Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (born May 17, 905 – died November 9, 959) was an important Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty. He ruled from 913 to 959. Constantine was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Karbonopsina.

For most of his reign, other people ruled for him. First, his mother was in charge from 913 to 919. Then, from 920 to 945, he shared the throne with Romanos Lekapenos. Romanos's daughter, Helena Lekapene, became Constantine's wife.

Constantine VII is famous for his love of learning and writing. He wrote or had others write several important books. These included Geoponika, a book about farming, and De Administrando Imperio, which gave advice on how to run the empire. He also wrote De Ceremoniis, about court ceremonies, and De Thematibus, about the empire's regions.

His nickname, Porphyrogenitus, means "born in the purple." This refers to the special Purple Room in the imperial palace where emperors' children were born. This showed that they were legitimate heirs to the throne. Constantine was born in this room, even though his parents were not officially married at the time. This nickname helped show his right to be emperor.

Life as a Young Emperor
- Early Years and Regents
- Constantine Rules Alone
Constantine's Writings and Learning
Family Life
Legacy
Coins from his Reign
Images for kids
See also

Life as a Young Emperor

Early Years and Regents

Constantine was born in Constantinople on May 17, 905. He became emperor when he was only two years old, on May 15, 908. His father and uncle helped him become emperor.

When his uncle, Emperor Alexander, was dying in 913, he set up a group of seven people to rule for young Constantine. This group was led by Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos.

Patriarch Nicholas had to make a peace deal with Tsar Simeon of Bulgaria. He even had to recognize Simeon as the Bulgarian emperor. Many people did not like this decision. Because of this, Constantine's mother, Zoe Karbonopsina, took over as the main ruler. However, she also struggled against the Bulgarians.

In 919, Romanos Lekapenos, a powerful admiral, became the new regent. He married his daughter, Helena Lekapene, to Constantine. Romanos slowly gained more power. By 920, he became a co-emperor, meaning he ruled alongside Constantine. This made Constantine less important for many years.

Constantine had a difficult childhood. He was not very outgoing and was often overshadowed by Romanos I's older son, Christopher. But Constantine was very smart and loved to learn. He spent his younger years studying about the court and its traditions.

Constantine Rules Alone

A drawing of Constantine VII from a 15th-century book.

Romanos Lekapenos ruled until December 944. Then, his own sons, Stephen and Constantine, removed him from power. With the help of his wife, Helena, Constantine VII was able to remove his brothers-in-law. On January 27, 945, Constantine VII finally became the sole emperor. He was 39 years old.

A few months later, on April 6, Constantine VII made his own son, Romanos II, a co-emperor. Since Constantine had not been in charge of the empire's daily work for so long, he let skilled officials and generals handle many tasks. His energetic wife, Helena, also helped a lot.

In 947, Emperor Constantine VII made an important decision. He ordered that all farmland taken from peasants must be given back to them. This helped the peasants, who were very important for the empire's economy and military strength. By the end of his rule, peasants were in a much better situation than before.

Constantine also tried to take back the island of Crete from Arab pirates in 949. He sent a large fleet of 100 ships, but this attempt was not successful.

On the eastern border, the empire had more success. The Byzantines won battles and took back some land. In 958, General Nikephoros Phokas captured a city called Adata in northern Syria. The next year, another general, John Tzimiskes, captured Samosata. The Byzantine navy also used Greek fire to destroy an Arab fleet in 957.

Constantine was also good at diplomacy. He had relationships with leaders from other countries, like the caliph of Cordoba and Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor. In 957, Olga of Kiev, a powerful ruler from the Kievan Rus', visited Constantine. She was baptized as a Christian during her visit and wanted to bring Christianity to her people.

Constantine VII died in Constantinople on November 9, 959. His son, Romanos II, became the next emperor.

Constantine's Writings and Learning

A gardening calendar from the Geoponika book.

Constantine VII was known as a great writer and scholar. He surrounded himself with educated people at his court. He either wrote himself or ordered the creation of several important books:

Geoponika: This book was about farming and agriculture. It collected information from older Greek and Punic texts that are now lost.
De Ceremoniis: This book described the many different ceremonies held at the imperial court.
De Administrando Imperio: This book gave advice on how to manage the empire and how to deal with its enemies. It was written for his son, Romanos.
Excerpta Historica: This was a collection of writings from ancient historians. Many of the original works are now lost, so Constantine's collection is very valuable.

He also wrote a history that praised his grandfather, Basil I, called Vita Basilii. These books are very helpful for historians today. They give us a lot of information about the Byzantine Empire and the countries around it. They also show us a lot about Emperor Constantine himself.

Historian John Julius Norwich called Constantine VII "The Scholar Emperor." He described Constantine as someone who loved to collect books and art. He was also a good painter. Constantine was very generous to writers, scholars, artists, and craftspeople. He was also a good emperor who worked hard and chose skilled people for important jobs in the military, government, and church. He helped improve education and cared a lot about fairness and justice.

Family Life

Constantine VII and his wife, Helena Lekapene, had several children:

Leo (born around 939), who died young.
Romanos II (939–963), who became emperor after his father.
Zoe, who became a nun.
Theodora, who later married Emperor John I Tzimiskes.
Agatha, who became a nun.
Theophano, who became a nun.
Anna, who became a nun.

Legacy

Constantine VII is still remembered in the Eastern Orthodox Church. A special day on August 16 (Julian calendar) celebrates the transfer of the Holy Mandylion, which happened during his reign.