Leo III the Syrian
emperor of Byzantine Empire
b. 675 · d. 18 Jun 741
Leo III the Isaurian, also known as the Syrian, was the first Byzantine emperor of the Isaurian dynasty from 717 until his death in 741. He put an end to the Twenty Years' Anarchy, a period of great instability in the Byzantine Empire between 695 and 717, marked by the rapid succession of several emperors, along with ending the continual defeats and territorial losses the Byzantines had suffered during the 7th century. He successfully defended the Empire against the invading Umayyads and forbade the veneration of icons.
Related people
- Maria, wife of Leo III spouse of · traditional
- Irina parent of · traditional
- Kozma parent of · traditional
- Konstantinos V parent of · traditional
- Anna, wife of Artabasdos parent of · traditional
Places
- Kahramanmaraş birth
- Constantinople death
How we know
Recorded as a historical figure.
What he held
- Images of Christ are idols To depict Christ is either to circumscribe his divinity or to divide his person, and the images set up in churches are idols.
In the disputes
- Iconoclasm Whether Christ may be depicted, argued from Chalcedon by both sides: Hieria held that the two natures cannot be painted, since one cannot be circumscribed and the other cannot be shown alone; Nicaea II answered on the same ground and reached the opposite conclusion.