Constantine IV

Constantine IV on a contemporary coin
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Constantine IV on a contemporary coin

Constantine IV (649-685) was Byzantine emperor from 668-685. He had been named a co-emperor with his father Constans II in 654, and became emperor when Constans was assassinated in 668.


Missing image
Solidus-Constantine_IV-sb1151.jpg
On the reverse of this solidus (coin) by Constantine, his broters, Heraclius and Tiberius, who are referred to as Augusti. This means that the coin was minted before 683, when the two of them were mutilatedf so they would be inelegible to rule.

The most immediate threat to the empire under his reign were the Arabs, who sent a fleet to attack Constantinople by sea in 674. While Constantine was diverted by this, the Slavs attacked Thessalonika.

Constantinople survived the Arab siege until 678, when the Byzantines employed Greek fire against the Arab fleet at the Battle of Syllaeum. This was one of the first times Greek fire was used in combat. The Arabs withdrew, and were almost simultaneously defeated on land in Anatolia.

In 680 Constantine called the Sixth Ecumenical Council (also known as the Third Council of Constantinople), reaffirming the doctrines of the Council of Chalcedon in 451. This solved the controversy over monothelitism; conveniently for the empire, most monothelites were now under the control of the Arab caliphate.

In 681, Constantine was forced to acknowledge the new Bulgarian Empire in the Balkans after having suffered a disastrous defeat in 680.

He also had his brothers Heraclius and Tiberius mutilated so they would be ineligible to rule (684). This ensured the succession of Justinian II when Constantine died of dysentery in 685.



Preceded by:
Constans II
Byzantine Emperor
Succeeded by:
Justinian II

Template:End boxde:Konstantin IV. (Byzanz) it:Costantino IV di Bisanzio he:קונסטנטינוס הרביעי nl:Constantijn IV van Byzantium ja:コンスタンティノス4世 pl:Konstantyn IV Pogonatos fi:Konstantin IV

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