IRINA

Irina - Byzantine Empress Isaurian dynasty, who ruled 797 - 802 years. My wife and December 17. 769 g. Leo IV the Khazar. Genus. app. 752 g. + August 9. 803 g.
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Birthplace Irina were Athens. For extraordinary beauty of the Emperor Constantine V chose her as his wife to his son Leo. After the death of her father and came to the throne of Leo IV, Irina became almost openly patronize ikonopochitatelyam. Her royal husband while turning a blind eye, but when the summer of 780 g. found in the bedroom of the Empress were two icons, it came in such a rage that drove her from the palace. But in the same year he died, and Irene became regent for her ten-year son Constantine VI, and in fact - a sovereign ruler of the empire (Dashkov: 'Irina'). Forty days after the death of Leo, some of the officials were the first council to make the Emperor Caesar Nicephorus, his brother. This intention was discovered. Irina told me to grab all the conspirators, to carve, to cut and sent to imprisonment in different countries. Shurev as its own, Caesars and bright, tonsured in the priesthood and ordered to serve them before the army on the day of the Nativity. In 781 g. Sicilian Stratig Elpidy rebelled, declaring himself emperor, but he was soon defeated and fled to Africa.

Having established in power, Irina gradually began to work to ensure that restored the veneration of icons. In 784 g. patriarch-iconoclast Paul haircut in the schema, and died (before his death he bitterly complained of his weakness and the fact that under pressure from the emperor was forced to show himself the enemy of the icons). After the death of Paul all have become boldly rise to iconoclastic. In the patriarchs, by the will of the empress, was placed Tarasov, who immediately began to try to convene an ecumenical council. In the summer of 786 g. arrived in Constantinople, many bishops, they gathered in the temple of the Holy Apostles, began to read the holy scriptures and compare the dubious places, while the empress remained spectator in the limit of the catechumens. Suddenly in the midst of meeting the soldiers broke into the temple and threatened with swords, forced the bishops to disperse. They did not listen and the Empress, who tried to reassure them. The following year, Irina pretended that she wants to defend the eastern borders from attack Arabs. The army and entourage were in the campaign and came to Malaginov. During this time Irina has introduced in the capital of the Thracian. Left she sent an order to return the weapons to the treasury, because it no longer has them needs. The men had no choice as to fulfill her wish. Then they were sent to the families of everyone in your town, but Irina has formed a new army, placed himself at the head of loyal chiefs, and in May sent out invitations to the council by appointing the venue Nicaea. The Seventh Ecumenical Council was opened in September, 787 g. He did not add anything new and retained the integrity of the decisions of previous councils, but rejected the iconoclastic heresy.

Following years Irina had a hard-fought struggle for power with his son. In 790 g. she tried to remove him from the throne and forced the troops to swear that, while she was alive, they would not allow his son to reign. However, the Armenian Legion refused to bring such an oath. Fearing the violence of the soldiers, Irina finally dismissed him to Constantine, who was proclaimed emperor edinovlastnym. Constantine banished all her eunuchs, and the very empress with full signed in her palace Eleph-dence, it is built, in which she managed to hide most of the treasury. With this money Irina began a complicated intrigue against his son. In 796 g. emperor with his mother went to Pruziyu to the warm waters. Here Constantine learned of the birth of his son Lev, Irina left the waters together with the entire suite and officials, and himself on a fast boat returned to the city. This occasion, . Irina talk with the heads of the legions, . bowed their gifts and promises to the deposition of her son and recognition of its autocratic ruler of the empire; otherwise it ulestila itself, . others - through their close, . and all led to his side,
. Devotee all, Constantine was deposed in 797 g. and blinded.

With the return of Irene, the case of government concentrated in the hands of her two eunuchs - Stavrikiya and Aetius, who quarreled and wove many intrigues against each other and all the possible contenders for power. In 800 g. Irina told me all the blind brothers of her late husband. Finally, in 801, after the death Stavrikiya, Aetius took all the power and gained enormous power. But, despite all his resourcefulness, he looked formed a conspiracy against him. In 802 g. Logofet Nicephorus Irina deposed, banished her to the island Prinkipo, then moved to Lesbos and ordered contain a brutal custody. Did not survive his fall, the Empress will soon die (Theophanes: 773, 774, 776 - 780, 782, 783, 789, 791, 792, 795).