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316 XXXVII Constantine VI Although our author calls the next emperor “Constantius,” it is clear that he has in mind Constantine VI, nominal ruler of the Eastern Empire (780–97), whose mother, Irene, did most of the decisionmaking for him. The name “Herena” is probably a fusion of Irene and Helena, Constantine the Great’s mother. Hoping to rule in his own right, Constantine VI had his mother arrested, but he later relented and released her. Irene then organized a plot in which Constantine was blinded and she resumed control. The sordid story of Irene’s rule furnished justification for Pope Leo III to transfer imperial rulership from the Byzantine Empire to Charlemagne, although, of course, the Byzantines did not cede any powers. After Charlemagne’s imperial coronation in 800 there were once again, for the first time since 476, two emperors, one Eastern, the other Western. Our author is not content with discrediting the Greeks as rulers . His agenda includes justifying the transfer of imperial rulership from both Greeks and Romans to Germans. Consequently, while the main characters are recognizable as historically real ones in his story, the issue of faithlessness and the eye-gouging incident are used to discredit Romans; the Greeks in his story are discredited only by being abused and humiliated. the Book tells us that Constantius, born a Greek, ruled the Empire. They had chosen him to be judge. Herena [Irene] was his mother’s name. She was quite a good woman among the descendants of Constantine the Great; there could not have have been a better one. One night, lying in her bed the lady had a frightening dream. In it she was on a ship crossing the sea, when the ship went out of control and sank to the bottom. She barely escaped and, back on land, a bear dragged her into the woods. The dream greatly troubled the queen. Constantine VI 317 Day and night, the lady urged her son that he should visit [the graves of] the blessed apostles [Peter and Paul in Rome]. He really did not want to go, but finally he gave in to her pleading and diligently prepared for an expedition to the Roman lands. His mother came along with him. She was well prepared, as was her custom, and took along considerable treasure. The lady did this with the thought that rich gifts would placate the Romans and that old memories of misdeeds could be erased with gold. The Romans did everything they could to give their guests a fine welcome , showing particular honor to Herena, the emperor’s mother. Then the fabled king called for silks and other fine cloths to be brought out, also fine bowls and high-footed goblets with golden well-engraved cups. He gave these to his [Roman] vassals, who all affirmed that they had never seen such fabulous gifts and that they would never fail to support him in all his undertakings. His mother, Herena, gave them very special gifts: bracelets and rings of red gold and the broadest of silk cloths as long as anything was left in the chamber. As long as the gift-giving went on, the princes liked Constantius and Herena better and better, but when the chamber was empty the Romans reverted to their old ways and began complaining about the grave injustices committed by the guests’ forefathers long before, saying that it would be just for them to pay with their lives because of them. The devil then made it come to pass that a prince was killed who was a member of the Senate. His friends took up the cry that Emperor Constantius should surrender the perpetrator to them; otherwise, they could not put this deed behind them. That made the emperor angry, and he proclaimed his ban over them, ordering that two of them be beheaded. The friends of these men stormed the palace where his mother was with him. No one could prevent this: the Romans seized the two of them by the hair and dragged them to an open field in front of the castle. There they severely assuaged their rage. They gouged out their victims’ eyes and cut off their noses, bringing them to the utmost shame amid their loud screams. From that time on the Roman Empire has been separated from that of the Greeks, so that they never again would lay claim to the imperial right to be judge or to any imperial honors. ...

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