There are many Byzantine emperors. For a history nerd such as myself, I love how long the Byzantine Empire lasted. There are so many unique stories in the long passages of time; the empire was filled with all sorts of characters and individuals. One of the most interesting is Basil II. He was a great administrator as well as a great conqueror. He brought the Byzantine Empire to heights that were only seen during the reigns of Emperor Heraclius. However, like all things, such successes can only be maintained with a consistency in one’s lineage. Unfortunately, Basil II disliked the company of women, and did not have a heir ready to take the throne. He had reigned for so long yet he was a man that was more isolated by all the years of campaigning. The lack of an heir would prove to be one of the defining legacies of his reign.
When Basil II passed away in December 1025, the throne passed onto his obscure and jovial brother, Constantine VIII. His Wikipedia article claims that his reign was a unmitigated calamity for the Byzantines. Generally speaking, I do not trust Wikipedia all that much when it comes to historical figures like Constantine VIII. The distance of history helps to create all encompassing judgments; I think that the only way in order to really understand Constantine VIII is look at the primary sources.
In a previous blog post, I stated that I stated that Constantine VIII was living in the shadow of greatness. My opinion on this is still relevant. Basil II was the greatest emperor of the Byzantine empire and how does one live up to that reputation. It is not easy and it is understandable that the next emperor would not be able to meet the expectations of the citizens.
By the time that Constantine VIII ascended the throne, he was an elderly man by the standards of the day. He was in his mid-sixties and suffered from gout. If I were him, I would not be entirely be happy that now I had to spend my time governing an empire. Constantine VIII spent most of his time during his brother’s reign devoted to pleasure not to developing skills that would probably help him when the time came for him to take the throne. To be honest, Constantine VIII was a seeker of comforts and I do not blame him. If I was born into the purple in the Great Palace of Constantinople, I would want to keep as many of my privileges as possible. Having another brother who was totally focused on the glory of the empire would make it easy for me to slither into the shadows and enjoy my life without having to think much about politics. Constantine VIII was thrust into this position by Basil II’s complete and total attention to government and waging war.
When Constantine VIII came to the throne, he did all the usual things that emperors did when they began their reigns. He let prisoners go free and made pronouncements of seeking to rule the empire justly. However, his actions speak a different story.
It is not possible to determine whether the negative depictions of Constantine VIII are accurate or not. I for one believe that Constantine VIII got slandered in the years after his reign. The Byzantine Empire was a very competitive state; there were many families and clans that were seeking to out do each other. There were many reasons for why a family would want to slander their rivals while elevating the members of their own dynasty. I generally believe that Constantine VIII was probably a competent administrator but he could not live up to the expectations of his subjects after the glorious reign of his brother. As such, Constantine VIII would not be seen in the same light as Basil II. The blinding of members of rival clans, such as the Komenenoi would leave a bitterness in its wake and cause for him to get an even more negative repuation.
The dismantling of the Allelengon tax was one of those things that showcased how the Emperor was moving in a different direction compared to his brother. According to contemporary historians during this time, this action was more less completed by the emperor’s successor, Romanos III. The tax was one of the most important pieces of legislation in the empire during the reign of Basil II. It was meant to help the peasantry but all it really did was to antagonize the aristocracy. The existence of this tax showed that power was being concentrated in the hands of the emperor not the aristocracy. However, once Basil II had passed away in 1025, this reform was now being attacked by the very powerful Anatolian land owning families. The power of the Emperor began to fade and sycophants took control. Constantine VIII’s reign is beginning of the return to the empire being ruled by bureaucrats and eunuchs.
Constantine VIII, unlike the absolutism that dominated his brother’s thinking, was more keen on ruling by proxy through his eunuchs. He trusted them more than the so-called bearded men with families. Constantine VIII is generally depicted quite negatively with his purges that would dominate his reign. It said that he was blinding the descendants of leading officers from the 970s and 980s in order to safeguard his position on the throne. He was quite an distrustful individual, one was more keen on using eunuchs. His brutality even extended it arms into the church, according to some of the primary sources. He issued a law with the patriarch that excommunicated anyone who had plotting against the throne.
Was Constantine VIII’s paranoia justified? Within the context of his age, it understandable that he would be in this state of thinking. Basil II’s reign was not without its share of revolts and I believe that Constantine VIII would at least pay attention to some of these events. He may have been a man devoted to enjoying life over being productive but I want to believe that he was at least paying attention to some of the political events that were happening in the empire. The Byzantine Empire did not have a well-defined succession system; this meant that anyone who was on the throne was vulnerable to someone deciding to take it for themselves. Considering Constantine VIII was old and probably not all that interested in politics to begin with, it makes sense that he would resort to what was easy, blinding and exiling his enemies. Having little interest in government meant that he would prefer to have the state run by proxy rather than ruling by his own hands.
Constantine VIII’s reign of terror for the aristocracy was quite transitory in comparison to his illustrious brother’s numerous years on the throne. When he fell ill in 1028, time came for him to choose a succesor. Once again, Basil II’s refusal to be involved with women meant that the empire still did not have an heir. Constantine VIII would settle on Romanos III to be heir though the latter would have to be coerced through threat of blinding. Romanos was forced to divorce his own wife, who was then sent to a convent. He married one of Constantine VIII’s daughters, Zoe and was coronated as the next Byzantine emperor.
However, this did not solve the issue that was facing the empire; there was no heir and it would appear that Romanos III’s union with Zoe was unlikely to provide the Byzantines with any flexibility. The issue had simply been kicked down the road for others to deal with. With the benefit of hindsight, Basil II’s refusal to engage in a relationship with a woman was going to prove one of the major issues surrounding the succession in the Byzantine empire.
Was Constantine VIII a bad ruler? My general opinion is that he was a rather mediocre coda to a glorious reign. Basil II had managed to bring the empire to greater heights than what had been seen before. The empire was able to finally expand after centuries of defensive actions. He was a man of the people more than any of the previous emperors or any of those after him. There was something about Basil II that only comes a few times in a generation. Constantine VIII would struggle to be able to meet up to the expectations that follow any person who took to the throne after Basil II. He should have tried to be conciliatory with the aristocracy but not giving up much of the legislation that had been put in place by his brother to strengthen the imperial state. He should have resorted less on blinding enemies and more on trying to get them on his side. It is easier said than done. If I was in control, it would be difficult for me to even keep myself from going crazy with all the power in my hands. I guess that’s the reason why America has three branches in order to prevent one person from having all the power in their hands. Overall, Constantine VIII’s reign was a transition from the emperor-focused state of Basil II to the bureaucratic empire of his successors. This would prove quite disasterous for the empire in the future. It would take the Kommenian dynasty almost an entire century to rebuild the state back up to its former glory under Basil II. Even that success was transitory before the nobles regained power over the state.
Byzantine-Empire.com 