The Byzantines
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Billon Trachy of the Emperor Manuel I Comnenus 1143 – 1180 AD
Byzantine Coins
The term Byzantine Empire is a misnomer there was no Byzantine Empire. The term was invented by collectors long after the empire collapsed. They called and considered themselves Romans. A better term would be Romaion or Eastern Roman Empire.
When Constantine The Great became the sole ruler of Rome after the Battle of the Milivian Bridge in 312 AD the Roman Empire was vast and he found it difficult to rule it from Rome. In 330 he founded the City of Constantinople at the junction of Europe and Asia at the mouth of the Bosporus in Turkey.
Constantine died in 337 AD and the empire was split up between his sons. With his son Constans, Augustus 337 – 350 ruling in the West, and Constantius II, Augustus 337 – 361 AD ruling in the East at Constantinople. There were several members of Constantine’s family that threatened Constantius II rule so he held a purge and had most killed off. Thus, leaving him the sole ruler of the empire until 361 AD. From than one there were two emperors one in the West and the other in the East. In 476 AD under the short rule of Romulus Augustus the Western Roman Empire fell to Odoacer. Thus, leaving only the Eastern Roman Empire remaining.
Now the question remains. When did the Byzantine/ Romaion empire begin? Was it when Constantine The Great created Constantinople, or was it when the Emperor Anastasius I reformed the coinage in 491 AD into what we know as Byzantine coins? I choose to go with Anastasius I reform.
When Anastasius I became emperor, the Latin language was still spoken in the empire which is evident on the legends of the coinage, though he adopted the Greek numbering system to determine the coin’s value. Over time the emperors moved away for the old Latin language and adopted the Greek language, customs, and dress. This is what I believe confuses people to believe that this was not the Roman Empire any longer. But as I said earlier the people considered and called themselves Romans. The Eastern Roman Empire lasted from 491 – 1453 when the Ottoman Turks conquered the city of Constantinople.
The Emperors and their Coin Legends
Anastasius I: 491 – 518 AD DN ANASTASIVS PP AVG
Justin I: 518 – 527 AD DN IVSTINVS PP AVG
Justinian I: 527 – 565 AD DN IVSTINVS PP AVG
Justin II: 565 – 578 AD DN IVSTINVS PP AVG
Tiberius II Constantine: 578 – 582 AD δmTIb CONSTANT PP AVI
Maurice Tiberius: 582 – 602 AD dN mAVRIC TIbεR PP AVC
Theodosius: 590 – 602 AD DN TεODOLSIVS PP A
Phocas: 602 – 610 AD δN FOCAS PεRP AVG
Heraclius & Son: 608 – 610 DN εRACΔIO CONSVΛI
Heraclius: 610 -641 AD dN hεRACLI PεRP AVG
Heraclius Constantine & Heraclonas: 641, ruled for only 100 days δN CONStANtINϤS PP AV dN hεRACLI PεRP AVG
Constans II: 641 – 668 AD δn CONSτANτINϤS PP AV
Mezezius: 668 – 669 AD δn mεZεZIϤS AVϤ
Constantine IV, Pogonatus: 668 – 685 AD δn CONSτANτϤS PP AϤg
Justinian II, Rhinometes: 685 – 695 AD IϤSτINIANϤS Pε AV
Leontius: 695 – 698 AD D Lεon Pε AV
Tiberius III Apsimarus: 698 – 705 AD D τIbεRIϤS Pε AV
Philippicus Bardanes: 711 – 713 AD δN FILεPICϤS MϤLTϤS AN
Anastasius II Artemius: 713 – 715 AD DN ANASTASIϤS MϤLTϤS AN
Theodosius III: 715 – 717 AD δn τhεOδOSIϤS MϤL
Leo III the Isaurian: 717 – 741 AD δNO LεON P A MϤL
Artavasdes & Nicephorus: 742 – 743 AD G APτAϤASDOS MϤLT G NIChFORϤS MϤLTϤ A
Constantine V Coronymus:741 – 775 AD GN CONSTANTINϤS
Leo IV the Khazar: 751 – 780 AD LεONVS ЕςςON CONSτANτINOS O nεOS
Constantine & Irene: 780 – 797 AD CONSτANτINOS CA b’ Δ’
Irene: 797 – 802 AD εIRInH bASΔILISSH
Nicephorus I (Logothete) & Stauracius: 802 – 811 AD nICIFOROS bASILε’ SτAVRACIS δεSPo’X
Michael I (Rhanagabe) & Theophylactus: 811 – 813 AD MIXAHL S ΘεOF’
Leo V & Constantine: 813 – 820 AD LεOn bASILεϤ’ CONSτANτ’ δεSPX
Michael II the Amorian: 820 – 829 AD MIXAHL bASILε’
Theophilus & Constantine: 829 – 842 AD ΘεOFILOS bASILε’
Michael III the drunkard: 856 – 866 AD MIXAHL BASILε’
Basil I the Macedonian:867 – 886 AD BASILIOS AϤςϤSτ’ b’
Leo VI the wise: 886 – 912 AD LεON bASILεVS ROM
Alexander: 912 – 913 AD ALεXAndROS AϤςϤSτOS ROm
Constantine VII Porphy Rogenitus: 908 – 959 AD +COnSτAnτ bASIL Rom
Romanus I Lecapenus:920 – 944 AD +RωmAn bASILε Rωm
Romanus II: 945 – 959 AD RomAn AVτOCRAτ’ Rom
Nicephorus II Phocas:963 – 969 AD +nICIFR bASIL Rom
John I Tzimisces: 969 – 976 ΘεOTOC bOHΘ’ Iω δεSP
Basil II Bulgaroctonos:976 – 1025 AD +bASIL’ C COnSτanτ’ b R
Constantine VIII: 1025 – 1028 AD +CωnSτAnτIn bASilεϤS Rom
Romanus III Argyrus: 1028 – 1034 AD Θcε bOHΘ’ RωmAn ω
Michael IV the Paphlogonian: 1034 – 1041 AD +mIXAHL bASILεϤS Rm
Zoe: 1041 AD ZωH AVΓOVCTH
Michael V Kalaphates: 1041 – 1042 AD +mIXAHL ΔεsΠOτ
Constantine IX Monomachus: 1042 – 1055 AD CωnSτAnτn bASILεϤ Rm
Theodora: 1055 – 1056 AD +ΘεOΔωPA AVΓOCRAτ
Michael VI Stratiopticus: 1056 – 1057 AD +mIXAHL AϤτOCRAT’
Isaac I Commenus: 1057 – 1059 AD +IOcAAKIOC BACIΛεVC
Constantine X Ducas: 1059 – 1067 AD +KωN BAC ΛO ΔOVKAC
Eudocia, Michael VIII & Constantine: 1067 AD + MIL εVAK S KωNS
Romanus IV Diogenes: 1068 – 1071 AD +PωMAN εVΔOKIA
Michael VII Ducas: 1071 – 1078 AD +MIXAHA BACIA O Δ
Nicephoros III Botaniates: 1078 – 1081 AD +NIKHΦ ΔεC Tω BOTANIAT
Nicephorus Basilacius: 1078 AD C N B B
Nicephorus Melissenus: 1080 – 1081 AD NIKΦO Pω ΔεCΠOTH Tω MεΛICHNω
Alexius I Comnenus: 1081 – 1118 AD +AΛεIω ΔεCΠOT Tω Kom
John II Comnenus: 1118 – 1143 AD Iω ΔεC ΠOT Tω Π
Maneul I Comnenus: 1143 – 1180 AD MANϪHA ΔεCΠOTH
Andronicus I Comnenus: 1183 – 1185 AD ANΔPONIKOC ΔεCΠOTHC
Isaac Comnenus (Cyprus): 1183 – 1191 AD ICCAKIOC ΔεC
Isaac II Angelus: 1185 – 1204 AD ICAAKIOC ΔεC
Theodore Mankaphas (Philadelphia): 1188 – 1189 & 1204 – 1205 AD +ΘΔPB
Alexius III Angelus Comnenus: 1195 – 1203 AD AΛεΞIOC ΔεCΠ
Theodore I Comnenus Lascaris (Nicaea): 1208 – 1222 AD ΘεOΔOPOC ΔεCΠOTC KOMNHNOC O ΛACKAPHC
John III Ducas vatatzes (Nicaea): 1222 – 1254 AD Iω ΔεCΠOTC OΔϪKAC
Theodore II Ducas Lascaris (Nicaea): 1254 – 1258 AD ΘεOΔOPOC ΔεCΠOTHC ΔϪKAC O ΛACKAPIC
Theodore Comnenus Ducas (Thessalonica/Epirus): 1224 -1230 AD ΘεOΔOPOC ΔεCΠ
Manuel Comnenus Ducas (Thessalonica/Erirus): 1230 – 1237 AD MANϪHΛ ΔεCΠ
John Comnenus Ducas (Thessalonica): 1237 – 1244 AD IωANNIC ΔεCPOTIC
Michael VIII Palaeologus: 1261 – 1282 AD XM ΔεCΠOT O ΠAΛεOΛOΓ
Andronicus II & Michael IX: 1295 – 1320 AD ANΔPONIKOC εN Xω ΔεCΠOTIC O ΠAΛ
Andronicus III Palaeologus: 1328 – 1341 AD ANΔPONIKOC O AVTOKPATOP
John VI Cantacuzenus: 1347 – 1354 AD KTKZN ΓOΔ ΔMTP
John V Palaeologus: 1341 – 1391 AD Iω ΔεCΠOTIC O ΠAΛOεOΛOΓOC
Andronicus IV Palaeologus: 1376 – 1379 AD ANΔPONIKOV ΔεCΠOTC
Manuel II Palaeologus: 1391 – 1423 AD MANOVHA ΔεCΠOTIC
Jonh VII Palaeologus: 1390, Regent 1399 -1402 AD IωANIC BACIΛεVC O ΠAΛεOΛOΓOC
John VIII Palaeologus: 1423 – 1448 AD IωANCH ΔεCΠOTIC O ΠAΛεOΛOΓOC
Constantine XI Palaeologus: 1448 – 1453 AD KWNCT ….. ΠAΛ
The last Byzantine emperor, Constantinople now under Ottoman rule.
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