The Book of Emperors: A Translation of the Middle High German Kaiserchronik

XXXV. Constantine Leo

304 Emperor Theodosius began to chant Te deum laudamus [“We praise you, Lord].” They sang and gave praise with hearts and mouths. Praise and joy abounded there. They said that no one can survive without God. This is an example of why you should always sing and read about the miracles that God himself wrought in answer to the emperor’s prayers. That is what David the Psalmist spoke of in saying, “To him who desires justice, everything shall be granted.” The lordly Theodosius kept serving God more and more ever afterwards . With great commitment he judged the Empire twenty-six years and seven months, as the Book tells us truly. Angels from heaven summoned his soul. XXXV Constantine Leo The Byzantine Emperor Constantine V (r. 741–755), son of Leo III (r. 717–741), is the most likely historic emperor—if indeed there is one—behind the figure of Constantine Leo, since father and son lived roughly at chronologically appropriate times and were distinguished by a desire to defend the purity of the faith in their own way. Constantine V and Leo III were heavily involved in fighting the veneration of images in the Eastern empire’s “Iconoclastic Struggle ;” sometimes this Constantine is surnamed “the Iconoclast.” On the other hand, Constantine V ruled as an arbitrary tyrant and, apart from trying to suppress image-worship, did not distinguish himself as a Christian emperor, so that “Constantine Leo” may simply be a made-up name for a figure whose reign covers a long period of time.1 Our author presents only a few, somewhat 1. Ohly, op. cit., p.216. Constantine Leo 305 randomly chosen Eastern emperors for his book and may feel the need to fill in the gaps with a composite figure or two. We have met Saint Helena, mother of Constantine I, “the Great,” in the chapters on Constantius I and Constantine I. She was credited in the Middle Ages with bringing the most important relics of Christendom to appropriate resting places, particularly the True Cross to Jerusalem and the seamless robe of Christ and the remains of Saint Matthias, the thirteenth apostle, who replaced Judas Iscariot and whose reliquary—is presented as “the only apostle’s grave north of the Alps”—to Trier, where they may be seen to this day. Saint Stephen was the first Christian martyr. His story is told in Acts, 7-8, while Saint Laurence appears in the Decius chapter above. Our author appears to have used one of at least two accounts of the “translatio” (“setting over” or “transferring ”) of the remains of Saint Stephen—one from the seventh or eighth century, the other from the early twelfth—which are similar in many details, including that of having the body of Saint Laurence roll over in his sarcophagus to make room for his friend, Stephen. after the noble emperor’s death, the city of Rome was rife with feuds and fights. Many was the time the Romans had no judge at all. None of them wanted to give support to another—every house thought itself too mighty to be ruled by another. They thought that accepting the rule of another house would cost them all of their honor. The Senate reached the decision that they should send out and search from land to land for the wisest lord to be found anywhere, since they did not desire to be without a judge any longer. Our Lord aided them in uniting on Constantine Leo to hold the Empire. He judged very wisely and had all the noble youths taught the books. He focused all his thoughts on being like the good judges. He came to love the princes and to force evildoers to do right. He was also generous to the poor and helpful to men of good will. He began to pray to God ever more often, and in every way he came to be highly honored. 306 Chapter Thirty-five Then it came to pass that Constantine Leo fell ill. That made the Greeks happy because they wanted control of the Empire for themselves, thinking they had a right to it. The Romans could not put up with that, and they prepared a military expedition. The news quickly spread to all parts of the Roman Empire, and the people roused themselves with fierce determination to set out for the sea. When they all were ready, the emperor announced...