| Stephen Lekapenos | |
|---|---|
| Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans | |
.png) 15th-century portrait of Stephen, from theMutinensis gr. 122 manuscript | |
| Byzantine emperor | |
| Reign | 25 December 924 – 27 January 945 |
| Co-emperors |
|
| Died | 18 April 963 Methymna, Byzantine Empire |
| Spouse | Anna Gabala |
| Issue | Romanos |
| Dynasty | Lekapenos |
| Father | Romanos Lekapenos |
| Mother | Theodora |
Stephen Lekapenos orLecapenus (Ancient Greek:Στέφανος Λακαπηνός or Λεκαπηνός,romanized: Stéphanos Lakapēnos or Lekapēnos; died 18 April 963) was the second son of theByzantine emperorRomanos I Lekapenos (r. 920–944), and co-emperor from 924 to 945. With his younger brotherConstantine, he deposed Romanos I in December 944, but they were overthrown and exiled a few weeks later by their brother in law, the legitimate emperorConstantine VII (r. 913–959). Stephen lived out his life in exile on the island ofLesbos, where he died on Easter 963.
Stephen was the second son of Romanos I and his wifeTheodora. His older siblings wereChristopher (co-emperor from 921 until his death in 931) and his sistersHelena, who marriedConstantine VII Porphyrogennetos (r. 913–959), and Agatha, who married Romanos Argyros. His younger brothers wereConstantine (co-emperor 924–945) andTheophylact (Patriarch of Constantinople in 933–956). He probably also had at least two unnamed younger 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 with his 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. In 933, Stephen was married to Anna, the daughter of a certain Gabalas, who was crownedAugusta on the same occasion.[6] The couple had one known son, Romanos. According to the 11th-century chroniclerGeorge Kedrenos, he wascastrated in 945, but later became asebastophoros.[1]
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.[7] 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.[8][9] Romanos II instead marriedBertha, an illegitimate daughter of KingHugh 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.[10]
Their fellow conspirators includedMarianos Argyros, theprotospathariosBasil Peteinos,Manuel Kourtikes, thestrategos Diogenes, 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,[11] 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.[12]
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 succumb to the inevitable, recognizing their brother-in-law as the senior emperor.[13]
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.[14] On 27 January 945,[11] however, at the urging of their sister, theAugusta Helena, another coup removed the two Lekapenoi from power and restored the sole imperial authority to Constantine VII.[15][16]
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:[15] "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; forJehovah hath spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me."[17] Liutprand of Cremona, however, gives a slightly different account, having Romanos 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. Soon, however, Stephen was moved on to a prison atProkonnesos, and then toRhodes, before finally settling inMethymna,Lesbos.[15]
A plot by some members of the imperial government to restore him was discovered in December 947 and the conspirators weremutilated and publicly humiliated. Stephen died at Methymna onEaster Sunday, 18 April 963.[18]John Skylitzes claims that Stephen was poisoned by order of the EmpressTheophano as part of her efforts to protect the rights to the throne of her sonsBasil II andConstantine VIII, by eliminating other possible claimants to the throne. It should, however, be noted that several deaths of the extended imperial family at the time are attributed to Theophano by hostile sources, usually by poison.[19]