Emperor Constantine V was the son of Emperor Leo III of Constantinople (r. 717-741), a ruler who brought much-needed stability to the Byzantine Empire after a chaotic period of short-lived emperors. Several decades prior, Emperor Justinian II (r. 685-695) had his power usurped by Leontios (r. 695-698) and Tiberius III (r. 698-705), but Justinian returned to power in 705. He was again overthrown (and this time killed) by the rebel, Philippikos (r. 711-713), who, in turn, was deposed by Emperor Anastasius II (r. 713-715), and then power was seized by Emperor Theodosios III (r. 715-717). He soon fell to the aforementioned Emperor Leo III (r. 717-741), who founded the Isaurian Dynasty of emperors in Constantinople. Given the recent history of rebels, usurpers, and conspiracies, Emperor Leo III was eager to do everything within his power to ensure that his son, Constantine V, was recognized as his successor as quickly as possible. In this regard, Leo III made sure to turn milestone moments of his young son’s life into imperial shows of fealty, including the newborn’s baptism.
Baby Constantine V was baptized by the Patriarch Germanos of Constantinople in front of the most preeminent nobles of the empire. Emperor Leo III and his wife, Maria, were obviously there, as were their close relatives and staunchest allies. Leaders of the regional themes (military and administrative districts) and members of the Senate were also present nearby. In the midst of these notables, Constantine V was baptized and presented to his future subjects. Yet, according to legend, the baptism became an embarrassing scandal. The chronicler Theophanes (c. 750s-818)—who, it should be noted, was a hostile source—recorded the odious tale. Theophanes wrote:
“[Empress Maria] prayed before going in to the altar, then went into the great baptistry. Her husband and a few of his intimates had preceded her in. While Germanos the chief prelate was baptizing Leo’s successor (in both his evil and his rule) Constantine, the boy, because he was so young, gave a terrible, foul-smelling harbinger: he defecated in the holy font, as say those who were accurate eye-witnesses…The leaders of the themes and senate received Constantine after his baptism” (Theophanes, Chronographia, entry for Annus Mundi 6211 [Sept 718-Aug 719]).
This foul tale spawned Constantine V’s unfortunate nickname, Kopronymos (also spelled Copronymus), meaning Dung-named. The tainted title stuck, and was added to the history books, but the legend that inspired the awkward accolade has come under scrutiny. Leo III and Constantine V were emperors at the height of the religious Iconoclasm debate in the Byzantine Empire, in which the Isaurian Dynasty and its allies strove to suppress the use of Iconography in religious worship. Contrastingly, monk-historians like the aforementioned Theophanes (c. 750s-818) were often pro-icon and, when it was safe, chose to lash out and seek revenge in their biased accounts of the iconoclast rulers. Consequently, it is suspected that the baptismal tale of Constantine V was exaggerated or fabricated. Whatever the case, the tale of the baptismal accident and the resulting Kopronymos title were used for polemical purposes by pro-icon partisans in the Iconoclasm conflict. Young Constantine V, born in 718, was named as Emperor Leo III’s co-ruler for succession purposes in 720.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Picture Attribution: (Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos baptizes Constantine VII, by an unknown artist who illuminated the Skyllitzes Matritensis in the 13th century, [Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons).
Sources:
- Theophanes, The Chronicle of Theophanes, translated by Harry Turtledove. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1982.
- The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity, edited by Oliver Nicholson. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.
