Constantine and his mother Zoë. Zoe Karbonopsina, also Karvounopsina or Carbonopsina, ie "with the Coal-Black Eyes" ( Greek: Ζωή Καρβωνοψίνα Zōē Karbōnopsina

Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Ζ΄ Πορφυρογέννητος, Kōnstantinos VII Porphyrogennētos), (September 2, 905 – November 9, 959) was the son of the Byzantine emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife Zoe Karbonopsina. Porphyrogennētos or Porphyrogenitus (Greek Πορφυρογέννητος literally "born in the Purple" was a title given to a son or daughter ( Porphyrogenneta Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. This article is about the year AD 905 For other uses of the term see 905 (disambiguation. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all This article is about the year 959 For the automobile see Porsche 959. This is a list of the Emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly known as the Byzantine Empire by modern historians This article is about the Byzantine Emperor There is also an article on Pope Leo VI Leo VI "the Wise" or "the Philosopher" Zoe Karbonopsina, also Karvounopsina or Carbonopsina, ie "with the Coal-Black Eyes" ( Greek: Ζωή Καρβωνοψίνα Zōē Karbōnopsina He was also the nephew of the Emperor Alexander. Alexander (Αλέξανδρος Alexandros, c 870&ndash913 sometimes numbered Alexander III, ruled as Emperor of the Byzantine Empire in He is famous for his two descriptive books, De Administrando Imperio and De Ceremoniis. De Administrando Imperio is the commonly used Latin title of a scholarly work written in Greek, by the 10th-century Byzantine emperor De Ceremoniis (full title De caerimoniis aulae Byzantinae, also spelled caeremoniis, cerimoniis) is the

His nickname alludes to the Purple Room of the imperial palace, decorated with the stone porphyry, where legitimate children of reigning emperors were normally born. This is a list of Monarchs (and other royalty and Nobility) sorted by Nickname. Porphyry is a variety of Igneous rock consisting of large-grained Crystals such as Feldspar or Quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained Constantine was also born in this room, although his mother Zoe had not been married to Leo at that time. Nevertheless, the epithet allowed him to underline his position as the legitimized son, as opposed to all others who claimed the throne during his lifetime. Sons born to a reigning Emperor held precedence in the Byzantine line of ascension over elder sons not born "in the purple".

Reign

Constantine was born at Constantinople, an illegitimate son born before an uncanonical fourth marriage. Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS To help legitimize him, his mother gave birth to him in the Purple Room of the imperial palace, hence his nickname Porphyrogenetus. He was symbolically elevated to the throne as a two-year-old child by his father and uncle on May 15, 908. Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the Events By Place Asia The Battle of Belach Mugna is fought Zhu Wen kills the last Tang Dynasty emperor After the death of his uncle Alexander in 913, he succeeded to the throne at the age of seven, under the regency of the Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos. Nicholas I Mystikos or Nicholas I Mysticus ( Greek: Νικόλαος Α΄ Μυστικός Nikolaos I Mystikos) (852 &ndash May 15, 925 His regent was presently forced to make peace with Tsar Simeon of Bulgaria, whom he reluctantly recognized as Bulgarian emperor. Simeon (also Symeon) I the Great (Симеон I Велики transliterated Simeon I Veliki; simɛˈɔn ˈpɤrvi vɛˈliki ruled over Bulgaria The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Because of this unpopular concession, Nicholas was driven out of the regency by Constantine's mother Zoe. Zoe Karbonopsina, also Karvounopsina or Carbonopsina, ie "with the Coal-Black Eyes" ( Greek: Ζωή Καρβωνοψίνα Zōē Karbōnopsina

Christ Crowning Constantine VII (945).

Zoe was no more successful with the Bulgarians, by whom her main supporter, the general Leo Phokas, was defeated in 917, and in 919 she was replaced by the admiral Romanos Lekapenos, who married his daughter Helena Lekapene to Constantine. Romanos I Lekapenos or Romanus I Lecapenus ( Greek: Ρωμανός Α΄ Λακαπήνος Rōmanos I Lakapēnos; Րոմանոս Ա Ղակապենոս Helena Lekapene (Latinized to Lecapena, c 910 - 19 September 961 was the Empress consort of Constantine VII. Romanos used his position to advance to the ranks of basileopatōr in May 919, kaisar (Caesar) in September 920, and finally co-emperor in December of the same year. Caesar (plural Caesars Latin: Caesar (plural Caesares is a Title of imperial character Thus, just short of reaching nominal majority, Constantine was again eclipsed by a senior emperor.

Constantine's youth had been a sad one for his unpleasant appearance, his taciturn nature and his relegation at the third level of succession behind the eldest son of Romanos I Lekapenos. Nevertheless, he was a very intelligent young man with a large range of interests, and dedicated those years to study the court's ceremonial.

Romanos kept power for himself and maintained it until 944, when he was deposed by his sons Stephen and Constantine. With the help of his wife, Constantine VII succeeded in removing his brothers-in-law and on January 27, 945, Constantine VII was once again sole emperor at the age of 39, after a life spent in the shadow. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Events By Place Asia The Buwayhid Dynasty takes control of Baghdad (it does not supplant the local caliphate) Several months later, Constantine VII crowned his own son Romanos II co-emperor. Romanos II or Romanus II ( Greek: Ρωμανός Β΄ Rōmanos II) (938&ndash 15 March 963) was a Byzantine emperor Having never exercised executive authority, Constantine remained primarily devoted to his scholarly pursuits and relegated his authority to bureaucrats and generals, as well as his energetic wife Helena Lekapene.

In 949 Constantine launched a new fleet of 100 ships (20 dromons, 64 chelandia, and 10 galleys) against the Arab corsairs hiding in Crete, but like his father's attempt to retake the island in 911, this attempt also failed. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the On the Eastern frontier things went better, even if with alternate success: in 949 the Byzantines conquered Germanicea, repeatedly defeated the enemy armies and in 952 crossed the upper Euphrates. Kahramanmaraş is the capital city of Kahramanmaraş Province in southeastern Turkey. The Euphrates ( ( Arabic: ar نهر الفرات; Turkish: tr Fırat Syriac: syr ܦܪܬ; Hebrew: he פרת But in 953 the Arab amir Saif ad-Dawla retook Germanicea and entered the imperial territory. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding The land in the east was eventually recovered by Nikephoros Phokas, who conquered Hadath, in northern Syria, in 958, and by the Armenian general John Tzimiskes, who one year later captured Samosata, in northern Mesopotamia. Hadath El Jebbeh ( known as Hadeth El Jebbeh, Hadath el-Jubbah, Hadad El-Gebbeh or Hadet ej Jobbé; حدث ألجبة is a town located in Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani John I Tzimiskes or Tzimisces, (Ιωάννης Α΄ Τζιμισκής Iōannēs I Tzimiskēs; Հովհաննես Ա Չմշկիկ Hovhannes Ayp Chmshgig Samosata (Շամշատ Shamshat was an ancient city on the right (west bank of the Euphrates whose ruins existed at the modern city of Samsat, Adıyaman Province Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding An Arab fleet was also destroyed by Greek fire in 957. Greek fire was a burning-liquid weapon used by the Byzantine Empire. Constantine's efforts to retake themes lost to the Arabs were the first such efforts to have any real success.

Constantine had intense diplomatic relationships with foreign courts, including the caliph of Cordoba Abd ar-Rahman III and Otto I, King of Germany. The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah ||-||-||} Córdoba ( Cordova in English is a City in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. Abd-ar-Rahman III ( ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh; Arabic: عبد الرحمن الثالث January 11 889 – October Otto I the Great ( 23 November 912 &ndash 7 May 973) son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke This article lists the German monarchs, ruling over the territory of Germany from the creation of a separate Eastern Frankish Kingdom in 843 until the end of monarchy In the autumn of 957 Constantine was visited by Olga, princess of the Kievan Rus'. Saint Olga (Ольга also called Olga Prekrasa (Ольга Прекраса or Olga the Beauty, Old Norse: Helga; born c Kievan Rus′ (Ки́евская Русь romanised: Kievskaya Rus', rusʲ also written as Kyivan Rus′ (Ки́ївська Русь or Kievan The reasons for this voyage have never been clarified: in any case, she was baptised with the name Helena, and began to convert her people to Christianity. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings

Constantine VII died at Constantinople in November 959 and was succeeded by his son Romanos II. Romanos II or Romanus II ( Greek: Ρωμανός Β΄ Rōmanos II) (938&ndash 15 March 963) was a Byzantine emperor It was rumored that Constantine had been poisoned by his son or his daughter-in-law Theophano. Theophano was a Byzantine empress She was the daughter-in-law of Constantine VII; wife of Romanos II; wife of Nikephoros II Phokas; lover of John

Literary and political activity

Gold solidus of Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos, 913-959.

Constantine VII was an excellent Emperor, and he is renowned for his abilities as a writer and scholar. He wrote, or had commissioned, the works De cerimoniis aulae byzantinae ("On Ceremonies"), describing the kinds of court ceremonies also described later in a more negative light by Liutprand of Cremona; De Administrando Imperio ("On the Administration of the Empire"), giving advice on running the empire internally and also how to fight external enemies; and a history of the Empire covering events following the death of the chronographer Theophanes the Confessor in 817. De Ceremoniis (full title De caerimoniis aulae Byzantinae, also spelled caeremoniis, cerimoniis) is the Liutprand (also Liudprand, Liuprand, Lioutio, Liucius, Liuzo, and Lioutsios; c De Administrando Imperio is the commonly used Latin title of a scholarly work written in Greek, by the 10th-century Byzantine emperor Saint Theophanes Confessor (c 758/760 &ndash March 12, 817/818 was a Byzantine aristocratic Ascetic monk and Chronicler He is venerated Amongst his historical works was a history eulogising the reign and achievements of his grandfather, Basil I. For the Russian ruler see Basil I of Russia Basil I, called the Macedonian ( Greek: Βασίλειος Α΄ο Μακεδών These books are insightful and are of immense interest to the historian, sociologist and anthropologist as a most useful source of information about nations neighbouring with Byzantium. They also offer a fine insight into the Emperor himself.

In his book, A Short History of Byzantium, John Julius Norwich refers to Constantine VII as "The Scholar Emperor" (180). John Julius Cooper 2nd Viscount Norwich CVO (born 15 September 1929) is an English historian travel writer and television personality Norwich states, “He was, we are told, a passionate collector--not only of books and manuscripts but works of art of every kind; more remarkable still for a man of his class, he seems to have been an excellent painter. He was the most generous of patrons--to writers and scholars, artists and craftsmen. Finally, he was an excellent Emperor: a competent, conscientious and hard-working administrator and an inspired picker of men, whose appointments to military, naval, ecclesiastical, civil and academic posts were both imaginative and successful. He did much to develop higher education and took a special interest in the administration of justice (181). In 947, Constantine VII ordered the immediate restitution, without compensation, of all peasant lands, thus, by the end of [his] reign, the condition of the landed peasantry—which formed the foundation of the whole economic and military strength of the Empire—was better off than it had been for a century" (182-3).

Family

Gold solidus of LeoVI and Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos, 908-912.

By his wife Helena Lekapene, the daughter of Emperor Romanos I, Constantine VII had several children, including:

• Leo, who died young. Helena Lekapene (Latinized to Lecapena, c 910 - 19 September 961 was the Empress consort of Constantine VII. Romanos I Lekapenos or Romanus I Lecapenus ( Greek: Ρωμανός Α΄ Λακαπήνος Rōmanos I Lakapēnos; Րոմանոս Ա Ղակապենոս
• Romanos II. Romanos II or Romanus II ( Greek: Ρωμανός Β΄ Rōmanos II) (938&ndash 15 March 963) was a Byzantine emperor
• Zoe. Sent to a convent.
• Theodora, who married Emperor John I Tzimiskes. Theodora daughter of Constantine VII (born c 946 was the second wife and first Empress consort of John I Tzimiskes. John I Tzimiskes or Tzimisces, (Ιωάννης Α΄ Τζιμισκής Iōannēs I Tzimiskēs; Հովհաննես Ա Չմշկիկ Hovhannes Ayp Chmshgig
• Agatha. Sent to a convent.
• Theophano. Sent to a convent.
• Anna. Sent to a convent.

References

• The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, ed. The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (often abbreviated to ODB) is a three volume book by the Oxford University Press. by Alexander Kazhdan, Oxford University Press, 1991. Alexander Petrovich Kazhdan (September 3 1922 Moscow – May 29 1997 Washington D
• Runciman, Steven. Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman CH ( 7 July, 1903 &ndash 1 November, 2000) better known as Sir Steven Runciman, was The Emperor Romanus Lecapenus and his Reign. Cambridge: University Press, 1990. (Originally published 1929. ) ISBN 0-521-35722-5
• Toynbee, Arnold. This page is about the universal historian Arnold Joseph Toynbee for the economic historian Arnold Toynbee see this article. Constantine Porphyrogenitus and his world. Oxford, 1973. ISBN 0-19-215253-X. 768pp.
• Norwich, John Julius (John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich), A Short History of Byzantium. John Julius Cooper 2nd Viscount Norwich CVO (born 15 September 1929) is an English historian travel writer and television personality London: Viking, 1997. ISBN 0-679-45088-2

External links

• The works of Constantine Porphyrogenitus in the original Greek (pdf format)
• Listing of Constantine VII and his family in "Medieval Lands"

• Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Graeca with analytical indexes