Constantine VI
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Constantine VI, sometimes called the Blind, was Byzantine emperor from 780 to 797. The only child of Emperor Leo IV, Constantine was named co-emperor with him at the age of five in 776 and succeeded h
Leo III, Constantine V and Leo IV (left), with Constantine VI and Irene (right)
Depiction of the Second Council of Nicaea from the Menologion of Basil II, c. 1000
The 2nd Council of Nicaea depicted in a Bulgarian miniature of the 12th century Manasses Chronicle
Mutilation was a common method of punishment for criminals in the Byzantine Empire, but it also had a role in the empire's political life. By blinding a rival, one would not only restrict his mobility
Constantine VI
…left, especially in the church establishment, which Irene took care to vocally support against her own son. On 19 August 797, Constantine was captured, blinded, and imprisoned by the supporters of his mother, who had organized a conspiracy, leaving Irene to be crowned as first Empress regnant of Constantinople…
Depiction of the blinding of Leo Phokas the Elder after his unsuccessful rebellion against Romanos Lekapenos, from the Madrid Skylitzes chronicle