795 Constantine divorces his wife Maria and marries Theodota.
796 Third Bulgarian campaign of Constantine.
797 Irene, taking advantage of Constantine’s unpopularity on account of his treatment of Maria, imprisons him and has his eyes put out. She now reigns alone. Conspiracy to place one of Constantine V’s sons on the throne.
798 Peace made with the Mohammedans.
800 Revival of the western division of the empire by the coronation of Charlemagne. There are now two distinct empires.
802 Conspiracy against and deposition of Irene. Nicephorus I, the treasurer, chosen emperor. He maintains political order but is a hard fiscal oppressor.
803 Death of Irene in exile. Bardanes, the general, proclaims himself emperor, but receiving no support, negotiates for his own pardon. Treaty with Charlemagne, regulating confines of the two empires.
806 Humiliating peace with Harun-ar-Rashid.
808 Unsuccessful attempt of Arsaber to obtain throne.
809 Death of Harun-ar-Rashid reopens the struggle with the Mohammedans.
810 Treaty of peace with Charlemagne, who unsuccessfully tries to make the Venetians and their allies tributary to him.
811 The emperor at war with the Mohammedans and Bulgarians. Death of Nicephorus in an attack by the Bulgarians. His son Stauracius succeeds. He is unable to hold out against the unpopularity of his father’s fiscal severity. After two months’ reign, a revolution places Michael (I) Rhangabe on the throne. The Mohammedans, owing to civil strife, do not trouble the empire, but the Bulgarians continue their attacks, with such success that
813 Michael is deposed, and the general Leo (V) the Armenian is saluted as emperor. Michael retires to a monastery. The Bulgarians approach the walls of Constantinople.
814 Annihilation of the Bulgarian army by Leo, at Mesembria. Thirty years’ truce concluded. Leo pursues a variable policy in regard to image-worship.
820 Leo assassinated in a conspiracy in favour of Michael (II) the Stammerer, who takes the throne.
THE AMORIAN DYNASTY (820-867 A.D.)
821 Rebellion of Thomas, a claimant of the throne. He is crowned at Antioch, and lays siege to Constantinople.
822 The Bulgarians, taking advantage of civil discord, invade the empire. Thomas delivered up to Michael, and hanged.
823 The Mohammedans capture Crete.
827 Mohammedan conquest of Sicily begun. It is not completed until 878.
829 Theophilus succeeds his father. He is a zealous iconoclast.
831 A Mohammedan invasion of long duration begins.
832 Brilliant victory of Theophilus in Charsiana. The Mohammedans capture Heraclea.
836 Theophilus destroys Zapetra.
838 Mohammedan victory at Dasymon. Amorium is captured.
842 Death of Theophilus, due to chagrin at Mohammedan successes. His son Michael (III) Porphyrogenitus, or the Drunkard, succeeds at the age of four, with his mother Theodora as regent. Image-worship restored at Council of Constantinople. End of the Iconoclastic controversy. Slavonic insurrection in the Peloponnesus suppressed. Failure of an attempt to conquer the Abasges, and to recover Crete. War with the Mohammedans continues.
845 Truce with the Mohammedans.
847 Conversion of the Khazars to Christianity. The Bulgarians follow their example a few years later.
848 Revolt of the Paulicians, who join the Arabs.
854 Theodora retires to private life.
856 Bardas, her brother, becomes cæsar. Photius elected patriarch in place of the deposed Ignatius.
858 A great war with the Arabs begins. Omar lays Pontus waste. Successful campaign of Leo, the commander-in-chief, who is finally captured by the Mohammedans.
860 Michael badly defeated near Melitene.
862 Omar invades Cappadocia, Pontus, and Cilicia.
863 Battle of Amasia. Great victory of Petronas, the emperor’s uncle. Death of Omar. The end of trouble with the Mohammedans for some years.
865 First appearance of the Russians in the empire. They attack Constantinople, but are driven off.
866 Michael kills Bardas with the aid of Basil the Macedonian, who becomes cæsar.
867 Assassination of Michael at the instigation of Basil, who takes the throne. Basil removes Photius and restores Ignatius.
THE BASILIAN DYNASTY (867-1057 A.D.)
871 The Paulicians attacked and reduced to obedience.
872 Basil takes the field against the Mohammedans.
875-876 Victories of Basil in Cilicia.
877 Death of Ignatius. Photius regains the patriarchate.
881 Basil plans to drive the Mohammedans out of Sicily and Italy. Cyprus recovered and held for eleven years.
885 Nicephorus Phocas expels the Mohammedans from Italy. They still hold Sicily. Accusation against Leo, the emperor’s son, by Santabaren, in which the former narrowly escapes death.
886 Death of Basil, who is wounded while hunting. His son, Leo (VI) the Philosopher, succeeds. He has Santabaren’s eyes put out, and banishes him. Photius deposed.
887-888 Arabs invade Asia Minor, and attempt to regain Italy. They give up the attempt on the latter country in 891.
Stylianus, Leo’s father-in-law and prime minister, by his treatment of Bulgarian merchants, precipitates a war with Bulgaria. This country wins several victories, and
893 Leo makes a treaty of peace.
895 Conspiracy of Samonas against the emperor. Further Arab invasions of Sicily.
904 The Arabs capture Thessalonica with a fleet. The last remains of the senate’s authority destroyed by a constitution of Leo. Second Russian expedition to Constantinople.
911 Mohammedan naval victory off Samos. Death of Leo. His infant son, Constantine (VII) Porphyrogenitus, and his brother Alexander rule together.
912 Death of Alexander. He nominates, before dying, a regency of six members, exclusive of the patriarch, to act during Constantine’s minority. Attempt of Constantine Ducas to gain the throne suppressed by John Eladas, one of the regents. Zoe Carbonopsina, mother of Constantine, admitted to supreme power by the regency.
913-914 Simeon, king of Bulgaria, invades the empire with no positive results.
917 The Patzinaks defeat Leo Phocas at Achelous, which causes Romanus Lecapenus to intrigue for the throne.
919 Constantine marries Romanus’ daughter Helena. Romanus (I) Lecapenus crowned emperor as colleague to Constantine.
920 Christopher, son of Romanus, is raised to the imperial dignity.
921 The war with the Bulgarians assumes serious proportions; further increased
923 by an alliance between King Simeon of Bulgaria and the Mohammedans.
926 A temporary end is put to the troubles with the Bulgarians and Arabs by an interview between Romanus and Simeon.
927 Peter, Simeon’s successor, enters Byzantine territory, demanding war or the hand of the emperor’s granddaughter. Romanus agrees to the latter alternative.
928 Romanus makes his sons, Stephanus and Constantine VIII, associate emperors. There are now five emperors.
931 Death of Christopher.
934-940 Period of complete peace in the empire, except for petty warfare with Lombard princes. Constantine VII plans to regain the sole power.
941 A Russian fleet of ten thousand galleys appears before Constantinople. Romans drive them off with small force.
944 Stephanus and Constantine VIII at instigation of Constantine VII banish their father to Prota. Constantine VII then regains full power, and banishes Stephanus and Constantine VIII likewise to Prota, 945.
During the remainder of Constantine’s reign the war with the Mohammedans is prosecuted with great vigour, especially when Nicephorus Phocas succeeds in assembling a large army. Many conspiracies against Constantine by the deposed emperors.