341:(eventually emperor in 920–944). Although both bore heavy responsibility for the defeats against Bulgaria, they controlled the only readily available military forces near Constantinople. According to the Byzantine chroniclers, in winter 918/919 (or winter 919/920, the date is disputed among scholars), Constantine engaged in machinations to secure the rise of Phokas to the throne. Urged by his tutor Theodore, the young Constantine VII then turned to Lekapenos for support. The latter initially hesitated, but eventually agreed. It is however possible that the story of Constantine's plotting was a later invention by the supporters of Lekapenos, to justify his actions leading to his eventual usurpation of the throne. Although the alliance between Lekapenos and the young emperor became known in the capital, Constantine disregarded it, so that when he ordered the fleet paid up and discharged, he was unconcerned enough to visit the ships in person, whereupon he was duly taken prisoner by Lekapenos' men. When the empress went to the harbour to enquire as to the reasons of her favourite's arrest, Theodore replied that Leo Phokas had ruined the state (through his failed leadership against the Bulgarians) and Constantine was ruining the palace. The bloodless coup was a success: Nicholas Mystikos was re-appointed as regent in place of Zoe, and his first step was to dismiss Leo Phokas from his post as
214:
234:, Samonas presented her with Constantine as a gift. The imperial couple took an immediate liking to Constantine, so much that Samonas began to fear for his own influence and position. As a result, he tried to slander Constantine, claiming that he was having an affair with the empress. Leo initially believed the accusations, and had Constantine banished to the Monastery of St. Tarasios. Samonas himself performed Constantine's
386:. The hagiography reports that Constantine hosted Basil in the palace for several years until his death, giving him use of a portion of it as his residence, which he used to receive visits and perform healing miracles; and that there Basil became acquainted with several senior members of the court, including Emperor Romanos Lekapenos and Empress
246:, supposedly written by Constantine, which insulted the emperor, and arranged for Leo to read it. His machinations, however, were betrayed by one of his fellow conspirators, and Samonas was dismissed, tonsured, and banished to the monastery of Martinakios in summer of 908. Constantine succeeded him as imperial
349:
harbour and forcibly removed the
Patriarch from the palace. Constantine VII was ostensibly installed as sole ruler, but the power now lay with Lekapenos and his followers. Constantine Barbaros himself was allowed to keep his position for a while, but only after swearing fealty and writing letters to
134:
s account is a later attempt to explain his surname. Alternatively it could be a derogatory reference to his rustic roots from
Paphlagonia. He had been castrated by his father at a young age precisely to open up the possibility of a career at court. Constantine had at least one sister, who was
315:, an event which the Patriarch condemned as un-Christian, and for which he ordered Constantine and other leading officials to conduct a penance. At some point during this period (914–918), his sister died, and Nicholas Mystikos wrote him a letter of condolences. In the
238:. Soon, however, Leo began to miss his new favourite. He had him moved to Samonas' own Speira Monastery, and during an "accidental" visit there, pardoned Constantine and took him with him back to the palace. Samonas then resorted to another scheme: with his secretary
310:
to
Constantine (or a subordinate) show his involvement in the financial administration—specifically the exploitation of church property to the benefit of the state treasury—as well as the organization of games with animal fights to celebrate an alliance with the
306:, of plotting to have his brother made emperor. Empress Zoe accordingly dismissed Theophylact. During the remainder of the regency of Zoe, Constantine played apparently a major role in the governance of the state. Two letters by Patriarch
321:, composed by Constantine VII in his later reign, Constantine Barbaros is dismissed as incompetent, and criticized for some of his decisions regarding promotions and appointments.
337:, Zoe's regime was shaken, and the path to the throne was opened to ambitious military leaders: Constantine's brother-in-law Leo Phokas, and the commander of the Imperial Fleet,
239:
144:
350:
his brother-in-law urging him not to rebel against the emperor. This was in vain, as in
October 920 Phokas rose in revolt. The sources report that the
155:
Constantine is first mentioned in the sources as a servant or follower—some modern researchers have called him a slave, but this is unlikely—of the
565:
Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit Online. Berlin-Brandenburgische
Akademie der Wissenschaften. Nach Vorarbeiten F. Winkelmanns erstellt
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in 913–919, where he played an important role in the governance of the state. He lost his post after he supported his relative
629:
584:
298:) in autumn 913. Constantine shortly after accused Theophylact, the newly appointed commander of the imperial bodyguard, the
376:
during the later half of the reign of
Romanos Lekapenos (i.e. between 931 and 944), and was allowed to keep his palace near
127:
reports that it reflected his foreign origin, but his family seems to have been native
Byzantine; it is possible that the
356:
supported his bid for the throne, but this seems unlikely, as he was not punished after the failure of Phokas' uprising.
608:
744:
213:
271:
253:
759:
729:
764:
724:
513:
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345:. As the Patriarch tried to curb the power of Lekapenos, however, on 25 March the admiral seized the
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317:
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Basil, of whom nothing is known. He then entered the service of the powerful imperial chamberlain,
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342:
252:. Leo gifted him with a monastery at Nosiai, which was inaugurated by the emperor and patriarch
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559:
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70:
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until the Leo's death, but was apparently dismissed by Leo's brother and successor
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223:
66:
91:
Constantine was the son of a peasant or landholder named
Metrios, and hailed from
619:
598:
594:
574:
387:
288:
197:
176:
175:. The latter was a eunuch Arab prisoner of war who became a favourite of Emperor
58:
686:
657:
600:
The
Emperor Romanus Lecapenus and His Reign: A Study of Tenth-Century Byzantium
576:
The
Perfect Servant: Eunuchs and the Social Construction of Gender in Byzantium
281:), because the sources report that Empress Zoe recalled him to the position of
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In the same year, in a bid to ingratiate himself with Leo's fourth wife,
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at the Monastery of St. Tarasios at Samonas' orders. Miniature from the
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over control of the throne, but he was later appointed to the post of
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259:
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45:
35:
243:
649:
235:
218:
172:
62:
522:, Konstantinos Barbaros (#23820); Romanos I. Lakapenos (#26833).
489:
390:. Constantine was still alive when Basil died in 944 (or 952).
194:, the highest court rank open to a eunuch, and the position of
48:
324:
39:
202:. By 907 Samonas had been awarded the supreme court post of
562:; Ludwig, Claudia; Pratsch, Thomas; Zielke, Beate (2013).
477:
150:
537:
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453:
380:, built for him at imperial expense during his tenure as
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579:. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press.
381:
369:
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299:
287:when she assumed the regency over her underage son
282:
265:
247:
203:
195:
187:
164:
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96:
621:The Reign of Leo VI (886–912): Politics and People
329:Following the series of military disasters in the
260:Dismissal and restoration under Empress-regent Zoe
716:
65:. He held again the post during the regency of
61:in 911–912, displacing his own former master,
139:, and was a relative of the eunuch officials
57:(head chamberlain) of the Byzantine emperor
568:(in German). Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter.
325:Rivalry with Romanos Lekapenos and downfall
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603:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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572:
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151:Service under Samonas and rise to power
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368:, Constantine retained the rank of
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14:
776:
435:, Konstantinos Barbaros (#23820).
73:in his unsuccessful rivalry with
558:
519:
432:
293:
276:
181:
120:, but it is not clear why. The
1:
735:10th-century Byzantine people
573:Ringrose, Kathryn M. (2003).
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7:
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51:servant who rose to become
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654:
646:
641:
366:Life of Basil the Younger
264:Constantine remained the
186:), rising to the rank of
86:
27:
498:, p. 201 (note 41).
318:De Administrando Imperio
16:Byzantine eunuch servant
745:Byzantine Paphlagonians
618:Tougher, Shaun (1997).
343:Domestic of the Schools
240:Constantine the Rhodian
135:married to the general
227:
560:Lilie, Ralph-Johannes
216:
486:, pp. 198, 201.
141:Constantine Gongyles
137:Leo Phokas the Elder
71:Leo Phokas the Elder
760:10th-century slaves
730:10th-century deaths
474:, pp. 200–201.
462:, pp. 197–198.
145:Anastasios Gongyles
75:Romanos I Lekapenos
765:9th-century slaves
725:9th-century births
703:Title next held by
228:
95:. He was surnamed
740:Byzantine eunuchs
713:
712:
692:Byzantine emperor
670:Succeeded by
663:Byzantine emperor
631:978-9-00-410811-0
624:. Leiden: Brill.
586:978-0-226-72015-9
546:, pp. 60–61.
534:, pp. 58–60.
510:, pp. 56–57.
364:According to the
339:Romanos Lekapenos
308:Nicholas Mystikos
124:Basil the Younger
772:
678:Preceded by
647:Preceded by
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224:Madrid Skylitzes
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67:Zoe Karbonopsina
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177:Leo VI the Wise
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59:Leo VI the Wise
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296: 913–959
284:parakoimomenos
279: 912–913
267:parakoimomenos
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249:parakoimomenos
242:he produced a
206:parakoimomenos
184: 886–912
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83:by Lekapenos.
54:parakoimomenos
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30:), surnamed
28:Κωνσταντῖνος
19:
18:
372:primikerios
331:ongoing war
256:in person.
93:Paphlagonia
80:primikerios
20:Constantine
719:Categories
707:Theophanes
394:References
378:Arcadianae
360:Later life
167:kanikleios
41:ὁ βάρβαρος
597:(1988) .
347:Boukoleon
313:Pechenegs
302:Hetaireia
272:Alexander
254:Euthymius
190:patrikios
159:magistros
114:barbarian
46:Byzantine
44:), was a
36:barbarian
755:Patricii
696:913–919
680:Barbatos
672:Barbatos
667:908–912
335:Bulgaria
333:against
244:pamphlet
219:tonsured
122:Life of
98:Barbaros
32:Barbaros
700:Unknown
690:of the
661:of the
650:Samonas
553:Sources
236:tonsure
173:Samonas
106:
63:Samonas
628:
607:
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87:Origin
49:eunuch
34:("the
132:'
24:Greek
626:ISBN
605:ISBN
581:ISBN
520:PmbZ
433:PmbZ
163:and
143:and
129:Life
112:the
103:lit.
38:",
721::
440:^
401:^
294:r.
277:r.
210:.
182:r.
147:.
101:,
26::
634:.
613:.
589:.
291:(
274:(
179:(
118:'
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22:(
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