Konstantinos V

Also known as Constantinus V

emperor of Byzantium

AI overview

Konstantinos V was an emperor who ruled the Byzantine Empire, the continuation of the Roman Empire in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East during the medieval period. He is historically significant as a major political and military leader of his time who shaped the development of one of history's most important civilizations.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Gender: male
Citizenship: Byzantine Empire
Place of birth: Constantinople
Spouse: Eudokia, wife of Constantine V
Father: Leo III the Syrian
Mother: Maria, wife of Leo III
Sibling: Anna, wife of Artabasdos
Occupation: sovereign
Position held: Byzantine emperor
Languages spoken: Ancient Greek
Family: Isaurian dynasty
Image: Solidus-Leo III and Constantine V-sb1504.jpg

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time period: Byzantine Empire
Commons category: Konstantinos V
date of death: 0775-09-14
date of birth: 0718-00-00
described by source: Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
name in native language: Κωνσταντῖνος Ε΄

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Encyclopedic overview

Constantine V (Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος, romanized: Kōnstantīnos; July 718 – 14 September 775) was Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775. His reign saw a consolidation of Byzantine security from external threats. As an able military leader, Constantine took advantage of civil war in the Muslim world to make limited offensives on the Arab frontier. With this eastern frontier secure, he undertook repeated campaigns against the Bulgars in the Balkans. His military activity, and policy of settling Christian populations from the Arab frontier in Thrace, made Byzantium's hold on its Balkan territories more secure. He was also responsible for important military and administrative innovations and reforms.

Religious strife and controversy was a prominent feature of his reign. His fervent support of iconoclasm and opposition to monasticism led to his vilification by some contemporary commentators and the majority of later Byzantine writers, who denigrated him with the nicknames "Dung-Named" (Ancient Greek: Κοπρώνυμος, romanized: Koprónymos), because he allegedly defaecated during his baptism, similarly "Anointed with Urine" (Ancient Greek: Οὐραλύφιος, romanized: Ouralýphios), and "the Equestrian" (Ancient Greek: Καβαλλίνος, romanized: Kaballinos), referencing the excrement of horses.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Konstantinos V” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.