Constantine V Copronymus
Constantine V Copronymus was a Byzantine emperor who ruled from 741 to 775 AD, known for his military campaigns and administrative reforms. He began his reign by successfully quelling internal revolts, notably defeating Ardabasdos at the Battle of Modrina. To strengthen his military, he established the Tagmata, a standing army that provided a reliable force for both defense and expansion. His reign was marked by aggressive campaigns against Muslim forces, securing victories in northern Syria and Anatolia, which helped to temporarily stabilize Byzantine frontiers.
However, his efforts to maintain Byzantine influence in Italy faltered when he could not reclaim Ravenna from the Lombards. Additionally, his rule faced external threats, particularly from the Bulgarian khans. Constantine achieved significant victories against these invasions, notably defeating Khan Teletz and later Khan Telerig, which further secured the empire's borders. His reign concluded in 775, as he was preparing for another military engagement. Constantine V is recognized for both his military prowess and the controversies surrounding his iconoclastic policies, which had lasting impacts on Byzantine society.
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Constantine V Copronymus
Principal wars: Ardabasdos’s Revolt, Anatolian War, Teletz’s War, Telerig’s War
Principal battles: Akroinon (740), Modrina (743), Germaniceia (746), Siege of Ravenna (751), Theodosiopolis and Melitene (752), Anchialos (763), Lithosoria (774)
Military significance: An aggressive and innovative warrior, Constantine V Copronymus reclaimed much of Anatolia from the Arabs while also battling the Bulgarians in southeastern Europe.
As a youth, Constantine V Copronymus served alongside his father, Emperor Leo III, when the Byzantines crushed 20,000 Arab marauders at Akroinon in 740. Enthroned in 741, he overcame Ardabasdos’s Revolt at the Battle of Modrina in 743. To guard against other ambitious commanders, Constantine then created the Tagmata, several special regiments of crack cavalry and infantry that served as a permanent standing force of royal guards and raiders. In 746, he launched a series of expeditions into Anatolia to expand Byzantine frontiers against the Muslims. After defeating the Muslims at Germaniceia (746) in northern Syria and later at the Armenian forts of Theodosiopolis and Melitene (752), the emperor secured a truce from the ʿAbbāsid caliph. However, Constantine failed to rescue Ravenna from the Lombards in 751, thereby sacrificing Byzantine influence over northern and central Italy.
In 762, Khan Teletz of Bulgaria threatened to invade Byzantium. Constantine responded with a combined overland thrust and a seaborne landing on Bulgaria’s north coast. The emperor crushed the khan near Anchialos, and Bulgaria fell into chaos. Twelve years later, Khan Telerig attempted a second assault with 12,000 men, only to be overwhelmed by Constantine at Lithosoria. In 775, Constantine died preparing a punitive strike against Khan Telerig.
Bibliography
Norwich, John Julius. Byzantium: The Early Centuries. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1988.
Treadgold, Warren. The Byzantine Revival, 780-840. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1988.
Whittow, Mark. The Making of Byzantium, 600-1025. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996.