Contemporary coin of Romanus I.

Romanos I Lekapenos or Romanus I Lecapenus (Greek: Ρωμανός Α΄ Λακαπήνος, Rōmanos I Lakapēnos) (c. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly 870 – June 15, 948) was Byzantine Emperor from 920 to his deposition on December 16, 944. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history Events By Place Europe Otto I the Great founds the missionary dioceses of Brandenburg, Havelburg, Ribe, This is a list of the Emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly known as the Byzantine Empire by modern historians Events 755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion This article is about the year 944 For the Porsche sports car see Porsche 944.

Origin

Romanos was the son of an imperial guardsman of Armenian origin named Theophylaktos "the Unbearable". The Armenians (Հայեր Hayer) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus and in the Armenian Highlands A large Romanos had been born in Lakape, hence the name "Lakapenos" (more commonly rendered by the less accurate form "Lekapenos" in English). Although he did not receive any refined education (for which he was later abused by his son-in-law Constantine VII), Romanos advanced through the ranks of the army during the reign of Emperor Leo VI the Wise, another fellow Armenian. This article is about the Byzantine Emperor There is also an article on Pope Leo VI Leo VI "the Wise" or "the Philosopher" In 911 he was general of the naval theme of Samos and later served as admiral (droungarios) of the fleet. Samos (Σάμος is a Greek island in the North Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off A droungarios, also spelled drungarios (δρουγγάριος drungarius or in its English form drungary, was a Military rank of the late Roman In this capacity he was supposed to participate in the Byzantine operations against Bulgaria on the Danube in 917, but he was unable to carry out his mission. The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj In the aftermath of the disastrous Byzantine defeat at the Battle of Anchialus in 917 by the Bulgarians, Romanos sailed to Constantinople, where he gradually overcame the discredited regency of Empress Zoe Karvounopsina and her supporter Leo Phokas. This article refers to the Battle of Anchialus fought in 917 For other battles with the same name see Battle of Anchialus (disambiguation The Battle Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS Zoe Karbonopsina, also Karvounopsina or Carbonopsina, ie "with the Coal-Black Eyes" ( Greek: Ζωή Καρβωνοψίνα Zōē Karbōnopsina

Rise to power

Becoming increasingly influential at court, Romanos exiled his rivals and strengthened his links with the underage Emperor Constantine VII. Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" ( Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Ζ΄ Πορφυρογέννητος In May 919 he married his daughter Helena Lekapene to Constantine and was proclaimed basileopatōr ("father of the emperor"). Helena Lekapene (Latinized to Lecapena, c 910 - 19 September 961 was the Empress consort of Constantine VII. The Byzantine Empire had a complex system of Aristocracy and Bureaucracy, which was inherited from the Roman Empire. In September 920, Romanos was invested as kaisar (Caesar), and finally on December 17 of the same year he was crowned co-emperor, becoming the effective head of the Byzantine Empire. Caesar (plural Caesars Latin: Caesar (plural Caesares is a Title of imperial character Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila

In subsequent years Romanos crowned his own sons co-emperors, Christopher in 921, Stephen and Constantine in 924, although, for the time being, Constantine VII was regarded as first in rank after Romanos himself. It is notable that, as he left Constantine untouched, he was called 'the gentle usurper'. Romanos strengthened his position by marrying his daughters to members of the powerful aristocratic families of Argyros and Mouseles, by recalling the deposed patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, and by putting an end to the conflict with the Papacy over the four marriages of Emperor Leo VI. Nicholas I Mystikos or Nicholas I Mysticus ( Greek: Νικόλαος Α΄ Μυστικός Nikolaos I Mystikos) (852 &ndash May 15, 925 History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and

War and peace with Bulgaria

The first major challenge faced by the new emperor was the war with Bulgaria, which had been re-ignited by the regency of Zoe. Romanos' rise to power had cut off Simeon I of Bulgaria's plans for a marital alliance with Constantine VII, and Romanos was determined to deny the unpopular concession of imperial recognition to Simeon, which had already toppled two imperial governments. Simeon (also Symeon) I the Great (Симеон I Велики transliterated Simeon I Veliki; simɛˈɔn ˈpɤrvi vɛˈliki ruled over Bulgaria Consequently, the first four years of Romanos' reign were spent in warfare against Bulgaria. Although Simeon generally had the upper hand, he was unable to gain a decisive advantage because of the impregnability of Constantinople's walls. In 924, when Simeon had once again blockaded the capital by land, Romanos succeeded in opening negotiations. Meeting Simeon in person at Kosmidion, Romanos criticized Simeon's disregard for tradition and Orthodox Christian brotherhood and supposedly shamed him into coming to terms and lifting the siege. In reality, this was accomplished by Romanos' tacit recognition of Simeon as emperor of Bulgaria. Relations were subsequently marred by continued wrangling over titles (Simeon called himself emperor of the Romans as well), but peace had been effectively established.

On the death of Simeon in May 927, Bulgaria's new emperor Peter I made a show of force by invading Byzantine Thrace, but showed himself ready to negotiate for a more permanent peace. Peter I (Петър I was emperor ( Tsar) of Bulgaria from May 27, 927 to 969 died January 30, 970. Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe Romanos seized the occasion and proposed a marriage alliance between the imperial houses of Byzantium and Bulgaria. In September 927 Peter arrived before Constantinople and married Maria (renamed Eirene, "Peace"), the daughter of the co-emperor Christopher Lekapenos, and thus Romanos' granddaughter. On this occasion Christopher received precedence in rank over his brother-in-law Constantine VII, something which compounded the latter's resentment towards the Lekapenoi, the Bulgarians, and imperial marriages to outsiders (as documented in his composition De Administrando Imperio). De Administrando Imperio is the commonly used Latin title of a scholarly work written in Greek, by the 10th-century Byzantine emperor From this point on, Romanos' government was free from direct military confrontation with Bulgaria. Although Byzantium would tacitly support a Serbian revolt against Bulgaria in 931, and the Bulgarians would allow Magyar raids across their territory into Byzantine possessions, Byzantium and Bulgaria remained at peace for 40 years. Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country Hungarians (or Magyars, magyarok are an Ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary.

Campaigns in the East

Romanos appointed the brilliant general John Kourkouas commander of the field armies (domestikos tōn skholōn) in the East. John Kourkouas (Ιωάννης Κουρκούας was an Armenian -Byzantine general under Romanos I Lekapenos. John Kourkouas subdued a rebellion in the theme of Chaldia and intervened in Armenia in 924. From 926 Kourkouas campaigned across the eastern frontier against the Abbasids and their vassals, and won an important victory at Melitene in 934. The capture of this city is often considered the first major Byzantine territorial recovery from the Muslims.

In 941, a fleet of 15 old ships and John Kourkouas had to defend Constantinople from a Kievan raid, and he defeated the invaders on both land (they had landed in Asia Minor) and sea. Kievan Rus′ (Ки́евская Русь romanised: Kievskaya Rus', rusʲ also written as Kyivan Rus′ (Ки́ївська Русь or Kievan Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black In 944 Romanos concluded a treaty with Prince Igor of Kiev. The Rus'-Byzantine Treaty between Constantine VII of Byzantium and Igor I of Kiev was concluded either in 944 or 945 as a result of several naval expeditions This crisis having passed, Kourkouas was free to return to the eastern frontier.

In 943 Kourkouas invaded northern Mesopotamia and besieged the important city of Edessa in 944. Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding Edessa ( Greek:) is the historical name of a Syriac town in northern Mesopotamia, refounded on an ancient site by Seleucus I Nicator As the price for his withdrawal, Kourkouas obtained one of Byzantium's most prised relics, the mandylion, the holy towel allegedly sent by Jesus Christ to King Abgar V of Edessa. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " For the other historical kings Abgar of Osroene see Osroene. Abgar V or Abgarus V of Edessa (4 BC - AD 7 and AD 13 - 50 John Kourkouas, although considered by some of his contemporaries "a second Trajan or Belisarios," was dismissed after the fall of the Lekapenoi in 945. Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, commonly known as Trajan ( September 18 53 &ndash August 9 117) was a Roman Emperor who Flavius Belisarius (Βελισάριος (505(? – 565 was one of the greatest Generals of the Byzantine Empire and one of the most acclaimed generals in history Nevertheless, his campaigns in the East paved the way for the even more dramatic reconquests in the middle and the second half of the 10th century.

Internal policies

The palace church at Myrelaion, commissioned by Romanos I as a family shrine in 922. Bodrum Mosque ( Turkish: Bodrum Camii, or Mesih Paşa Camii after the name of its founder is a former Eastern Orthodox church converted

Romanos I Lekapenos attempted to strengthen the Byzantine Empire by seeking peace everywhere where that was possible. His dealings with Bulgaria and Kievan Rus' have been described above. To protect Byzantine Thrace from Magyar incursions (such as the ones in 934 and 943), Romanos paid them protection money and pursued diplomatic venues.

The Khazars were the allies of the Byzantines until the reign of Romanus, when he started persecuting the Jews of the empire. "Kazar" redirects here for the Marvel Comics character see Ka-Zar; for the village in Azerbaijan see Xəzər. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ According to the Schechter Letter, the Khazar ruler Joseph responded to the persecution of Jews by "doing away with many Christians" and Romanus retaliated by inciting Oleg of Novgorod (called Helgu in the letter) against Khazaria. The "Schechter Letter" (also called the "Cambridge Document") was discovered in the Cairo Geniza by Solomon Schechter. Joseph ben Aaron was king of the Khazars during the 950s and 960s A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Oleg of Novgorod ( Slavic: Олег Old Norse: Helgi, Khazarian, possibly Helgu) was a Varangian prince (or konung ^[1]

Similarly, he had re-established peace within the church and overcome the new conflict between Rome and Constantinople by promulgating the Tomos of Union in 920. History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and In 933 Romanos took advantage of a vacancy on the patriarchal throne to name his young son Theophylaktos patriarch of Constantinople. "Patriarch of Constantinople" redirects here For the institutional church itself see Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The new patriarch did not achieve renown for his piety and spirituality, but added theatrical elements to the Byzantine liturgy and was an avid horse-breeder, allegedly leaving mass to tend to one of his favorite mares when she was giving birth.

Romanos was active as a legislator, promulgating a series of laws to protect small landowners from being swallowed up by the estates of the nobility (dynatoi). The legislative reform may have been partly inspired by hardship caused by the famine of 927 and the subsequent semi-popular revolt of Basil the Copperhand. The emperor also managed to increase the taxes levied on the aristocracy and established the state on a more secure financial footing. Romanos was also able to effectively subdue revolts in several provinces of the empire, most notably in Chaldia, the Peloponnese, and Southern Italy. The Peloponnese or Peloponnesus ( Greek: Πελοπόννησος Pelopónnisos; see also List of Greek place names) is a large Peninsula Geography Southern Italy forms the lower "boot" of the Italian peninsula containing the ankle (Abruzzo and Molise and southern Lazio the toe (Calabria and the heel

In Constantinople, he built his palace in the place called Myrelaion, near the Sea of Marmara. Bodrum Mosque ( Turkish: Bodrum Camii, or Mesih Paşa Camii after the name of its founder is a former Eastern Orthodox church converted The Sea of Marmara ( Turkish: Marmara Denizi, Greek: Θάλασσα του Μαρμαρά or Προποντίς, Bulgarian Beside it he built a shrine which became the first example of a private burial church of a Byzantine emperor. Bodrum Mosque ( Turkish: Bodrum Camii, or Mesih Paşa Camii after the name of its founder is a former Eastern Orthodox church converted

End of the reign

Romanos' later reign was marked by the old emperor's heightened interest in divine judgment and his increasing sense of guilt for his role in the usurpation of the throne from Constantine VII. On the death of Christopher in 931, Romanos did not advance his younger sons in precedence over Constantine VII. Fearing that Romanos would allow Constantine VII to succeed him instead of them, his younger sons Stephen and Constantine arrested their father in December 944, carried him off to the Prince's Islands and compelled him to become a monk. The Princes' Islands ( Turkish: Prens Adaları Islands or more commonly Kizil Adalar Islands as they are officially named classical Greek: MONK is a Monte Carlo software package for simulating nuclear processes particularly for the purpose of determining the neutron multiplication factor or k-effective When they threatened the position of Constantine VII, however, the people of Constantinople revolted, and Stephen and Constantine were likewise stripped of their imperial rank and sent into exile to their father. Romanos died in June 948, and was buried as the other members of his family in the church of Myrelaion.

Family

By his marriage to Theodora (who died in 922), Romanos had six children, including:

• Christopher Lekapenos, co-emperor from 921 to 931, who was married to the Augusta Sophia and was the father of Maria (renamed Eirene), who married Emperor Peter I of Bulgaria; Christopher's son Michael Lekapenos may have been associated as co-emperor by his grandfather. Theodora (d 20 February, 922) was the wife of Romanos I. Empress Her origins and background are not known Peter I (Петър I was emperor ( Tsar) of Bulgaria from May 27, 927 to 969 died January 30, 970.
• Stephen Lekapenos, co-emperor from 924 to 945, died 967.
• Constantine Lekapenos, co-emperor from 924 to 945, died 946.
• Theophylaktos Lekapenos, patriarch of Constantinople from 933 to 956.
• Helena Lekapene, who married Emperor Constantine VII. Helena Lekapene (Latinized to Lecapena, c 910 - 19 September 961 was the Empress consort of Constantine VII. Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" ( Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Ζ΄ Πορφυρογέννητος
• Agatha Lekapene, who married Romanos Argyros; their grandson was Emperor Romanos III.

Romanos also had an illegitimate son, the eunuch Basil, who remained influential at court, particularly during the period 976–985. Basil Lekapenos (died c 985 was the chief administator of the Byzantine Empire from 945 until 985

References

• The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, 1991. The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (often abbreviated to ODB) is a three volume book by the Oxford University Press.
• Runciman, Steven. The Emperor Romanus Lecapenus and his Reign. Cambridge: University Press, 1990. (Originally published 1929. ) ISBN 0-521-35722-5
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

Citations

1. ^ "Rus". Encyclopaedia of Islam

External links

• Media related to Romanus I from the Wikimedia Commons.