Byzantium in the Age of Iconoclasm

Byzantine “Dark Ages”

700-900. We have very few sources from this period, so hard to “see” textually. Era of intense debate

Age of Iconoclasm

Synonym for Byzantine Dark Ages. Conflict, debate, persecution over religious/sacred images

Icon

Depiction of a sacred figure (often Jesus or Mary, saints, sometimes emperors) that makes some sort of visual point about the figure. Meant to be venerated. A lot of these in Justinian’s time

Christ Pantocrator

Example of an icon. Jesus holding a book. From a 6th century convent. Jesus has an asymmetrical face, suggesting that Jesus has multiple sides

Icons and relics

Icons treated like relics, they offer an access point to the divine. Can sometimes work miracles, like relics

Acheiropoieton

Relic/icon that manifests itself, not man-made

Iconoclasm

Destruction of religious images/belief in the importance of destruction of them

Islam and icons

Islam anti-icons, so possibility that Byzantines were mimicking Islam. Anti-image as a marker of piety

Hagia Eirene

Church that had all icons stripped, and just has a church

Isaurian Emperors

Iconoclast emperors

Leo III the Isaurian

Emperor who does has some successes, like preventing the Umayyad caliphate from overturning the Byzantine empire using Greek Fire to destroy their navy. He also creates theme/themata aka basically dioceses that break the empire up into administrative units

Thera/Therasia

Earthquake/some natural event happens between these two islands which causes a lot of destruction, which Leo III interprets as God’s anger

Chalke Gate

Leo III gets icons removed from this gate, attempt to placate the divine

Forced baptisms

These are done under Leo III to Jewish and heretical Christians

Germanos I

Patriarch of Constantinople who Leo III removes, because he is not an iconoclast. Church leaders and patriarchs tend to disagree with Leo III because of this

Gregory III

Pope who thinks iconoclasm is bad because icons are good for spreading Christianity, especially because some people cannot read. He attempts to excommunicate all iconoclastsE

East/West tensions

Greek and Latin churches beginning to split

Exarchate of Ravenna

Trying to survive, ties to the Greek East in the west are becoming fraught

Constantine V

Son of Leo III. Contemporary of Marwan II. Era of instability in the Muslim world that allows for him to retake areas, like Antioch

Fall of Ravenna

Byzantines lose control of Italy

Byzantine Syria

Conquest in Syria under Constantine V

War with Bulgars

Fighting with this group occurs under Constantine V

Constantine “Copronymos”

Constantine V gets this moniker because people really don’t like his strong iconoclasm. Means “Constantine the shit-crested”

Iconodules

Icon-lovers, those who venerate icons

Images and the divine

Idea that images cannot capture the divine, because an image cannot capture what cannot be described

Mary “Theotokos”

Mary as bearer of God. Constantine V and Greeks spreading this idea, possibly because Islam does not believe in it

Relics and prayers

These are even starting to be seen as bad by Constantine V, even though they’ve been around FOREVER. Part of why he is so despised (he’s a zealot!)

Leo IV

Constantine IV’s son, who was briefly his co-ruler. More moderate than his father and sickly, resulting in his opps trying to angle for power. Dies young, leaves a child in charge. Moderation on iconoclasm coming from weakness

Irene of Athens

Wife of Leo IV. Becomes regent for their 9 year old son. She is powerful. Attempts to arrange marriage between her son and a Frank princess, which does not work. She restores icons through a Second Council of Nicaea, which makes iconoclasm heretical. She does this even though there are military forces who are iconoclasts. She resists the generals because she restores control of Balkans

Irene and the Muslims

Irene has to deal with conflicts with Abbasid caliphs

Irene and the Franks

Irene has to deal with Franks who are starting to take charge of Italy

Constantine VI

Son of Irene who comes to power but is stupid and fucks things up. Marries his mistress, is cruel and blinds anyone who opposes him. Eventually gets blinded by HIS opps, resulting in Irene gaining power again

Nikephoros I

Finance minister who coups Irene. She gets exiled to Lesbos and must do manual labor (I hope she got a hot lesbian lover as well). This is not super bellicose although he does defeat Bulgars

Khan Krum

A guy who is said to have killed Nikephoros and used his skull as a goblet #classic

Leo V the Armenian

Cements new era of peace. Marks another significant shift in the iconoclasm debate, by trying to bring it back. Many who are not willing to go back to this eraTh

Theophanes the Confessor

One of these people who pushes back hard against Leo V’s attempt to bring back iconoclasm. Described this era in detail

Theophilos

Guy who brings back iconoclasm with persecution and such. He is the last to do this though. Conquests the Islamic world as well

Theodora the Armenian

Regent after Theophilos’ death. Reverses his policies in Council of Constantinople