Emperor Constantine BYZANTIUM, VII

   Other names for Constantine were GREEK EMPIRE Emperor, EASTERN EMPIRE Emperor, BYZANTINE EMPIRE Emperor, Flavius, Konstantinos and "Porphyrogenitus".

   Ancestral File Number: GG57-NC. User ID: 2420447852.

   General Notes:

"Porphyrogenitus", Emperor BYZANTINE EMPIRE Reigned 911/913-958/959,
Emperor GREEK EMPIRE, Emperor of EASTERN EMPIRE.

BOOKS
Barber Grandparents: 125 Kings, 143 Generations, Ted Butler Bernard and Gertrude Barber Bernard, 1978, McKinney TX, p79: "317M Constantine VII, Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, (S of 307, F of 332); crowned as a minor in 911, but kept from exercising power by ambitious persons until 945; married Helena, daughter of Romanus I; died in 959."

Wall Chart of World History, Edward Hull, 1988, Studio Editions, Greek Eastern Empire 976: "Constantine VII, Emperor of the GREEK or EASTERN EMPIRE 911-919 and 945(Restored)-959, Genoa lost 950..."

The New Columbia Encyclopedia, 1975, p634, Constantine VII: "`Porphyrogenitus,' Born 905, Died 959, Byzantine Emperor (913-959). He acceded after the brief reign of his uncle Alexander, who succeeded Constantine's father, Leo VI. A regency (913-920) was followed by the rule (920-944) of the usurper Romanus I and began his personal rule. His main interests lay in legal reforms, in the fair redistribution of land among the peasants, and in the encouragement ofart and learning. He was succeeded by his son, Romanus II. See study by Arnold Toynbee (1973)."

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1981, Micropaedia, Vol III, p102, Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus: "Sometimes seen as Constantine VII Flavius Porphyrogenitus, Born 905, Constantinople, Died 959, Byzantine Emperor from 913 to 959. His writings are one of the best sources of factual information of the Byzantine Empire and neighbouring areas.
"The son of the Emperor Leo VI, Constantine succeeded to the throne of his uncle, Alexander, at age seven. By 920 the effective power had passed to Constantine's father-in-law, Adm Romanus Lecapenus, who had himself crowned co-emperor. Meanwhile, Constantine was developing his scholarly interests; he worked full-time at his studies and writings until he was almost 40. He `De administrando imperio' has provided historians with a wealth of information about Slavic and Turkic peoples, and the `De ceremoniis aulae Byzantinae,' his longest book, described the elaborate ceremonies that made the Byzantine emperors hieratic symbols of the state. Constantine did not assume control of the government until 945, when he banished Romanus' powerful sons. As sole ruler he followed the policies that had been instituted by Romanus."

Macropaedia, Vol V, p74, Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus: "Neither a great ruler nor an imaginative writer, but an unusually erudite, industrious, and well-meaning man, Emperor Constantine VII is regarded not only as one of the best sources of factual information of the Byzantine Empire and its neighbours but also as a typical exponent of the Byzantine upper class mentality, its ideals and its foibles. His fame rests mainly on the bookshe wrote and on those he ordered to be written. For the spectacular recovery of the empire in his time form its previous weakness he is generally given no credit, on the ground that he was immersed in his studies while others took care of war and administration...
"Constantine's surname, Porphyrogenitus (ie, born in the Purple Chamber of the Imperial Palace in Constantinople, as befitted legitimate children of reigning emperors), pointedly answers the doubts expressed about thelegitimacy of his birth in 905, which slowed down his career and contributed to his shyness...In 911 he was proclaimed co-emperor. But, on the death of his father in 912, the succession fell to his uncle Alexander, whose death the next year cleared the way for seven-year-old Constantine. The Patriarch Nicholas became regent...It was only after several years that a combination of dipolmacy and successful defense of Constantinople succeeded in inducing the poserful Tsar Symeon to settle for recognition as emperor of the Bulgarians only. The strategist of this success, Adm Romanus Lecapenus, rewarded himself by having Constantine marry his daughter (919) and crown him co-emperor (920). Gradually Constantine was made to play second fiddle not only to Lecapenus but to his sons as well.
"It is not surprising that the young emperor slipped into a pattern of noninvolvement in government. His mother had been relegated to a convent. His father-in-law relieved him ofthe burdensome tasks of politics and war and shouldered them masterfully but treated him with deference and left him a full share of the prestige and income belonging to the crown. From his father, Constantine had apparently inherited a passionfor learning and writing; he worked full-time at it until he was almost 40, when he became sole emperor. Nor did he change tastes thereafter. `De thematibus,' probably his earliest book, is mainly a compilation of older sources on the originsand development of the provinces of the empire. An apologetic biography of his grandfather Basil I, which he appended to an anonymous chronicle known as `Theophanes Continuatus,' stressed the glory of the founder of his dynasty. `De administrando imperio,' a handbook of foreign politics, is perhaps his most valuable work, a storehouse of information on Slavic and Turkic peoples about whom little else is known except through archaeology.
"Yet, the longest book and the one that tells the most about the Byzantine mentality (and most particularly the mind of the writer) is `De ceremoniis aulae Byzantinae,' basically a minute description of the elaborate ceremonial and processions that made the emperor a hieratic symbol ofthe state and strove to impress foreigners with his grandeur...A monument to Byzantine patriotism, the book bears traces of the spoken vernacular that crept into the stilted Greek of more academic writers. The more voluminous, encyclopaedic works compiled under Constantine's directions are not worth describing, but he exhibited notable zeal in recruiting teachers and students for the `university' if Constantinople, inviting them to court and preferring them for public offices... "Late in 944 the sons of Romanus Lecapenus, impatient to succeed their father, had him deported; but the populace of the capital, fearing only that the Porphyrogenitus emperor might be included in the purge accompanying the seizure of power,rioted until Constantine appeared at a window of the palace. This show of loyality emboldened him to banish Romanus' sons Jan 945; he then ruled alone until his death in 959...he took no further reprisals, except for an incidental remark, in `De ceremoniis,' that Romanus Lecapenus was neither an aristocrat nor a cultured man. That he did not depart form the Admiral's basic policy- at home, maintaining a delicate balance among civil and military officers, landed aristocrats, and peasant sodiers; abroad, friendship with the Russians, peace with the Bulgarians, a limited commitment in Italy, and a resolute offensive against the Muslims- may be ascribed to statesmanship as well as to timidity. The policy continued to be effective. Constantine's gently personal touch is apparent in his warm relations with his wife and children, his love for court deremonial and spectacles, and his disarming kindness."

The Story of Civilization, Will Durant, Vol IV, The Age of Faith,Bk IV, The Dark Ages, Ch XVIII, The Byzantine World, Sec III, p429: "...Constantine VII (912-958) was called Porphyrogenitus- `born in the purple'- ie in the porphyry- lined apartment reserved for the use of expecting empresses. He inherited his father's literary tastes, not his administrative capacity. He composed for his son two books of the art of government: on the the `themes' or provinces of the Empire, and a `Book of Ceremonies' describing the ritual and etiquette required of the emperor. He supervised the compilation of works on agriculture, medicine, veterinary medicine, and zoology, and formed an `historians history of the world' by selecting extracts from historians and chroniclers. Under his patronage Byzantine literature flourished in its polished and anemic way."

ANCESTRAL FILE
Ancestral File Ver 4.13 GG57-NC Konstantinos VII Emperor BYZANTINE EMPIRE Born Abt 906 Constantinople Constantinople Turkey Mar 27 Apr 919 Died 9 Nov 959.

   Marriage Information:

Constantine married Empress Eleni Lecapenus BYZANTIUM, daughter of Emperor Romanus Lecapenus BYZANTIUM, I and Empress Theodora BYZANTINE EMPIRE, on 27 Apr 919 in Constantinople, Byzantium, Turkey. (Empress Eleni Lecapenus BYZANTIUM was born about 906 in Constantinople, Byzantium, Turkey and died on 19 Sep 961.)