Artabasdos orArtavasdos (Greek:Ἀρταύασδος orἈρτάβασδος, fromArmenian:Արտավազդ,Artavazd,Ardavazt),Latinized asArtabasdus, was aByzantine general ofArmenian^[1] descent who seized the throne from June 741 until November 743, in usurpation of the reign ofConstantine V.

Artabasdos Արտավազդ
Emperor of the Romans
Solidus of Artabasdos
Byzantine emperor
Reign	June 741 – 2 November 743
Predecessor	Constantine V
Successor	Constantine V
Co-emperor	Nikephoros
Born	Unknown
Died	743
Consort	Anna
Issue	Nikephoros Niketas
Names Artabasdus Artabasdos Արտավազդ Artavazd
Dynasty	Isaurian

In about 713, EmperorAnastasius II appointed Artabasdos as governor (stratēgos) of theArmeniac Theme (Θέμα Άρμενιάκων,Thema Armeniakōn), the successor of the Army of Armenia, which occupied the old areas of the Pontus, Armenia Minor, and northern Cappadocia, with its capital at Amasea. After Anastasius' fall, Artabasdos made an agreement with his colleagueLeo, the governor of theAnatolic Theme, to overthrow the new EmperorTheodosius III. This agreement was sealed with the engagement of Leo's daughterAnna to Artabasdos, and the marriage took place after Leo III ascended the throne in March 717.

Artabasdos was awarded the rank ofkouropalates ("master of the palace") and became commander (count,komēs) of theOpsikion Theme, while retaining control of his original command. In June 741, after the accession of Leo's sonConstantine V to the throne, Artabasdos resolved to seize the throne and attacked his brother-in-law while the latter was traversingAsia Minor to fight theArabs on the eastern frontier. While Constantine fled toAmorion, Artabasdus seizedConstantinople amid popular support and was crowned emperor in the summer of 742.^[2][3]

While according toTheophanes the Confessor and PatriarchNikephoros I of Constantinople, Artabasdos abandoned his predecessor's religious policy oficonoclasm and authorised the cult of images with some support, there is actually little support from contemporary sources.^[4][5] Soon after his accession, Artabasdus crowned his wifeAnna asaugusta and his son Nikephoros as co-emperor, while putting his other sonNiketas in charge of the Armeniac Theme. Artabasdos was supported by the themes of Opsikion andThrace along with the Armeniacs, while Constantine was supported by the fleet of theCibyrrhaeot Theme and the armies of the Anatolic andThracesian themes.^[3]

The inevitable clash came in May 743, when Artabasdos led the offensive against Constantine but was defeated. Later the same year Constantine defeated Niketas, and on 2 November 744, Artabasdus' reign came to an end as Constantine V entered Constantinople.^[3] Artabasdos, accompanied by his close associateBaktangios fled to the castle of Pouzanes inOpsikion (Asia Minor), where they were apprehended and brought to Constantinople. Artabasdos and his sons werepublicly blinded and relegated to theChora Monastery on the outskirts of Constantinople.^[6]

By his wife Anna, the daughter of Emperor Leo III, Artabasdos had nine children, including:

• Nikephoros, made co-emperor by his father.
• Niketas, who wasstrategos of theArmeniac theme

• List of Byzantine emperors

Notes

References

• Auzépy, Marie-France (2008). "State of emergency (700–850)". In Shepard, Jonathan (ed.).The Cambridge history of the Byzantine Empire (c. 500–1492). Cambridge University Press.ISBN 978-0-521-83231-1.
• Beckwith, Christopher I. (2009-04-05).Empires of the Silk Road. Princeton (N.J.): Princeton University Press.ISBN 978-0-691-13589-2.
• Brubaker, Haldon; Leslie, John (2011).Byzantium in the Iconoclast Era. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 159.ISBN 978-1-107-62629-4.
• Garland, Lynda (2006).Byzantine women: varieties of experience 800–1200 (2006 ed.).Ashgate Publishing.ISBN 0-7546-5737-X.- Total pages: 226
• Treadgold, Warren (1997).A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford University Press.ISBN 978-0-8047-2630-6.

• Evangelos Venetis"Artabasdos (Byzantium)".Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World, Asia Minor. 31 July 2003. Archived fromthe original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved2010-04-27.