Constantine VI

Constantine VI
Emperor of the Romans
Constantine VI – gold solidus. The inscription reads constantinos basiΘ.
Byzantine emperor
Reign	8 September 780 – 19 August 797
Coronation	14 April 776[1]
Predecessor	Leo IV
Successor	Irene
Co-ruler	Irene (792–797)
Regent	Irene (780–790)
Born	14 January 771
Died	before 805
Spouse	Maria of Amnia Theodote
Issue Detail	Euphrosyne
Dynasty	Isaurian
Father	Leo IV
Mother	Irene of Athens

Constantine VI (Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος, romanized: Kōnstantinos; Latin: Constantinus, 14 January 771 – before 805)^[2] 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 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.^[3]