutralize their threat. Constantine died soon thereafter in exile, exemplifying the brutal realpolitik of Byzantine succession struggles where dynastic interlopers like the Lekapenoi often met violent ends despite initial successes.

Origins and Early Life

Family Background

Constantine Lekapenos was the third son of Romanos I Lekapenos, Byzantine emperor from 920 to 944, and his wife Theodora. Romanos I originated from a peasant family of Armenian descent in the village of Lakape (modern Laqabin), located between Melitene and Samosata in the Armeniak Theme, where he was born around 870. His rise from humble rural beginnings to imperial power exemplified the opportunities for social mobility through military service in the Byzantine Empire during the early 10th century. Theodora, Romanos I's primary wife and the mother of his official children, bore him at least four sons—Christopher (eldest, co-emperor 921–931), Stephen, Constantine, and Theophylact—and one daughter, Helena, who was married to the legitimate Macedonian emperor Porphyrogennetos in 919 to legitimize the Lekapenos regime. Theodora died in 922, leaving Romanos to continue advancing his sons' positions within the imperial hierarchy. The Lekapenos family's lack of noble ancestry distinguished it from the preceding , relying instead on marital alliances and political maneuvering to secure influence.

Birth and Childhood

Constantine Lekapenos was the third son of , a of Armenian descent who rose from rural origins near Melitene to imperial power through military service, and his wife Theodora, whose background remains largely undocumented but aligned with the modest social strata from which Romanos emerged. The exact date and circumstances of Constantine's birth are not recorded in primary Byzantine chronicles, such as those continuing Theophanes or the later Synopsis Historikon of , though it must have preceded his elevation to co-emperor on 16 May 924, suggesting he was still a minor at that time. Details of his childhood are sparse, reflecting the focus of contemporary sources on political and military events rather than personal biographies of secondary imperial figures. Raised in amid his father's consolidation of power—from naval command to regency over the young in 919–920—Constantine would have been immersed in the imperial court environment, where sons of the ruling family underwent training in administration, , and possibly military affairs to prepare for dynastic roles. His early years thus unfolded during a period of Lekapenos family ascendancy, marked by strategic marriages and the crowning of siblings like elder brother in 921, positioning Constantine within the web of alliances designed to legitimize Romanos' non-dynastic rule. No accounts survive of specific events from this phase, underscoring the limitations of 10th-century , which prioritizes verifiable public actions over private development.

Ascension and Co-Emperorship

Crowning as Co-Emperor

Romanos I Lekapenos, having consolidated his position as senior co-emperor with Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos since 920, sought to entrench his family's dominance by elevating his sons to imperial rank. In January 921, he first crowned his eldest son Christopher as co-emperor. Three years later, on 25 December 924, Romanos crowned his second and third sons, Stephen and Constantine, as co-emperors during a ceremony in Constantinople. This Christmas Day elevation associated the younger Lekapenos brothers directly with the imperial authority, sidelining the Macedonian line further while maintaining Constantine VII's titular role. The crowning of Constantine Lekapenos, born around 912, marked his formal entry into governance at approximately age twelve, though actual influence remained limited under his father's direction. Numismatic evidence, such as miliaresia issued between 931 and 944, depicts Romanos I alongside his co-emperors, including Constantine, affirming their shared rule. This dynastic maneuver reflected Romanos' pragmatic strategy to legitimize Lekapenos succession through imperial association, countering potential challenges from the established and external threats like Bulgarian incursions. Constantine's elevation thus served as a bulwark for familial continuity rather than an independent assertion of power.

Role Under Romanos I

Constantine Lekapenos was crowned co-emperor by his father, , on 25 December 924, alongside his brother , in the of . This act, occurring at during the second year of the indiction, extended the dynastic co-rule established earlier with the crowning of elder brother in 921, aiming to entrench Lekapene control over the throne amid the nominal co-emperorship of Macedonian heir . As the youngest legitimate son, Constantine's position was junior and largely ceremonial, with no recorded independent commands or administrative offices during Romanos I's dominance of policy and governance from 920 to 944. He contributed to the regime's legitimacy through shared imperial , including miliaresia coins issued from 931 to 944 depicting Romanos I alongside Stephen and Constantine after Christopher's death. Effective power resided with Romanos I, who managed defenses against Bulgarian and Arab threats, diplomatic overtures, and internal reforms, while the sons reinforced familial succession claims without supplanting paternal authority until later intrigues.

Political Activities and Intrigues

Dynastic Maneuvering

In the early 940s, Constantine Lekapenos collaborated with his brother to counter their father Romanos I's initiatives that risked empowering non-Lekapenos figures within the empire's power structure. Romanos I sought to strengthen ties with the military elite by proposing a betrothal between one of his granddaughters—likely a daughter of the deceased Christopher Lekapenos—and the son of , the Domestic of the Schools whose campaigns had yielded significant territorial gains, including advances into and . Stephen and Constantine protested vehemently against this arrangement, viewing it as a potential avenue for Kourkouas' family to accrue undue influence and threaten Lekapenos preeminence; the plan was subsequently dropped. To mitigate such risks, the brothers moved to internalize control over key institutions. In 944, shortly after assuming greater authority following Christopher's earlier death in 931, they dismissed Kourkouas from his long-held command despite his proven successes, such as the capture of Melitene in 927 and Edessa in 944, and appointed Constantine himself as Domestic of the Schools. This shift placed the elite tagmata—central field armies numbering around 24,000 men under Constantine's direct oversight, reinforcing familial monopoly on military loyalty and forestalling any independent power bases that could support rival claimants like Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos. These maneuvers prioritized exclusive Lekapenos consolidation over expansive alliances, reflecting a broader of intra-dynastic amid perceptions of Romanos I's wavering commitment to his sons' primacy. By sidelining external actors and elevating family members to pivotal roles, Constantine and aimed to insulate the throne from erosion by the Macedonian lineage or ambitious generals, though this intensified internal frictions that culminated in further upheaval.

Opposition to Macedonian Restoration

Constantine Lekapenos, crowned co-emperor on 16 May 933 alongside his brother , actively contributed to efforts within the Lekapenos family to thwart the full restoration of authority to Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos of the . The brothers perceived the continued nominal seniority of the Macedonian emperor as a direct challenge to their own legitimacy and sought to perpetuate the multi-emperor system that diluted his power. In 943, Constantine and Stephen prominently opposed Romanos I's diplomatic initiative to betroth their nephew —Constantine VII's son—to the daughter of the Hungarian ruler, a move designed to counter Bulgarian expansion through alliance-building. This resistance was driven by concerns that elevating 's status via foreign ties would enhance the Macedonian line's diplomatic and dynastic standing, potentially paving the way for its exclusive dominance. The episode underscored the brothers' prioritization of familial control over broader imperial strategy, fostering discord with Romanos I who aimed for balanced coexistence between the dynasties. Such maneuvers reflected a broader pattern of intrigue aimed at marginalizing Macedonian interests, including reluctance to yield precedence or resources that might bolster Constantine VII's court. Historians note this opposition as emblematic of the Lekapenos regime's inherent instability, rooted in the tension between usurpatory ambition and the enduring legitimacy of the "" emperor. Ultimately, these efforts delayed but could not prevent the 945 uprising that restored Constantine VII's sole rule, deposing the Lekapenos brothers.

Usurpation and Deposition of Romanos I

Plot Against Father

By the mid-944, tensions within the Lekapenos family escalated as Romanos I increasingly favored the legitimacy of Porphyrogennetos, the Macedonian heir he had nominally preserved since his own usurpation in 920. and Constantine Lekapenos, the youngest co-emperors, perceived their father's maneuvers—such as potential plans to elevate as primary successor—as a direct threat to their own positions, prompting them to conspire against him to secure their dynastic claims. The plot culminated in a swift coup in December 944, during which Stephen and Constantine mobilized loyal supporters to infiltrate the imperial palace undetected. They confronted and arrested Romanos I directly in his private chambers, bypassing broader military resistance through surprise and internal coordination. To legitimize the deposition under Byzantine norms, Romanos was forcibly tonsured—symbolizing his entry into monastic life—and stripped of imperial authority without execution, a common method to neutralize rulers while avoiding divine retribution for regicide. Exiled to a on the Aegean island of Prote (modern Monastiri Adası), Romanos I spent his remaining years in seclusion until his death in June 948, marking the effective end of his influence. This act of filial betrayal temporarily elevated and Constantine as the dominant figures in the imperial hierarchy, though it exposed the fragility of Romanos's non-hereditary power base reliant on familial loyalty.

Brief Sole Rule with Stephen

Following the deposition of their father Romanos I in late December 944, Stephen and Constantine Lekapenos exercised effective imperial authority as senior co-emperors, with Porphyrogennetos retained only nominally. The brothers compelled Romanos I to receive monastic tonsure and exiled him to confinement at a on Prote Island in the . No significant legislative, diplomatic, or military initiatives are documented from this interval, which spanned roughly from mid-to-late December 944 until late January 945; the period was dominated instead by efforts to neutralize threats to their dominance, including and his partisans. Rumors of Romanos I's removal circulated rapidly in , eroding support for the brothers and fostering unrest among the military and bureaucracy loyal to the Macedonian line. The regime collapsed abruptly on or around 27 January 945, when and Constantine were arrested during a shared meal with by a conspiracy orchestrated by the parakoimomenos (an illegitimate son of Romanos I) and other allies of the junior emperor. This swift reversal elevated to sole rule, underscoring the fragility of the Lekapenos brothers' usurpation amid entrenched dynastic loyalties.

Downfall and Exile

Reversal by Loyalists

In late December 944, following their deposition of Romanos I, Stephen and Constantine Lekapenos sought to consolidate their hold on power by sidelining Constantine VII, the legitimate porphyrogennetos emperor whose position they threatened. However, this move provoked immediate backlash from the populace of Constantinople, who remained loyal to Constantine VII due to his dynastic legitimacy and long-standing nominal seniority. The resulting unrest culminated in a rapid reversal, with the brothers deposed approximately one month later, on or around 27 January 945, allowing Constantine VII to assume sole rule after 32 years as junior co-emperor. Key to this reversal was the support of Basil Lekapenos, the influential eunuch parakoimomenos (chamberlain) and illegitimate half-brother to Stephen and Constantine, who leveraged his control over palace administration to back Constantine VII against his kin. The deposition occurred abruptly during a shared meal with Constantine VII, where the brothers were seized, tonsured as monks, and exiled—Stephen to Prote Island and Constantine to Samothrace—effectively ending the brief Lekapenos interlude and restoring Macedonian dynastic primacy without bloodshed against the principals. This event underscored the fragility of power reliant on familial usurpation in Byzantium, where public loyalty to blood-born legitimacy proved decisive.

Blinding, Tonsure, and Imprisonment

Following the successful deposition of their father Romanos I on December 16, 944, Constantine Lekapenos and his brother Stephen sought to exclude Porphyrogenitus from power, prompting immediate backlash from the latter's loyalists, including military commanders and court officials who viewed the Lekapenos brothers' actions as a usurpation against the legitimate Macedonian heir. On January 27, 945, during a banquet at the imperial palace, supporters of seized the opportunity to arrest the brothers, overthrowing their brief regime and restoring sole authority to without violence against the person of the senior emperor. To render Constantine Lekapenos ineligible for future imperial claims, he was forcibly tonsured—shaved in the monastic style—and confined to religious institutions, a standard Byzantine practice combining humiliation, spiritual redirection, and political incapacitation by associating lay rulers with clerical vows of non-ambition. Initially exiled alongside Stephen to join Romanos I on the monastery island of Prote, Constantine was later relocated to the Myrelaion monastery in , where he remained under effective for the remainder of his life. This confinement prevented any resurgence of Lekapenos influence, though it spared him physical mutilation such as blinding, which was instead inflicted on Romanos I to ensure his permanent debility. The and monastic of Constantine Lekapenos marked the complete collapse of the Lekapenos bid for dynastic dominance, underscoring the fragility of non-hereditary claims in Byzantine politics, where restoration of the "" Constantine VII aligned with prevailing elite sentiment favoring Macedonian continuity over the upstart Armenian lineage of Romanos I. No records indicate escape attempts or further intrigues by Constantine post-945, and his death date remains unrecorded, likely occurring in obscurity within the Myrelaion confines sometime after his deposition.

Legacy and Historical Assessment

Impact on Byzantine Dynastic Stability

Constantine Lekapenos's participation in the 944 coup against his father Romanos I exemplified the internal vulnerabilities that plagued the Lekapenos regime. Romanos had crowned Constantine and his brother Stephen as co-emperors in the 920s and 930s to entrench family control amid the ongoing legitimacy contest with the Macedonian heir Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos. Fearing displacement by Constantine VII's elevation, the brothers arrested and tonsured Romanos on December 16, 944, banishing him to a monastery on the Princes' Islands. This act of patricidal ambition shattered the dynasty's facade of unity, revealing how power derived from usurpation fostered distrust and conditional loyalties within the ruling family. The coup's brevity underscored its destabilizing effect. Lacking enduring popular or institutional support, and Constantine's rule lasted mere weeks before a coalition of court officials, military elements, and Constantinople's populace rallied behind , deposing the brothers on January 27, 945. Constantine Lekapenos was tonsured, exiled to a , and later killed in an escape attempt from between 946 and 948. The rapid downfall eliminated Lekapenos rivals, but at the cost of eroding confidence in non-hereditary regimes; it demonstrated that dynastic stability hinged on perceived legitimacy, where familial overreach invited swift counteraction favoring established bloodlines. By precipitating the Lekapenos collapse after only 25 years of intermittent dominance, Constantine's actions facilitated the Macedonian restoration, enabling Constantine VII's sole rule from 945 to 959—a phase marked by administrative reforms and cultural patronage unhindered by co-emperor intrigues. This transition affirmed the causal primacy of porphyrogeniture in sustaining Byzantine imperial continuity, as usurpatory lines proved susceptible to erosion through internal betrayal and external adherence to traditional succession norms.

Evaluations of Character and Actions

Constantine Lekapenos is characterized in Byzantine historiography primarily as an ambitious and disloyal figure whose actions exemplified the perils of dynastic overreach by non-hereditary rulers. Primary accounts, such as those preserved in ' Synopsis Historiarum, depict him collaborating with his brother in a to depose their , Romanos I, on December 16, 944, motivated by fears of marginalization as Romanos reportedly planned to elevate Constantine VII's lineage. This act of patricide-by-deposition was framed as a grave moral failing, underscoring Lekapenos' prioritization of personal power over familial and imperial loyalty, a narrative reinforced by the era's emphasis on in Orthodox . The brevity of his subsequent sole rule, lasting mere weeks until January 945, highlights the ineffectiveness of his power grab; unable to consolidate support amid popular allegiance to , Lekapenos faced swift reversal by loyalist forces, culminating in his blinding, tonsuring, and exile to . Historians note that such punitive measures were standard Byzantine responses to usurpation, reflecting not only Lekapenos' failure to secure legitimacy but also the in surviving sources—compiled under Constantine VII's patronage—which vilified the Lekapenoi as opportunistic interlopers disrupting Macedonian continuity. Modern assessments, drawing on these chronicles, evaluate his character as emblematic of the era's volatile court politics, where ambition often outpaced administrative competence, contributing to transient instability rather than enduring reform. No contemporary sources praise his governance or personal virtues, suggesting a legacy confined to negative exemplars of in imperial succession struggles.

References

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