Hello everyone, and welcome to the history of Byzantium.

Episode 76.

The Dung Named.

Last time we saw Constantine V hold an ecumenical council to get the church to accept his view

that icons should be removed from public life.

We then went a decade further on in the story as the emperor led a couple of successful

assaults on Bulgar territory before agreeing peace.

We've now reached the point at which the emperor begins executing and persecuting his people.

Let's hit play on the narrative for a bit and then we'll rewind to look at things in more

detail.

Once again the Bulgarians overthrew their Khan for making peace with the Romans and Constantine

assembled an expedition in 766.

The emperor marched north while a fleet sped up the coast ahead of him.

However on this occasion a nasty storm blew up while the ships were anchored and most

of them were smashed into the rocks.

Constantine arrived at Ankealis to discover that many of his men had drowned.

To honour the dead the Vassilefs ordered the remaining sailors to use hooks to drag

as many bodies from the sea as possible.

Those they retrieved were given a Christian burial.

Upon his return to the city the emperor ordered the execution of a monk named Stephen,

who had been locked in the Praetorium, Constantinople's jail for the past year.

We'll discuss Stephen's crimes later but it seems that the reason he was being killed

...