| Constantine Lekapenos | |
|---|---|
| Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans | |
.png) 15th-century portrait of Constantine, from theMutinensis gr. 122 manuscript | |
| Byzantine emperor | |
| Reign | 25 December 924 – 27 January 945 |
| Co-emperors |
|
| Died | 946–948 |
| Spouse |
|
| Issue | Romanos Lekapenos |
| Dynasty | Lekapenos |
| Father | Romanos I Lekapenos |
| Mother | Theodora |
Constantine Lekapenos orLecapenus (Ancient Greek:Κωνσταντῖνος Λακαπηνός or Λεκαπηνός,romanized: Kōnstantīnos Lakapēnos or Lekapēnos) was the third son of theByzantine emperorRomanos I Lekapenos (r. 920–944), and co-emperor from 924 to 945. With his elder brotherStephen, he deposed Romanos I in December 944, but was overthrown and exiled by the co-emperorConstantine VII (r. 913–959) a few weeks later. Constantine Lekapenos was exiled to the island ofSamothrace, where he was killed while attempting to escape sometime between 946 and 948.
Constantine was one of the youngest sons ofRomanos I and his wifeTheodora. The chroniclerTheophanes Continuatus mentions him as the youngest son of the imperial couple, while the 11th-century chroniclerGeorge Kedrenos mentions as the third of four known sons. His older brothers wereChristopher Lekapenos (co-emperor 921–931) andStephen Lekapenos (co-emperor 924–945). It is unclear if his brotherTheophylact (Patriarch of Constantinople in 933–956) was younger or slightly older than Constantine. His sisters includedHelena, who marriedConstantine 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 themagistroi Romanos Mosele and Romanos Saronites.[1]
Romanos Lekapenos had risen to power in 919, when he had managed to appoint himselfregent over the young Constantine VII and marry his daughter Helena to him. Within a year, he successively rose frombasileopator toCaesar, 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 rulingMacedonian dynasty withhis 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'sde 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 thepatrikios Adrian, anArmenian.[7]
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The historianSymeon 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 wascastrated 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 ofpatrikios and the post ofEparch 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 generalJohn Kourkouas. Although such a union would effectively cement the loyalty of the army, it would also strengthen the position of the legitimateMacedonian 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 ofHugh 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 awill 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 ofSteven Runciman, partially by self-preservation and partially by genuine ambition, they started planning to seize power through acoup d'état, with Stephen apparently the ringleader and Constantine a rather reluctant partner.[13]
Their fellow conspirators includedMarianos Argyros, theprotospathariosBasil Peteinos,Manuel Kourtikes, thestrategos 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 theGreat 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 toProte, one of thePrinces' 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 aroundConstantinople 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 contemporaryLombard historianLiutprand of Cremona notes that the ambassadors and envoys fromAmalfi,Gaeta,Rome, andProvence 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 newDomestic of the Schools, andConstantine Gongyles as head of theByzantine navy. Stephen and his brother managed to reward their fellow conspirators. Peteinos becamepatrikios andGreat Hetaeriarch, Argyros was appointedCount of the Stable, Kourtikes apatrikios anddroungarios of the Watch.[17]
On 27 January 945,[14] however, at the urging of their sister, theAugusta 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]
Initially, the two brothers were sent to Prote. The Byzantine chroniclers have their father welcoming them by quoting a passage from theBook of Isaiah, specifically Chapter 1.2:[9] "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; forJehovah 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 toTenedos, and then toSamothrace. 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 anightmare featuring his son's descent toHell at the time of Constantine's death, it can be placed between 946 and Romanos's own death in 948.[20]