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76-509: The emperor Constantine VII "Porphyrogenitus" (905–959) was only surviving son of the emperor Leo VI the Wise (886–912). Leo VI gave the crown to young Constantine VII in 908 and he became the co-emperor. Leo VI died in May 912, and his brother and co-emperor Alexander became the ruler of Constantinople, but Alexander died in 913. Constantine VII was too young to rule on his own, and the governorship

152-565: A developed agricultural society. However, as Alexander Mikaberidze adds, these explanations for the word Georgians/Georgia are rejected by the scholarly community, who point to the Persian word gurğ/gurğān ("wolf" ) as the root of the word. Starting with the Persian word gurğ/gurğān , the word was later adopted in numerous other languages, including Slavic and West European languages. This term itself might have been established through

228-493: A legitimate heir to the throne. His first wife Theophano , whom Basil had forced him to marry on account of her family connections to the Martinakioi, and whom Leo hated, died in 897, and Leo married Zoe Zaoutzaina , the daughter of his adviser Stylianos Zaoutzes, though she died as well in 899. Upon this marriage Leo created the title of basileopatōr ("father of the emperor") for his father-in-law. After Zoe's death

304-480: A manual for his successor, Romanos II, reduces the possibility that large untruths have been written. Therefore, De Administrando Imperio is one of the most important sources for the study of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) and its neighbors. It contains advice on ruling the heterogeneous empire as well as fighting foreign enemies. The work combines two of Constantine's earlier treatises, "On

380-402: A mistress in the person of Zoe Zaoutzaina . Basil married Zoe off to an insignificant official, and later almost had Leo blinded when he was accused of conspiring against him. On 29 August 886, Basil died in a hunting accident, though he claimed on his deathbed that there was an assassination attempt in which Leo was possibly involved. One of the first actions of Leo VI after his succession

456-590: A nation and Caucasian ethnic group native to present-day Georgia and surrounding areas historically associated with the Georgian kingdoms. Significant Georgian diaspora communities are also present throughout Russia , Turkey , Greece , Iran , Ukraine , the United States , and the European Union . Georgians arose from Colchian and Iberian civilizations of classical antiquity ; Colchis

532-462: A self-sustained ruler. Thus, the whole De Administrando Imperio must have been written while Constantine VII was still alive. It is said that De Administrando Imperio was written between 948 and 952. Chapters 27, 29, and 45 of the work support that view. Chapter 29 says, "now (today) is the VII indiction, the year 6457 from the creation of the world," and Byzantine year 6457 from the creation of

608-615: A significant number of irreligious Georgians . Located in the Caucasus , on the continental crossroads of Europe and Asia , the High Middle Ages saw Georgian people form a unified Kingdom of Georgia in 1008 AD, the pan-Caucasian empire, later inaugurating the Georgian Golden Age , a height of political and cultural power of the nation. This lasted until the kingdom was weakened and later disintegrated as

684-492: A third marriage was technically illegal, but he married again, only to have his third wife Eudokia Baïana die in 901. Instead of marrying a fourth time, which would have been an even greater sin than a third marriage (according to the Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos ) Leo took as mistress Zoe Karbonopsina . He married her only after she had given birth to a son in 905, but incurred the opposition of

760-567: A victory in 900 against the Emirate of Tarsus , in which the Arab army was destroyed and the Emir himself captured, in the west the Emirate of Sicily took Taormina , the last Byzantine outpost on the island of Sicily , in 902. Nevertheless, Leo continued to apply pressure on his eastern frontier through the creation of the new thema of Mesopotamia , a Byzantine invasion of Armenia in 902, and

836-498: Is a general directive on foreign policy coming from the Emperor. Chapters 43—46 are about contemporary policy in the north-east ( Armenia and Georgia ). The guides to the incorporation and taxation of new imperial provinces, and to some parts of civil and naval administration, are in chapters 49–52. These later chapters (and chapter 53) were designed to give practical instructions to the emperor Romanus II, and are probably added during

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912-521: Is also a small number of Georgian Jews , tracing their ancestors to the Babylonian captivity . In addition to traditional religious confessions, Georgia retains irreligious segments of society , as well as a significant portion of nominally religious individuals who do not actively practice their faith. The Georgian cuisine is specific to the country, but also contains some influences from other European culinary traditions , as well as those from

988-507: Is derived from the country of Georgia. In the past, lore-based theories were given by the medieval French traveller Jacques de Vitry , who explained the name's origin by the popularity of St. George amongst Georgians, while traveller Jean Chardin thought that "Georgia" came from Greek γεωργός ("tiller of the land"), as when the Greeks came into the region (in Colchis ) they encountered

1064-583: Is one of the best examples of Byzantine architecture . Leo also completed work on the Basilika , the Greek translation and update of the law code issued by Justinian I , which had been started during the reign of Basil. Bishop Liutprand of Cremona gives an account similar to those about Caliph Harun al-Rashid , to the effect that Leo would sometimes disguise himself and go about Constantinople looking for injustice or corruption. According to one story, he

1140-558: Is prepared, always accompanied by large amounts of wine, and dinner can last for hours. In a Georgian feast, the role of the tamada (toastmaster) is an important and honoured position. In countries of the former Soviet Union , Georgian food is popular due to the immigration of Georgians to other Soviet republics, in particular Russia. In Russia all major cities have many Georgian restaurants and Russian restaurants often feature Georgian food items on their menu. The Georgians have historically been classified into various subgroups based on

1216-588: The A. Bandur (1711) – is collated copy of the first edition and manuscript P . Banduri's edition was reprinted twice: in 1729 in the Venetian collection of the Byzantine Historians , and in 1864 Migne republished Banduri's text with a few corrections. Constantine himself had not given the work a name, preferring instead to start the text with the standard formal salutation: "Constantine, in Christ

1292-610: The Balkans against Bulgaria and against the Arabs in Sicily and the Aegean . His reign also witnessed the formal discontinuation of several ancient Roman institutions, such as the separate office of Roman consul . Born on 19 September 866 to the empress Eudokia Ingerina , Leo was either the illegitimate son of Emperor Michael III or the second son of Michael's successor, Basil I

1368-747: The Curiae , the Roman Senate , even the Consulate , were finally removed from a legal perspective, even though these still continued in a lesser, decorative form. The supposed Book of the Prefect and the Kletorologion of Philotheos were also issued under Leo's name and testify to his government's interest in organization and the maintenance of public order. The Book of the Eparch described

1444-835: The Eastern Orthodox Church . He also composed hymns that are sung on the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross . By his first wife, Theophano Martinakia , Leo VI had one daughter: By his second wife, Zoe Zaoutzaina , Leo had one daughter: By his third wife, Eudokia Baïana , Leo had one son: By his fourth wife, Zoe Karbonopsina , Leo had two children: Georgians The Georgians , or Kartvelians ( / k ɑːr t ˈ v ɛ l i ə n z / ; Georgian : ქართველები , romanized : kartvelebi , pronounced [kʰaɾtʰʷelebi] ), are

1520-583: The Imereti region for centuries and are now identified as Imeretian or Imeretian-Mingrelians. Last names from mountainous eastern Georgian provinces (such as Kakheti, etc.) can be distinguished by the suffix – uri (ური), or – uli (ული). Most Svan last names typically end in – ani (ანი), Mingrelian in – ia (ია), - ua (უა), or - ava (ავა), and Laz in – shi (ში). The 1897 Russian census (which accounted people by language), had Imeretian, Svan and Mingrelian languages separate from Georgian . During

1596-485: The Laz . The language known today as Georgian is a traditional language of the eastern part of the country which has spread to most of the present-day Georgia after the post-Christianization centralization in the first millennium CE. Today, Georgians regardless of their ancestral region use Georgian as their official language. The regional languages Svan and Mingrelian are languages of the west that were traditionally spoken in

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1672-550: The Macedonian . Eudokia was both Michael III's mistress and Basil's wife. In 867, Michael was assassinated by Basil, who succeeded him as emperor. As the second-eldest son of the Emperor, Leo was associated on the throne in 870 and became the direct heir on the death of his older half-brother Constantine in 879. However, Leo and Basil did not like each other; a relationship that only deteriorated after Eudokia's death, when Leo, unhappy with his marriage to Theophano , took up

1748-535: The ancient Greeks and Romans as Colchians and Iberians . East Georgian tribes of Tibarenians-Iberians formed their kingdom in 7th century BCE . However, western Georgian tribes ( Colchian tribes ) established the first Georgian state of Colchis ( c.  1350 BCE ) before the foundation of the Kingdom of Iberia in the east. According to the numerous scholars of Georgia, the formations of these two early Georgian kingdoms of Colchis and Iberia, resulted in

1824-823: The 20th century, due to Soviet anti-religious policies, cultural integration with the national Orthodox majority, and strong missionary efforts by the Georgian Orthodox Church. In the early modern period, converted Georgian recruits were often used by the Persian and Ottoman Empires for elite military units such as the Mameluks , Qizilbash , and ghulams . The Iranian Georgians are all reportedly Shia Muslims today, while Ingiloy (indigenous to Azerbaijan), Laz (indigenous to Turkey), Imerkhevians (indigenous to Turkey), and Georgians in Turkey (who descend from Georgian immigrants) are mostly Sunni Muslim. There

1900-514: The 940s, is contained in the chapters 12–40. This treatise contains traditional and legendary stories of how the territories surrounding the Empire came in the past to be occupied by the people living in them in the Emperor's times ( Saracens , Lombards , Venetians , Serbs , Croats , Magyars , Pechenegs ). Chapters 1–8, 10—12 explain imperial policy toward the Pechenegs and Turks . Chapter 13

1976-598: The Eternal Sovereign, Emperor of the Romans, to [his] own son Romanos, the Emperor crowned of God and born in the purple ". The language Constantine uses is rather straightforward High Medieval Greek , somewhat more elaborate than that of the Canonic Gospels , and easily comprehensible to an educated modern Greek. The only difficulty is the regular use of technical terms which – being in standard use at

2052-585: The Georgian language. Colchians in the ancient western Georgian polity of Colchis were another proto-Georgian tribe. They are first mentioned in the Assyrian annals of Tiglath-Pileser I and in the annals of Urartian king Sarduri II, and also included western Georgian tribe of the Meskhetians . Iberians, also known as Tiberians or Tiberanians, lived in the eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia. Both Colchians and Iberians played an important role in

2128-634: The Georgian population, most of whom are ethnic Georgian, follow Eastern Orthodox Christianity. A sizable Georgian Muslim population exists in Adjara . This autonomous Republic borders Turkey, and was part of the Ottoman Empire for a longer amount of time than other parts of the country. Those Georgian Muslims practice the Sunni Hanafi form of Islam. Islam has however declined in Adjara during

2204-741: The Governance of the State and the various Nations" ( Περὶ Διοικήσεως τοῦ Κράτους βιβλίον καὶ τῶν διαφόρων Ἐθνῶν ), concerning the histories and characters of the nations neighbouring the Empire, including the Hungarians , Pechenegs , Kievan Rus' , South Slavs , Arabs , Lombards , Armenians , and Georgians ; and the "On the Themes of East and West" ( Περὶ θεμάτων Ἀνατολῆς καὶ Δύσεως , known in Latin as De Thematibus ), concerning recent events in

2280-715: The Ottomans, and the remaining Georgian territories were absorbed by the Russian Empire in a piecemeal fashion through the course of the 19th century. Georgians briefly reasserted their independence from Russia under the First Georgian Republic from 1918 to 1921 and finally in 1991 from the Soviet Union . The Georgian nation was formed out of a diverse set of geographic subgroups, each with its characteristic traditions, manners, dialects and, in

2356-593: The Russians on the political horizon as a possible replacement for the lost Byzantine Empire , "for the sake of the Christian faith". The Georgian kings and Russian tsars exchanged no less than 17 embassies, which culminated in 1783, when Heraclius II of the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti forged an alliance with the Russian Empire . The Russo-Georgian alliance, however, backfired as Russia

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2432-429: The Wise ( Greek : Λέων ὁ Σοφός , romanized :  Léōn ho Sophós , 19 September 866 – 11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), he was very well read, leading to his epithet . During his reign, the renaissance of letters, begun by his predecessor Basil I , continued; but the empire also saw several military defeats in

2508-584: The ancient Iranian appellation of the near- Caspian region, which was referred to as Gorgan ("land of the wolves" ). Most historians and scholars of Georgia as well as anthropologists, archaeologists, and linguists tend to agree that the ancestors of modern Georgians inhabited the southern Caucasus and northern Anatolia since the Neolithic period . Scholars usually refer to them as Proto-Kartvelian (Proto-Georgians such as Colchians and Iberians) tribes. The Georgian people in antiquity have been known to

2584-448: The beaten track of common, everyday speech" for his son and those high officials with whom he might later choose to share the work. It is probably the extant written text that comes closest to the vernacular employed by the imperial palace bureaucracy in 10th-century Constantinople. In 1892 R. Vari planned a new critical edition of this work and J.B. Bury later proposed to include this work in his collection of Byzantine Texts. He gave up

2660-510: The case of Svans and Mingrelians , own regional languages. The Georgian language , with its own unique writing system and extensive written tradition, which goes back to the 5th century, is the official language of Georgia as well as the language of education of all Georgians living in the country. According to the State Ministry on Diaspora Issues of Georgia , unofficial statistics say that there are more than 5 million Georgians in

2736-529: The consolidation and uniformity of the Georgian nation. According to the renowned scholar of the Caucasian studies Cyril Toumanoff , the Moschians also were one of the early proto-Georgian tribes which were integrated into the first early Georgian state of Iberia. The ancient Jewish chronicle by Josephus mentions Georgians as Iberes who were also called Thobel (Tubal). David Marshall Lang argued that

2812-520: The earliest Georgian formation. An FTDNA collection of Georgian Y-DNA suggests that Georgians have the highest percentage of Haplogroup G (39.9%) among the general population recorded in any country. Georgians' Y-DNA also belongs to Haplogroup J (32.5%), R1b (8.6%), L (5.4%), R1a (4.2%), I2 (3.8%) and other more minor haplogroups such as E, T and Q. Georgian is the primary language for Georgians of all provenance, including those who speak other Kartvelian languages : Svans , Mingrelians and

2888-475: The ethnic and cultural formation of the modern Georgian nation. According to the scholar of the Caucasian studies Cyril Toumanoff: Colchis appears as the first Caucasian State to have achieved the coalescence of the newcomer, Colchis can be justly regarded as not a proto-Georgian, but a Georgian (West Georgian) kingdom ... It would seem natural to seek the beginnings of Georgian social history in Colchis,

2964-556: The eunuch Samonas , an Arab defector whom Leo raised to the rank of patrikios and who stood in as godfather to Leo's son, Constantine VII . His attempts to control the great aristocratic families (e.g., the Phokadai and the Doukai ) occasionally led to serious conflicts, the most significant being the revolt of Andronikos Doukas in 906. Leo also attempted to involve himself in the church through his arbitrary interference with

3040-625: The former religions except Zoroastrianism, which become a second established religion in Iberia after the Peace of Acilisene in 378. The conversion to Christianity eventually placed the Georgians permanently on the front line of conflict between the Islamic and Christian world. Georgians remained mostly Christian despite repeated invasions by Muslim powers, and long episodes of foreign domination. As

3116-603: The geographic region which their ancestors traditionally inhabited. Even if a member of any of these subgroups moves to a different region, they will still be known by the name of their ancestral region. For example, if a Gurian moves to Tbilisi (part of the Kartli region) he will not automatically identify himself as Kartlian despite actually living in Kartli. This may, however, change if substantial amount of time passes. For example, there are some Mingrelians who have lived in

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3192-698: The help of his supporters, cloistered his brothers-in-law, and personally ruled by the Eastern Roman Empire from January 945 to his death in November 959. Constantine's father, Leo was known for his learning and writings, and, correctly or not, Constantine VII also believed that his mother, Zoe Karbonopsina , was a relative of the chronicler Theophanes the Confessor , one of the Middle Byzantine Historians. Constantine VII

3268-416: The imperial provinces. To this combination were added Constantine's own political instructions to his son, Romanus. The book content, according to its preface, is divided into four sections: As to the historical and geographic information, which is often confusing and filled with legends, this information is in essence reliable. The historical and antiquarian treatise, which the Emperor had compiled during

3344-507: The important frontier provinces ( kleisourai ) of Lykandos and Leontokome on territory recently taken from the Arabs. In 907 Constantinople was attacked by the Kievan Rus' under Oleg of Novgorod , who was seeking favorable trading rights with the empire. Leo paid them off , but they attacked again in 911, and a trade treaty was finally signed. Leo VI caused a major scandal with his numerous marriages which failed to produce

3420-441: The latter being one of the proto-Georgian tribes that emerged as a dominant group in ancient times. Kart probably is cognate with Indo-European gard and denotes people who live in a "fortified citadel ". Ancient Greeks ( Homer , Herodotus , Strabo , Plutarch etc.) and Romans ( Titus Livius , Cornelius Tacitus , etc.) referred to western Georgians as Colchians and eastern Georgians as Iberians . The term "Georgians"

3496-447: The patriarch. Replacing Nicholas Mystikos with Euthymios, Leo got his marriage recognized by the church (albeit with a long penance attached, and with an assurance that Leo would outlaw all future fourth marriages). The future Constantine VII was the illegitimate son born before Leo's uncanonical fourth marriage to Zoe Karbonopsina. To strengthen his son's position as heir, Leo had Constantine crowned as co-emperor on 15 May 908, when he

3572-470: The patriarchate. Using his former tutor Patriarch Photios 's excommunication by Pope John VIII as an excuse, Leo dismissed him and replaced him with his own 19-year-old brother Stephen in December 886. On Stephen's death in 893, Leo replaced him with Zaoutzes' nominee, Antony II Kauleas , who died in 901. Leo then promoted his own Imperial secretary ( mystikos ) Nicholas , but suspicions that he

3648-590: The plan for an edition, surrendering it to Gyula Moravcsik in 1925. The first modern edition of the Greek text (by Gy. Moravscik) and its English translation (by R. J. H. Jenkins ) appeared in Budapest in 1949. The next editions appeared in 1962 (Athlone, London) then in 1967 and 1993 ( Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington D.C.). Leo VI the Wise Leo VI , also known as Leo

3724-485: The pre-Christian Kingdom of Colchis , but later lost importance as the unified Kingdom of Georgia emerged. Their decline is largely due to the capital of the unified kingdom, Tbilisi , being in the eastern part of the country known as Kingdom of Iberia effectively making the language of the east an official language of the Georgian monarch. All of these languages comprise the Kartvelian language family along with

3800-726: The prohibition on fourth marriages. Both the Basilika and the Novels were concerned with ecclesiastical law ( canon law ) as well as secular law. Most importantly, from a historical perspective, they finally did away with much of the remaining legal and constitutional architecture that the Byzantine Empire had inherited from the Roman Empire, and even from the days of the Roman Republic . Obsolete institutions such as

3876-688: The related language of the Laz people , which has speakers in both Turkey and Georgia. Georgian dialects include Imeretian , Racha - Lechkhumian , Gurian , Adjarian , Imerkhevian (in Turkey), Kartlian , Kakhetian , Ingilo (in Azerbaijan), Tush , Khevsur , Mokhevian , Pshavian , Fereydan dialect in Iran in Fereydunshahr and Fereydan , Mtiuletian , Meskhetian and Javakhetian dialect. According to Orthodox tradition, Christianity

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3952-475: The result of the 13th–15th-century invasions of the Mongols and Timur , the Black Death , the Fall of Constantinople , as well as internal divisions following the death of George V the Brilliant in 1346, the last of the great kings of Georgia . Thereafter and throughout the early modern period , Georgians became politically fractured and were dominated by the Ottoman Empire and successive dynasties of Iran . Georgians started looking for allies and found

4028-499: The root Tibar gave rise to the form Iber that made the Greeks pick up the name Iberian in the end for the designation of the eastern Georgians. Diauehi in Assyrian sources and Taochi in Greek lived in the northeastern part of Anatolia . This ancient tribe is considered by many scholars as ancestors of the Georgians. Modern Georgians still refer to this region, which now belongs to present-day Turkey, as Tao-Klarjeti , an ancient Georgian kingdom. Some people there still speak

4104-423: The rules and regulations for trade and trade organizations in Constantinople, while the Kletorologion was an attempt to standardize officials and ranks at the Byzantine court. Leo is also the author, or at least sponsor, of the Tactica , a notable treatise on military operations. Succeeding generations saw Leo as a prophet and a magician, and soon a collection of oracular poems and some short divinatory texts,

4180-405: The sacking of Theodosiopolis , as well as successful raids in the Arab Thughur . Then, in 904 the renegade Leo of Tripolis sacked Thessalonica with his pirates—an event described in The Capture of Thessalonica by John Kaminiates —while a large-scale expedition to recover Crete under Himerios in 911–912 failed disastrously. Nevertheless, the same period also saw the establishment of

4256-410: The so-called Oracles of Leo the Wise , at least in part based on earlier Greek sources, were attached to the Emperor's name in later centuries and were believed to foretell the future of the world. Finally, Leo is credited with translating the relics of St. Lazarus to Constantinople in the year 890. There are several stichera (hymns) attributed to him that are chanted on Lazarus Saturday in

4332-408: The surrounding Western Asia. Each historical province of Georgia has its own distinct culinary tradition, such as Megrelian, Kakhetian, and Imeretian cuisines. In addition to various meat dishes, Georgian cuisine also offers a variety of vegetarian meals. The importance of both food and drink to Georgian culture is best observed during a Caucasian feast, or supra , when a huge assortment of dishes

4408-481: The time – may present prima facie hardships to a modern reader. For example, Constantine writes of the regular practice of sending basilikoí ( lit. "royals") to distant lands for negotiations. In this case, it is merely meant that "royal men", i.e. imperial envoys, were sent as ambassadors on a specific mission. In the preamble, the emperor makes a point that he has avoided convoluted expressions and "lofty Atticisms " on purpose, so as to make everything "plain as

4484-428: The world corresponds with 948/949 CE. Chapter 45 says, "now (today) is the X indiction, the year from the creation of the world 6460 in the reign of Constantine [VII] and Romanus [II] ," and Byzantine year 6460 from the creation of the world corresponds with 951/952 CE. From this, it would appear that some parts of the work were written in the period 948-952 CE. According to other researchers, De Administrando Imperio

4560-402: The world. Georgians call themselves Kartveli ( ქართველი , pl. Kartvelebi ქართველები ), their land Sakartvelo ( საქართველო ), and their language Kartuli ( ქართული ). According to The Georgian Chronicles , the ancestor of the Kartvelian people was Kartlos , the great-grandson of the Biblical Japheth . However, scholars agree that the word is derived from the Karts ,

4636-476: The year 951–52, in order to mark Romanus' fourteenth birthday (952). There are four surviving copies: The Greek text in its entirety was published seven times. The editio princeps , which was based on V , was published in 1611 by Johannes Meursius , who gave it the Latin title by which it is now universally known, and which translates as On Administering the Empire . This edition was published six years later with no changes. The next edition – which belongs to

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4712-478: Was a prolific writer, and he produced works on many different topics and in many styles, including political orations, liturgical poems, and theological treatises. On many occasions he would personally deliver highly wrought and convoluted sermons in the churches of Constantinople. In the subject matter of legal works and treatises, he established a legal commission that carried out his father's original intent of codifying all of existing Byzantine law. The end result

4788-489: Was a scholar-emperor, who sought to foster learning and education in the empire. He gathered a group of educated people and dedicated himself to writing books about the administration, ceremonies, and history of the empire. A circle of educated people formed around Constantine VII wrote three unfinished books ( De Administrando Imperio , De Ceremoniis and On the Themes) and finished a biography of his grandfather, Basil I . The text known as De Administrando Imperio

4864-482: Was a six-volume work consisting of 60 books, entitled the Basilika . Written in Greek, the Basilika translated and systematically arranged practically all of the laws preserved in the Corpus Juris Civilis , thereby providing a foundation upon which all later Byzantine laws could be built. Leo then began integrating new laws issued during his reign into the Basilika . Called "Novels", or "New Laws", these were codes that dealt with current problems and issues, such as

4940-428: Was compiled at some point after 952 and before November 959 when Constantine VII died. Still others believe the book just an unfinished manuscript written between about 926 and November 959. In the beginning of the De Administrando Imperio , Constantine VII wrote that the work was a set of knowledge which his son Romanos II (born in 938, and ruled 959–963) will need. The intention of Emperor Constantine VII to write

5016-451: Was created. Later in May 919 Constantine VII married Helena Lekapene , daughter of Romanos Lekapenos. In December 920, Romanos I Lekapenos (920–944) was crowned a co-emperor, but he really took over the imperial reign in Constantinople . From 920, Constantine VII become increasingly distant from the imperial authorities; until December 944, when the sons of Emperor Romanos I suddenly rebelled and cloistered their father. Constantine VII, with

5092-440: Was even captured by the city guards during one of his investigations. Late in the evening, he was walking alone and disguised. Though he bribed two patrols with 12 nomismata and moved on, a third city patrol arrested him. When a terrified guardian recognized the jailed ruler in the morning, the arresting officer was rewarded for doing his duty, while the other patrols were dismissed and punished severely. Leo VI's fortune in war

5168-419: Was first preached in Georgia by the Apostles Simon and Andrew in the 1st century. It became the state religion of Kartli (Iberia) in 319 or 326. At the same time, in the first centuries A.D., the cult of Mithras , pagan beliefs, and Zoroastrianism were commonly practiced in Georgia. The conversion of Kartli to Christianity is credited to St. Nino of Cappadocia . Christianity gradually replaced all

5244-442: Was interconnected with the Hellenic world , whereas Iberia was influenced by the Achaemenid Empire until Alexander the Great conquered it. In the early 4th century, the Georgians became one of the first to embrace Christianity and now the majority of Georgians are Orthodox Christians , with most following their national Georgian Orthodox Church , although there are small Georgian Catholic and Muslim communities as well as

5320-425: Was involved in the failed assassination attempt against Leo in 903 as well as his opposition to Leo's fourth marriage saw Nicholas replaced with Leo's spiritual father Euthymios in 907. The magnificent Church of Agios Lazaros in Larnaca was constructed during the rule of Leo VI in the late 9th century, and it was built after the relics of St. Lazaros were transported from Crete to Constantinople. The church

5396-464: Was more mixed than Basil's had been. In indulging his chief counselor Stylianos Zaoutzes , Leo provoked a war with Simeon I of Bulgaria in 894, but he was defeated. Bribing the Magyars to attack the Bulgarians from the north, Leo scored an indirect success in 895. However, deprived of his new allies, he lost the major Battle of Boulgarophygon in 896 and had to make the required commercial concessions and to pay annual tribute. Although he won

5472-500: Was only two years old. Leo VI died on 11 May 912. He was succeeded by his younger brother Alexander , who had reigned as emperor alongside his father and brother since 879. Alexander died thirteen months later, and Constantine succeeded him. Shortly before Constantine reached the age of maturity, one of his regents made himself senior co-emperor as Romanos I . Romanus married his daughter to Constantine, and their son became emperor as Romanos II on Constantine's death in 959. Leo VI

5548-665: Was the reburial, with great ceremony, of the remains of Michael III in the imperial mausoleum within the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople . This contributed to the suspicion that Leo was (or at least believed himself to be) in truth Michael's son. Seeking political reconciliation, the new emperor secured the support of the officials in the capital, and surrounded himself with bureaucrats like Stylianos Zaoutzes (the father of his mistress, Zoe Zaoutzaina) and

5624-622: Was true elsewhere, the Christian church in Georgia was crucial to the development of a written language, and most of the earliest written works were religious texts. Medieval Georgian culture was greatly influenced by Eastern Orthodoxy and the Georgian Orthodox Church , which promoted and often sponsored the creation of many works of religious devotion. These included churches and monasteries, works of art such as icons , and hagiographies of Georgian saints. Today, 83.9% of

5700-399: Was unwilling to fulfill the terms of the treaty, proceeding to annex the troubled kingdom in 1801 as well as the western Georgian kingdom of Imereti in 1810. There were several uprisings and movements to restore the statehood, the most notable being the 1832 plot , which collapsed in failure. Eventually, Russian rule over Georgia was acknowledged in various peace treaties with Iran and

5776-453: Was written by emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, but he had at least one educated "Anonymous Collaborator". Constantine VII's direct appeals to his son Romanus II and Constantine's first-person commentaries are located both at the beginning of the treatise in the Proem and in chapter 13, as well as at the end of the text, in chapter 51. In this text his son Romanus II is never designated as

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