A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

I0 CONSTANTINUJS. CONSTANTINUS.
Before arriving there, he was joined by the empress phorns, the sons of Bardas Phocas; the Chrisanud a host of partisans. Relying on the promises tian princes of Iberia recognised the supremacy of
of Irene, he returned to Constantinople, but was the emperor; alliances of the Greeks with tilt
surprised in his palace by a band of assassins hired Petchenegues or Patzinacitae in soutihern Russia
by Irene and her favourite, the general Stauracius. checked both the Russians and thie Bulgarians in
His eyes were put out by their order with so their hostile designs against the empire: and Conmuch violence that he died on the same day. By stantine had the satisfaction of receiving in his
a singular coincidence of circumstances, lie was palace ambassadors of the khalifs or- Baeghd.cd and
murdered in the " Porphyra," the name of the Africa, and of the Roman emneror Otoo the Great,
apartment where the empresses were accustomed Luitprand, the emperor's am)assador. has left us a
to be confined, and where he was born. His most interesting account of his rmnssion to Constanonly son, Leo, having died in his lifetime, he was tinople. (Annales Luitprandi.) One of the most
succeeded by his mother Irene. Constantine VI. praiseworthy acts of Constan Line was the restoration
was the last of the Isaurian dynasty. Zonaras to their lawful proprietors of estates confiscated
and Cedrenus say, that he survived his excaeca- during rebellions, and held by robbers and swindtion for a considerable time; but their opinion lers without any titles, or under fraudulent ones.
seems to be untenable, although Le Beau believes Constantine's end was hastened by poison, adit to be correct. (Theophan. p. 382, &c., ed. Paris; ministered to him by an ungrateful son, Romanus
Cedren. p. 469, &c., ed. Paris; Zonar. vol. ii. p. (his successor), in consequence of which he died
93, &c., ed. Paris; Joel, p. 178, ed. Paris; Gly- on the 15th of November, A. i). 959. His wife
cas, p. 285, ed. Paris. [W. P.] was Helena, by whom lie had the above-mentioned
CONSTANTINUS VII. FLA'VIUS POR- son Romanus, a daughter Theodora, married to
PHYROGE'NITUS (5 Tlpopvpopyv'wrTos), em- Joannes Zimiscus, and other children.
peror of the East, A. D. 911-959, the only son Constantine Porphyrogenitus holds a high rank
of the emperor Leo VI. Philosophus, of the in literature. His productions are no masterMacedonian dynasty, and his fourth wife, Zoe, works in point of style and thought, but they treat
was born in A. D. 905; the name flopspvpoY'vVYrTos, of important and interesting subjects, and without
thnt is, " born in the purple," was given to him him our knowledge of his time would be reduced
because he was born in an apartment of the im- to a few vague notions; for he not only composed
perial palace called xro'puvpa, in which the empresses works himself, but caused others to be composed
awaited their confinement. The name Porphyro- or compiled by the most able men among his
genitus is also given to Constantine VI., but it is subjects. His own works aregenerally employed to distinguish the subject of I. 'IrTeopI IC Sye'iTs rUi8 P3iov Keal irpdEwv yTOV
this article. Constantine succeeded his father in BaUIAEhov TroV ridoei6ov SaremAEmws ((Vita Basilii),
911, and reigned under the guardianship of his the life of Basilius I. Macedo, the grandfather of
paternal uncle, Alexander, who was already Augus- Constantine Porphyrogenitus, a work of great imtus, governed the empire as an absolute monarch, portance for the reign and character of that great
and died in the following year, 912. After his emperor, although it contains many things which
death the government was usurped by Romanus cannot be relied upon, as Constantine was rather
Lecapenus, who excluded Constantine from the credulous, and embellished the truth from motives
administration, leaving him nothing but an hono- of filial piety or vanity. Editions: 1. By Leo
rary retreat in the imperial palace, and who ruled Allatius in his 6isgusc-rot, with a Latin translation,
as emperor till 944, when he was deposed and Cologne, 1653, 8vo.; the text divided into 70
exiled by his sons Stephanus and Constantine, sections or chapters. 2. By Combefisius, in his
both Augusti, and who expected to be recognised " Scriptores post Theophanem," Paris, 1685, fol.;
as emperors. [ROMANUS LECAPENUS.] They divided into 101 sections or chapters; with a new
were deceived; the people declared for the son of translation and notes of the editor.
Leo; Constantine left his solitude, and, supported II. HIept rTWv td'iTeWrft, " De Thematibus." (The
by an enthusiastic population, seized upon the origin and signification of the word Z&dsa as a new
usurpers, banished them, and ascended the throne. name for " province," is given in the life of CONIn the long period of his retirement Constantine STANTINUS IV.) This work is divided into two
had become a model of learning and theoretical books; the first treats on the Eastern (Eastern and
wisdom; but the energy of his character was sup-!outhern) or Asiatic themas, and the second on
pressed; instead of men he knew books, and when the Western (Western and Northern) or European
he took the reins of government into his hands, he themas. Editions: 1. The first book, with a
held them without strength, prudence, and resolu- Latin translation and notes, by B. Vulcanius,
tion. He would have been an excellent artist or Leyden, 1588, 8vo. 2. The second book, with a
professor, but was an incompetent emperor. Yet Latin translation and notes by T. Morellus, Paris,
the good qualities of his heart, his humanity, his 1609, 8vo. Both these editions, and consequently
love of justice, his sense of order, his passion for the complete work, were reprinted and edited with
the fine arts and literature, won him the affections some other works of Constantine, by Meursiius,
of his subjects. His good nature often caused him Leyden, 1617, 8vo. 3. The same in the sixth
to trust without 'discernment, and to confer the volume of " J. Meursii Opera," edited by Lamni.
high offices of the state upon fools or rogues; but 4. The complete work, by Bandurius, in the first
he was not always deceived in his choice, and volume of his " Imperium Orientale," with notes
many of his ministers and generals were able men, and a corrected version by the editor. 5. The
and equally devoted to their business and their same in the third volume of the Bonn edition or
master. The empire was thus governed much the works of Constantine Porphyrogenitus, a rebetter than could have been expected. In a long vised reprint of the edition of Bandurius, but
and bloody war against the Arabs in Syria, the without the map of De l'Isle, edited by Im-manuel
Creek amus were victorious under Leo and Nice- Bekker, Bonu, 1840.