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User:Tintero21/List of Byzantine emperors

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This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Byzantine Empire (or the Eastern Roman Empire), to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised sovereign authority are included, to the exclusion of junior co-emperors (symbasileis) who never attained the status of sole or senior ruler, as well as of the various usurpers or rebels who claimed the imperial title.

The following list starts with Constantine I the Great, the first Christian emperor, who rebuilt the city of Byzantium as an imperial capital, Constantinople, and who was regarded by the later emperors as the model ruler. It was under Constantine that the major characteristics of what is considered the Byzantine state emerged: a Roman polity centered at Constantinople and culturally dominated by the Greek East, with Christianity as the state religion.

The Byzantine Empire was the direct legal continuation of the eastern half of the Roman Empire following the division of the Roman Empire in 395. Emperors listed below up to Theodosius I in 395 were sole or joint rulers of the entire Roman Empire. The Western Roman Empire continued until 476. Byzantine emperors considered themselves to be rightful Roman emperors in direct succession from Augustus;[1] the term "Byzantine" was coined by Western historiography only in the 16th century. The use of the title "Roman Emperor" by those ruling from Constantinople was not contested until after the Papal coronation of the Frankish Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor (25 December 800), done partly in response to the Byzantine coronation of Empress Irene, whose claim, as a woman, was not recognized by Pope Leo III.

The title of all Emperors preceding Heraclius was officially "Augustus", although other titles such as Dominus were also used. Their names were preceded by Imperator Caesar and followed by Augustus. Following Heraclius, the title commonly became the Greek Basileus (Gr. Βασιλεύς), which had formerly meant sovereign, though Augustus continued to be used in a reduced capacity. Following the establishment of the rival Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe, the title "Autokrator" (Gr. Αὐτοκράτωρ) was increasingly used. In later centuries, the Emperor could be referred to by Western Christians as the "Emperor of the Greeks". Towards the end of the Empire, the standard imperial formula of the Byzantine ruler was "[Emperor's name] in Christ, Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans" (cf. Ῥωμαῖοι and Rûm).[2]

In the medieval period, dynasties were common, but the principle of hereditary succession was never formalized in the Empire,[3] and hereditary succession was a custom rather than an inviolable principle.[4]

Constantinian dynasty (306–363)

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Portrait Name Reign Acclamatio Notes Ref.
Constantine I
"the Great"

Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ Μέγας
Fl. Valerius Constantinus
19 September 324 –
22 May 337
25 July 305
as augustus
[5]
Constantius II
Κωνστάντιος
Fl. Iulius Constantius
22 May 337 –
3 November 361
8 November 324
caesar
9 September 337
augustus
  • Second son of Constantine I and Fausta
  • Ruled the Eastern provinces, then the whole Empire after 353
  • A supporter of Arianism, his reign saw various religious conflicts
  • Built the original church of Hagia Sophia
  • Died of natural causes, aged 44, while campaigning against Julian
[6]
Julian "the Apostate"
Ἰουλιανὸς ὁ Ἀποστάτης
Fl. Claudius Iulianus
3 November 361 –
26 June 363
c. February 361 [7]
Jovian
Ἰοβιανός
Claudius Iovianus[a]
28 June 363 –
17 February 364
  • Elected by the army upon Julian's death
  • Died on journey back to Constantinople
[8]

Valentinianic dynasty (364–379)

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Portrait Name Reign Acclamatio Notes Ref.
Valentinian I (the Angry)
Οὐαλεντινιανός
Valentinianus
25 February –
28 March 364
  • Born in 321, elected by the army upon Jovian's death.
  • Appointed Valens as ruler of the East while he ruled over the West
  • Died of a stroke while yelling at envoys on 17 November 375
[9]
Valens
Οὐάλης, Iulius Valens
28 March 364 –
9 August 378
[10]
Gratian
Γρατιανός, Gratianus
9 August 378 –
19 January 379
  • Born on 18 April/23 May 359, son of Valentinian I
  • Emperor of the West since 24 August 367, inherited the East in 378 and later appointed Theodosius I as Emperor of the East.
  • Assassinated on 25 August 383 by Magnus Maximus.
[11]

Theodosian dynasty (379–457)

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Portrait Name Reign Coronation Notes Ref.
Theodosius I
"the Great"

Θεοδόσιος ὁ Μέγας
19 January 379 –
17 January 395
  • Born on 11 January 347, in Spain.
  • Brother-in-law of Gratian, who appointed him as emperor of the East.
  • He reunited the whole Empire after defeating Eugenius at the Battle of the Frigidus on 6 September 394.
  • Last emperor to rule the whole Empire
Arcadius
Ἀρκάδιος
17 January 395 –
1 May 408
16 January 383
  • Born in 377/378, eldest son of Theodosius I
Anthemius
Ανθέμιος
1 May 408 – 414
Pulcheria
Πουλχερία
4 July 414 – 441 4 July 414
as augusta
Theodosius II
Θεοδόσιος
1 May 408 –
28 July 450
10 January 402
  • Born on 10 April 401, the only son of Arcadius
  • Succeeded upon the death of his father. As a minor, the praetorian prefect Anthemius was regent in 408–414.
  • Died in a riding accident.
Marcian
Μαρκιανός, Marcianus
25 August 450 –
27 January 457
25 August 450
  • Born in 396. A soldier and politician.
  • Became emperor after being wed by the Augusta Pulcheria, sister of Theodosius II, following the latter's death. Died of gangrene.

Leonid dynasty (457–518)

[edit]
Portrait Name Reign Coronation Notes Ref.
Leo I "the Great" and "the Butcher"
Λέων ὁ Μέγας / Μακέλλης
7 February 457 –
18 January 474
7 February 457
by Patriarch Anatolius
Leo II "the Little"
Λέων ὁ μικρός
18 January –
November 474
17 November 473
by Acacius
Zeno
Ζήνων (Ταρασισ)
November 474 –
9 April 491
29 January 473
by Acacius
Basiliscus
Βασιλίσκος
9 January 475 –
August 476
12 January 475
by Acacius
Anastasius I "Dicorus"
Ἀναστάσιος ὁ Δίκορος
11 April 491 –
9 July 518
11 April 475
by Euphemius

Justinian dynasty (518–602)

[edit]
Portrait Name Reign Coronation Notes Ref.
Justin I
Ἰουστῖνος, Iustinus
9 July 518 –
1 August 527
10 July 518
by Patriarch John II
  • Born c. 450 at Bederiana, Dardania, general of the Excubitors
  • Elected by army and people upon the death of Anastasius I
  • Died of natural causes
Justinian I "the Great"
Ἰουστινιανὸς ὁ Μέγας
Fl. Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus
1 August 527 –
14 November 565
1 April 527
by Epiphanius
Justin II
Ἰουστῖνος, Iustinus
14 November 565 –
5 October 578
15 November 565
by John III
Sofia
Σοφία
November 573 –
26 September 578
Tiberius II Constantine
Τιβέριος Κωνσταντῖνος
Fl. Tiberius Constantinus
5 October 578 –
14 August 582
26 September 578
by Eutychius
Maurice Tiberius
Μαυρίκιος Τιβέριος
Fl. Mauricius Tiberius
14 August 582 –
27 November 602
13 August 582
by John IV
Phocas "the Tyrant"
Φωκᾶς, Focas
27 November 602 –
5 October 610
23 November 582
by John IV

Heraclian dynasty (610–695)

[edit]
Portrait Name Reign Coronation Notes Ref.
Herakleios I
Ἡράκλειος
5 October 610 –
11 February 641
5 October 610
by Sergius I
Martina
Μαρτίνα
11 February 641 –
5 November 641
c. 613
Constantine III Herakleios
Ἡράκλειος Κωνσταντῖνος
Heraclius Constantinus
11 February –
25 May 641
22 January 613
by Sergius I
Herakleios II
"the Little Herakleios"

Ἡράκλειος (Ἡρακλεωνᾶς)
Constantinus Heraclius
25 May 641 –
5 November 641
4 July 638
by Sergius I
Constans II
"Constantine the Bearded"

Κώνστας ὁ Πωγωνᾶτος
Heraclius Constantinus
5 November 641 –
15 July 668
September 641
by Paul II
Constantine IV
"the Young"

Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ νέος
September 668 –
10 July 685
13 April 654
by Pyrrhus
Justinian II
"the Slit-nosed"
Ἰουστινιανὸς ὁ Ῥινότμητος
10 July 685 – 695 681 / 682

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ By the 4th century, the name Flavius had become a part of the imperial title: Cameron, Alan (1988). "Flavius : a Nicety of Protocol". Société d'Études Latines de Bruxelles. 47: 26–33.

References

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  1. ^ Hooker, Richard (1 October 2007). "European Middle Ages: The Byzantine Empire". Washington State University. Archived from the original on 24 February 1999. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  2. ^ Morrisson, Cécile (2013) "Displaying the Emperor's Authority and Kharaktèr on the Marketplace" in Armstrong, Pamela. Authority in Byzantium. Routledge. p. 72. ISBN 978-1409436089
  3. ^ p. 183, Karayannopoulous, Yanis, "State Organization, Social Structure, Economy, and Commerce," History of Humanity – Scientific and Cultural Development from the Seventh to the Sixteenth Centuries, Vol. IV, M. A. Al-Bakhit, L. Bazin, S. M. Cissoko and M. S. Asimov, Editors, UNESCO, Paris (2000)
  4. ^ Nicol, Donald MacGillivray, Last Centuries of Byzantium, 1261–1453, Cambridge University Press, Second Edition, 1993, p. 72.
  5. ^ ODB, pp. 498–9; Kienast, Eck & Heil, pp. 286–8.
  6. ^ ODB, p. 524; Kienast, Eck & Heil, pp. 300–1.
  7. ^ ODB, p. 1079; Kienast, Eck & Heil, pp. 300–1.
  8. ^ ODB, pp. 1076–7; Kienast, Eck & Heil, p. 312.
  9. ^ ODB, p. 2150.
  10. ^ ODB, pp. 2149–50.
  11. ^ ODB, p. 867.

Main bibliography

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