V. LEO THE WISE AND THE ISSUE OF THE FOUR MARRIAGES

The reign of Leo VI was crucial in that it demonstrated survival of the Mecedonian dynasty, despite serious threats at both the beginning and the end. Like his father, Leo furthered the cultural interests of the time and he pursued an active foreign policy in the Balkans. Unfortunately for him and for the stability of the state, the issues raised by the zealot/moderate conflict were not allowed to rest but were revived by the controversy over his four marriages.

A. The Succession of Leo VI.

1. Constantine, Basil's first-born son, was his favorite and Basil was despondent when Constantine died; he agreed to the succession of Leo only reluctantly.

a. Leo was born in 866 and there was some question regarding his legitimacy: was he perhaps the son of Michael III?

b. Constantine died in 879 and Basil agreed to accept Leo only just before his own death.

2. Probably for these reasons, Leo immediately reversed many of his father's policies.

a. Even though Photios had been his tutor, Leo immediately deposed him from the patriarchal throne.

b. Leo had Michael III re-buried with full imperial honors, thus giving rise to further gossip.

B. Nevertheless, in the general direction of affairs, Leo's government followed the lines set out by the last Amorians and followed by Basil.

C. War with Bulgaria and the Settlement of the Magyars.

1. Symeon was now tsar of Bulgaria, a talented many who had been trained in Constantinople: he understood Byzantine imperial theory and he intended to make use of it himself.

a. Thus, Symeon was one of the most formidable enemies faced by the Byzantine state.

b. War with Bulgaria was caused by a commercial quarrel over the sale of Bulgarian goods.

c. In these matters, as in many others, Leo followed the advice of Stylianos Zautzes, the basileopator. Stylianos was his father-in-law and primary advisor.

2. Since Byzantine resources were not adequate to deal with Symeon, the emperor resorted to diplomacy.

a. The Magyars were persuaded to attack Bulgaria from the north.

b. Symeon then matched the Byzantines by calling on the Patzinaks (Pechnegs), who attacked the Magyars from the rear and drove them to the west, where they settled in the area of modern Hungary.

c. Symeon was thus able to resume his war with Byzantium, which was settled temporarily when Leo agreed to Symeon's demands for tribute.

3. In 904 the renegade Leo of Tripolis led his Arab fleet to Thessaloniki, which was sacked, a reminder of the continuous danger of Arab pirates.

D. Cultural and Intellectual Affairs

1. In this regard Leo followed the policies of his father.

2. Particularly important was his work in the codification of law: the Basilika.

E. The Issue of the Four Marriages

1. Leo was concerned to have a son to succeed him on the throne.

a. His first wife died early and he married his mistress, the daughter of Stylianos Zautzes.

b. In 900 he married for a third time, in violation of canon law and his own regulations; the next year this wife also died and Leo remained childless.

2. Leo and Zoe Karbonopsina.

a. Zoe "of the Firey Eyes" became Leo's mistress, but he did not marry her because of opposition to that among the zealots.

b. In 905, however, she bore a son -- the future emperor Constantine VII.

3. Leo and Nicholas Mystikos.

a. The Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, a nephew of Photios, agreed to baptise the boy if Leo agreed to separate from Zoe. Leo agreed and the baptism took place early in 906.

b. Although a relative of Photios, Nicholas was allied to the zealots.

c. Leo realized, however, that Constantine's legitimacy as successor to the throne depended on the legitimacy of his marriage to Zoe; so a few days later he found a priest who married the couple, despite what Leo had promised Nicholas.

d. This gave rise to a new controversy between the zealots and the moderates; only in this case it is ironic that the emperor appealed to the papacy, whose rules on subsequent marriages were less strict. It is also similar to the situation of the Moichian Controversy in the 8th and early 9th century.

Return to Chronology main page.