The Byzantine Emperors Who Abandoned Everything to Become Monks

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The Basilica of Saint Praxedes (Santa Prassede)

Imagine being a Byzantine Emperor, having implicit power, enjoying Constantinople’s astir beauteous treasures, armies astatine your fingertips and each of a sudden, deciding to wantonness everything to go a monk.

Now, ideate trading each that for a beingness of quiescent prayer. Sounds crazy, right? But for rather a fewer rulers of the Eastern Roman Empire, that’s precisely however their communicative of implicit powerfulness ended and a beingness of quiescent monasticism began.

This wasn’t immoderate bizarre imperial inclination oregon a weird Orthodox tradition. This determination of respective emperors was a operation of Byzantine politics, machinations and faith. Maybe it was genuine spiritual calling, possibly they were forced retired by rivals, oregon possibly the sheer value of the crown conscionable got excessively heavy. Whatever the reason, respective emperors finished their days successful a monastery, hidden distant from it all.

Gold solidus coin of Byzantine Emperor Theodosius III, minted successful Constantinople astatine the 8th officina, showing the emperor crowned and robed, holding a globus cruciger and a scepter.

Theodosius III, 1 of the archetypal Byzantine Emperors to go a monk

Let’s commencement with Theodosius III. His reign was short, conscionable 2 years, from 715 to 717. When Leo the Isaurian (soon to beryllium Leo III) revolted, Theodosius really chose to measurement down alternatively of dragging the empire done much struggle and engaging successful a bloody civilian warfare to support his power. Pretty sensible, if we deliberation astir it. He and his lad simply entered the monastic life, choosing tone implicit matter. After this decision, helium lived peacefully, possibly adjacent becoming a bishop of Ephesus, though determination is nary wide archaeological grounds for that. For the turbulent 8th century, that’s a remarkably drama-free exit for an emperor.

Medieval manuscript illustration showing the coronation of Byzantine Emperor Michael I and his lad Theophylact, some lifted connected a shield by soldiers, from the 12th-century Madrid Skylitzes, apt based connected an earlier ocular tradition.

Michael I Rangabe

Then you’ve got Michael I Rangabe, who reigned astir a period aft Theodosius, betwixt 811 and 813. His imperial powerfulness imploded aft Khan Krum and the Bulgars handed him immoderate superior defeats, forcing the Byzantines to alteration course. His enactment among his radical dried up fast. Facing an uprising from Leo the Armenian, Michael opted for abdication. He became the monk Athanasius, packed disconnected to the land of Prote (modern-day Kınalıada successful Turkey) and ne'er saw the palace again. But the communicative gets darker: successful classical Byzantine style, his sons were castrated and forced into monasteries too, conscionable to beryllium definite they wouldn’t origin occupation later. That casts a long, grim shadiness implicit Michael’s ain pious retreat, which someway lasted astir 30 years.

Romanos I Lekapenos

Power authorities truly took halfway signifier with Romanos I Lekapenos. This cunning admiral had managed to ascent his mode to the apical spot alongside the morganatic emperor, Constantine VII, efficaciously ruling from 920. His undoing, though, wasn’t immoderate overseas enemy, but his ain greedy sons, Stephen and Constantine. His ain children booted him retired successful 944, hoping to drawback powerfulness for themselves. Constantine Lekapenos and Stephen Lekapenos concisely ruled arsenic co-emperors aft deposing their father, but their reign lasted lone astir 40 days . The once-powerful Romanos recovered himself exiled—the land of Prote was again chosen, it seems it was the spot to nonstop fallen emperors—and forced into monastic vows. Despite spending the remainder of his beingness arsenic a monk, Romanos I Lekapenos didn’t past long, dying conscionable 4 years aboriginal successful 948 AD. His assemblage was buried astatine the Myrelaion Monastery.

Michael VI Bringas

Jump up astir a period to Michael VI Bringas, nicknamed Stratiotikos (Greek for military). His reign lasted from 1056 to 1057, truthful it was precise short. Michael was an older bureaucrat pushed onto the throne and helium rapidly managed to annoy the almighty subject elite with his opinions and actions. When the wide Isaac Komnenos marched connected the superior Constantinople, Michael tried negotiating but was soon “persuaded” (probably forced) by figures specified arsenic the intelligence Michael Psellos, to conscionable abdicate and let a peaceful transportation of powerfulness to the adjacent Byzantine Emperor. Michael agreed and retired to a backstage monastery helium had founded, becoming the monk Michael. His monastic travel was adjacent shorter than his imperial one; helium died soon aft successful 1057.

Isaac I Komnenos

His successor, Isaac I Komnenos, whose reign lasted from 1057 to 1059 AD, offers a antithetic communicative to that of Michael VI. He was the wide who had ousted Michael VI, and was a genuine reformer, trying to hole the empire’s troubled finances and military. But aft conscionable 2 years, helium fell ill. His reforms, which were chiefly austerity measures against the clergy and the elites, met terrible absorption from these classes. Isaac, exhausted from his changeless fever, chose to measurement down voluntarily. He named Constantine Doukas arsenic his heir and headed to Constantinople’s respected Stoudios Monastery. As the monk John, helium seemingly focused connected studying books, dedicating himself to enriching his cognition until his death. It feels similar a dignified exit, possibly 1 genuinely driven the tendency for a antithetic beingness acold from the changeless machinations of politics.

Andronikos II Palaiologos

Centuries rotation by, we’re successful the chaotic epoch of the Palaiologan dynasty, and conjecture what immoderate of the Emperors take to do; yes, they are inactive ending up successful monasteries.

Take Andronikos II Palaiologos. His reign stretched for respective decades, from 1282 to1328, but it was poisoned by brutal civilian wars against his ain grandson, Andronikos III. Finally defeated, aged and astir apt heartbroken, helium was forced disconnected the throne. He was past sent to a monastery, wherever helium took the sanction Antony. Androkikos II Palaiologos died cloistered conscionable a fewer years later, a casualty of the household governmental play that was tearing Byzantium apart.

John VI Kantakouzenos

Maybe the astir fascinating lawsuit is John VI Kantakouzenos. This fig was close successful the heavy of the messy civilian wars of the mid 14th century, towards the extremity of the Byzantine Empire. He ruled from 1347 until being pressured to abdicate successful 1354 successful favour of the rightful heir, John V Palaiologos. But status didn’t suit him. As the monk Joasaph Christodoulos, helium fundamentally began a 2nd beingness arsenic 1 of Byzantium’s astir important historians, penning his incredibly invaluable memoirs from wrong the monastery. Despite his vows, helium remained progressive successful existent affaits, debating theology, adjacent dipping into diplomacy. Clearly, the monk’s wont didn’t wholly eradicate his passionateness for politics. He lived astir 30 much years similar this, commentating connected existent situations and producing humanities documents—quite the post-imperial act.

Matthew Kantakouzenos

Following, though little spectacularly, was his son, Matthew Kantakouzenos. He was co-emperor with his begetter from 1353 to 1357. After helium was captured warring John V’s forces, helium had to springiness up his imperial claims. He yet settled successful the Peloponnese successful the South of Greece and—you guessed it right—became a monk similar his father, astir apt keeping a mentation of his name. He spent his aboriginal years helping the elder Joasaph with his humanities writing, keeping up that unsocial household contented of authorities and monastic life.

John VII Palaiologos

Our past illustration of a Byzantine Emperor who became a monk is John VII Palaiologos. His clip astatine the apical of the dying Empire was patchy and incomplete—a little drawback for the throne successful 1390, erstwhile acting arsenic regent portion his uncle Manuel II was disconnected begging for assistance successful the West arsenic the Ottomans were approaching, past helium was tasked with governing the portion of Thessalonica. Eventually, helium stepped backmost from the governmental scene. Before helium died successful 1408, helium made his mode to Mount Athos, the implicit bosom of Orthodox Christian monasticism and became the monk Joasaph. A turbulent beingness uncovering a quiescent extremity aft years of adventures.

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