Constantine
860 – 879 · Generation XXII · co-emperor (r. 868–879) · Macedonian
Constantine (AD 860 – 879). co-emperor (r. 868–879). Eldest son of Basil I by first wife Maria; predeceased his father. Basil’s intended heir, Constantine was groomed for rule with a care never lavished on his younger brother Leo, accompanying his father on campaign — including an expedition into Syria for which the two shared a triumph. Around 870 he was betrothed to Ermengard, daughter of the emperor Louis II, though whether the marriage ever took place divides the sources; his very parentage is debated, some theories making him a son of Michael III rather than Basil. A fever killed him in September 879, pushing Leo forward as principal heir and bringing a third brother, Alexander, into the college of emperors.
One of 16 people of Macedonian (811–1057) in this archive. The empire’s widest reach — a house of soldier-emperors and scholars.
Parents
- Basil I (811 – 886)