Artabasdos or Artavasdos ( or , from , , ), Latinized as Artabasdus, was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

general of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

descent who seized the throne from June 741 until November 743, in usurpation of the reign of

Constantine V Constantine V (; 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 Third Fitna, civil war ...

Rise to power

In about 713, Emperor Anastasius II appointed Artabasdos as governor ( ''stratēgos'') of the Armeniac Theme (Θέμα Άρμενιάκων, ''Thema Armeniakōn''), the successor of the Army of Armenia, which occupied the old areas of the Pontus, Armenia Minor, and northern Cappadocia, with its capital at Amasea. After Anastasius' fall, Artabasdos made an agreement with his colleague Leo, the governor of the Anatolic Theme, to overthrow the new Emperor Theodosius III. This agreement was sealed with the engagement of Leo's daughter Anna to Artabasdos, and the marriage took place after Leo III ascended the throne in March 717. Artabasdos was awarded the rank of '' kouropalates'' ("master of the palace") and became commander (count, ''komēs'') of the Opsikion Theme, while retaining control of his original command. In June 741, after the accession of Leo's son

to the throne, Artabasdos resolved to seize the throne and attacked his brother-in-law while the latter was traversing

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

to fight the

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

s on the eastern frontier. While Constantine fled to Amorion, Artabasdus seized

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

amid popular support and was crowned emperor in the summer of 742. "The previously accepted date of June 742 for the beginning of the revolt of Artavasdus is almost certainly wrong."

Reign and downfall

While according to Theophanes the Confessor and Patriarch Nikephoros I of Constantinople, Artabasdos abandoned his predecessor's religious policy of

iconoclasm Iconoclasm ()From . ''Iconoclasm'' may also be considered as a back-formation from ''iconoclast'' (Greek: εἰκοκλάστης). The corresponding Greek word for iconoclasm is εἰκονοκλασία, ''eikonoklasia''. is the social belie ...

and authorised the cult of images with some support, there is actually little support from contemporary sources. Soon after his accession, Artabasdus crowned his wife Anna as '' augusta'' and his son Nikephoros as co-emperor, while putting his other son Niketas in charge of the Armeniac Theme. Artabasdos was supported by the themes of Opsikion and

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

along with the Armeniacs, while Constantine was supported by the fleet of the Cibyrrhaeot Theme and the armies of the Anatolic and Thracesian themes. The inevitable clash came in May 743, when Artabasdos led the offensive against Constantine but was defeated. Later the same year Constantine defeated Niketas, and on 2 November 744, Artabasdus' reign came to an end as Constantine V entered Constantinople. Artabasdos, accompanied by his close associate Baktangios fled to the castle of Pouzanes in Opsikion (

), where they were apprehended and brought to Constantinople. Artabasdos and his sons were publicly blinded and relegated to the

Chora Monastery The Chora Church or Kariye Mosque () is a Byzantine church, now converted to a mosque (for the second time), in the Edirnekapı neighborhood of Fatih district, Istanbul, Turkey. It is famous for its outstanding Late Byzantine mosaics and fr ...

on the outskirts of Constantinople.

Family

By his wife Anna, the daughter of Emperor Leo III, Artabasdos had nine children, including: * Nikephoros, made co-emperor by his father. * Niketas, who was ''strategos'' of the Armeniac theme

Bibliography

;Notes ;References * * * * - Total pages: 226 *

Rise to power

Reign and downfall

Family

See also

Bibliography

Further reading