Episode 99 - Michael of Amorium

The History of Byzantium

Robin Pierson

History

4.8 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 14 February 2016

⏱️ 36 minutes

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Summary

Leo restores Iconoclasm and defeats the Bulgars in battle. After signing the peace treaty he raid the Caliphate and returns to domestic matters. However a palace conspiracy overthrows him in favour of his old ally Michael of Amorium.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello everyone, and welcome to the history of Byzantium, Episode 99, Michael of Amorium.
0:19.6	Last time I discussed the early Imperial career of Leo V. The Armenian was elevated by his
0:26.3	troops after the army had suffered two disastrous defeats at the hands of the Bulgas. The new emperor
0:34.2	realized that significant change was necessary if he was going to stay emperor and pass the
0:40.0	throne peacefully to his son. The previous regime had been thoroughly discredited, and the
0:46.8	popular consensus was that God was angry about something, whether it was their collective
0:52.2	sins or the individual blasphemy of their rulers. With life expectancy much shorter than it is
0:59.5	today, we should remember that most of the older people in Constantinople had grown up around
1:06.0	the time that Constantine V was emperor. He had ruled for 34 years, an epic reign by the
1:13.6	standards of the day, and I think his reputation as a great military leader was enhanced by the fact
1:19.7	that Irene then ruled for 20 years after his death. Her femininity and therefore inability to
1:27.6	lead the armies emphasized what a great man he was to those who valued the traditional view of
1:35.1	the Emperor as a valiant imparato. And to all this that Leo III, Constantine's father had
1:43.4	ruled for 24 years before his son. So from Leo the Armenians perspective there was this very
1:51.1	successful imperial dynasty that was all anyone had a living memory of. They had ruled well, Irene
1:58.1	had made a few mistakes, but the rot had clearly set in when I suffer a step up to replace her.
2:04.2	The obvious way for Leo to establish his legitimacy was to connect himself to the Isorians.
2:10.2	Last week he renamed his son Constantine. This week he restores iconoclasm and defeats the
2:19.2	bulgars. By following this blueprint Leo hoped that he too would leave power to his children
2:26.3	and create a successful dynasty, but that's not how this story will end.
2:32.8	As you'll recall, the emperor had a showdown on Christmas Day 815 with his senior clergy.
2:43.4	Led by the patriarch Nyseferus and Theodore of the studious monastery, the staunch iconophiles
	...

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