|
|
|
|||||||||
 |
||||||||||
| ◄◄◄ | ||||||||||
| Leontius
Byzantine Emperor (–706) Other names: Leo Biographical Byzantine Emperor 695–98 dep Patricius Strategos of Hellas 695 Strategos of Anatolikon Although known as Leontius in the West, Byzantine sources confirm that he was emperor under the name of Leo. Byzantine sources call him Leontius but his coinage and references in Western sources indicate that he ruled officially as Leo. Leontius rose to prominence through military campaigns against Arab forces in Armenia and Georgia in 686, where he proved effective but employed harsh tactics under Justinian II's command. His imprisonment in Constantinople around 692 likely resulted from Arab successes in Asia Minor, but his release three years later and appointment as strategos of Hellas positioned him for greater ambitions. With backing from the Blue faction—who reportedly feared imperial persecution—and Patriarch Kallinikos I, he successfully overthrew Justinian and claimed the throne in 695. Documentation of his imperial reign remains sparse, though he responded to the Arab capture of Carthage in 697 by dispatching John Patrikios with a fleet to reclaim North Africa. While directing the clearance of debris from Constantinople's Neorion harbour in 698, the bubonic plague outbreak coincided with his downfall when Tiberios II deposed him, mutilating his nose and imprisoning him in the Dalmatou monastery. Justinian II's return to power in 705 sealed Leontius' fate, as the restored emperor paraded him through Constantinople before executing him in the Hippodrome. Place of death: Constantinople |
||||||||||
| |
||||||||||
 |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
