In today's world, Alexander (Byzantine emperor) has become a topic of increasing importance and interest for various areas of society. Both on a personal and professional level, Alexander (Byzantine emperor) plays a fundamental role in the development and evolution of people and communities. Throughout history, Alexander (Byzantine emperor) has been the subject of study, debate and analysis, and its influence extends to multiple disciplines, from science and technology to art and culture. In this article, we will explore in depth the impact of Alexander (Byzantine emperor) on today's society, addressing its implications, applications and challenges from different perspectives. Additionally, we will examine how Alexander (Byzantine emperor) has shaped the way we think, act, and relate to the world around us, and how its continued evolution continues to impact our lives in significant ways.
Alexander | |||||
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Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans | |||||
Byzantine emperor | |||||
Reign | 11 May 912 – 6 June 913 | ||||
Coronation | c. September 879 | ||||
Predecessor | Leo VI | ||||
Successor | Constantine VII | ||||
Born | 23 November 870 Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) | ||||
Died | 6 June 913 (aged 42) | ||||
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Dynasty | Macedonian | ||||
Father | Basil I | ||||
Mother | Eudokia Ingerina |
Alexander (Greek: Άλέξανδρος, Alexandros, 23 November 870 – 6 June 913) was briefly Byzantine emperor from 912 to 913, and the third emperor of the Macedonian dynasty.
Born in the purple, Alexander was the third son of Emperor Basil I and Eudokia Ingerina. Unlike his older brother Leo VI the Wise, his paternity was not disputed between Basil I and Michael III because he was born years after the death of Michael. As a child, Alexander was crowned as co-emperor by his father in early 879, following the death of Basil's son Constantine.
Upon the death of his brother Leo on 11 May 912, Alexander succeeded as senior emperor alongside Leo's young son Constantine VII. He was the first Byzantine emperor to use the term "autocrator" (αὐτοκράτωρ πιστὸς εὑσεβὴς βασιλεὺς) on coinage to celebrate the ending of his thirty-three years as co-emperor. Alexander promptly dismissed most of Leo's advisers and appointees, including the admiral Himerios, the patriarch Euthymios, and the Empress Zoe Karbonopsina, the mother of Constantine VII whom he locked up in a nunnery. The patriarchate was again conferred on Nicholas Mystikos, who had been removed from this position because he had opposed Leo's fourth marriage.
During his short reign, Alexander found himself attacked by the forces of Al-Muqtadir of the Abbasid Caliphate in the East, and provoked a war with Simeon I of Bulgaria by refusing to send the traditional tribute on his accession. Alexander died soon after, allegedly because of a stomach disease caused by excessive eating and alcohol.
The sources are uniformly hostile towards Alexander, who is depicted as lazy, lecherous, drunk, and malignant, including the rumor that he planned to castrate the young Constantine VII in order to exclude him from the succession. At least that charge did not come to pass, but Alexander left his successor a hostile regent (Nicholas Mystikos) and the beginning of a long war against Bulgaria. The sources also accused the Emperor of idolatry, including making pagan sacrifices to the golden statue of a boar in the Hippodrome, and providing it with new teeth and genitals, in hope of curing his impotence.
came down to play ball (tzykanion). A pain arose in his entrails which had been overloaded with an excess of food and excessive drinking. He went back up into the palace haemorrhaging from his nose and his genitals; after one day he was dead.