Michael II facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Michael II |
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| Emperor of the Romans | |
Michael II, from the Madrid Skylitzes
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| Byzantine emperor | |
| Reign | 25 December 820 – 2 October 829 |
| Coronation | 25 December 820 |
| Predecessor | Leo V |
| Successor | Theophilos |
| Born | 770 Amorium, Phrygia (now Hisarköy, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey) |
| Died | 2 October 829 (aged 59) |
| Consort | Thekla Euphrosyne |
| Issue | Theophilos |
| Dynasty | Amorian dynasty |
Michael II (born 770, died October 2, 829) was a Byzantine Emperor who ruled from 820 to 829. He was the first ruler of the Amorian dynasty. People called him "the Amorian" because he was from Amorium. He was also known as "the Stammerer" because of how he spoke.
Michael II started as a soldier and became very important, working alongside Leo V the Armenian. He helped Leo become emperor. But later, Leo tried to have Michael killed. Michael then planned a secret plot. This led to Leo being assassinated on Christmas Day in 820. Michael quickly became the new emperor.
His rule faced a big challenge from a long rebellion led by Thomas the Slav. This revolt almost made Michael lose his throne. It took until 824 to fully stop it. Later in his reign, the Byzantine Empire faced two major problems. Muslims began to conquer Sicily, and they also took control of the island of Crete. Inside the empire, Michael supported the return of iconoclasm. This was a belief that religious images (icons) should not be used or worshipped.
Early Life and Rise to Power
Michael was born in 770 in a place called Amorium in Phrygia. His family were professional peasant-soldiers. They received land from the government for their military service. Some sources say his family was part of a group called Athinganoi. This group had adopted some Jewish beliefs and practices. The Athinganoi were common in areas like Anatolia and the Balkans. They, along with Serbs and Armenians, were a strong part of the Byzantine army back then.
Michael first became well-known as a close helper (called a spatharios) to a general named Bardanes Tourkos. His future rivals, Leo V the Armenian and Thomas the Slav, were also with Bardanes. Michael married Bardanes' daughter, Thekla. Leo married another daughter.
Michael and Leo left Bardanes after he rebelled against Emperor Nikephoros I in 803. For their loyalty, they were given higher military jobs. Michael was made the Emperor's Count of the Tent. Michael played a key role in helping Leo overthrow Michael I Rangabe in 813. This happened after Rangabe lost many battles against the Bulgarians. Under Leo V, Michael was put in charge of a special army unit called the tagma of the Excubitors.
However, Michael became unhappy with Leo V. This was especially true when the Emperor divorced Michael's sister-in-law. On Christmas Eve in 820, Leo V accused Michael of planning against him. He put Michael in jail and sentenced him to death. But Leo delayed the execution until after Christmas. Michael sent messages to his friends, threatening to tell on them if they didn't act. So, his supporters freed him and killed Leo V during Christmas mass in the palace chapel.
Becoming Emperor and His Reign
Michael was immediately declared Emperor, even though he still had prison chains on his legs. Later that same day, he was crowned by the patriarch Theodotus I of Constantinople. In his rule, Michael II supported iconoclasm. This meant he was against the use of religious images. But he also quietly tried to make peace with those who supported icons. He generally stopped persecuting them and allowed them to return from exile.
Michael becoming emperor made his former friend, Thomas the Slav, want to be emperor too. Thomas declared himself a rival emperor in Anatolia. He successfully moved his forces into Thrace, and by December 821, he was surrounding the capital city. Thomas didn't get support from all parts of Anatolia, but he did get the navy to join him. This helped him tighten his hold on Constantinople. To gain more support, Thomas said he was a champion of the poor. He lowered taxes and made an alliance with Al-Ma'mun of the Abbasid Caliphate. He even had himself crowned Emperor by the Patriarch of Antioch.
With help from Omurtag of Bulgaria, Michael II forced Thomas to stop his siege of Constantinople in the spring of 823. Michael then surrounded Thomas in Arcadiopolis and forced him to surrender in October.
Michael inherited an army that was not very strong. He could not stop 10,000 Arabs from conquering Crete in 824. They had 40 ships. He also failed to get the island back with an expedition in 826. In 827, Arabs also invaded Sicily. They took advantage of local fights and surrounded the city of Syracuse.
Michael and his first wife, Thekla, had one known son, who became Emperor Theophilos (born 813, died 842). There might have been a daughter named Helena, but sources disagree. Helena is known as the wife of Theophobos, a noble who was executed in 842 for trying to become emperor.
After Thekla died around 823, Michael II married Euphrosyne. She was a daughter of Constantine VI. This marriage was probably meant to make Michael's position as Emperor stronger. However, some church leaders were against it because Euphrosyne had previously been a nun. Michael II died on October 2, 829, from kidney failure.
Because of his background and his support for iconoclasm, Michael II was not very popular with some church leaders. They often described him as an uneducated peasant. However, Michael II was a skilled leader and manager. Even though the civil war at the start of his rule weakened the government, he began to make the Byzantine military strong again by the end of his reign. The government and military system that Michael II built helped the Empire. Under his grandson Michael III, the Empire became stronger in its fights with the Abbasids. Michael II's direct family, the Amorian dynasty, and then the Macedonian dynasty, ruled the Empire for over 200 years. This period started a time of great cultural growth called the Byzantine Renaissance.
See also
In Spanish: Miguel II para niños
