Introduction: Some Short Remarks on the Methodology and Purpose of the Book

The reign of Theophilos (829–842), the last iconoclast emperor, has always attracted historians of Byzantium, who tend to regard it as a crucial turning point in the history of the empire. However, the reasons for such an assessment are difficult to ascertain. Certainly, he enjoyed a relatively mild treatment in the iconophile sources, at least in contrast with the demeaning accounts of his iconoclastic forerunners, especially Leo III, Constantine V and Leo V. These same sources have preserved some family scenes of the emperor that render Theophilos’ figure more humane and even enable us to draw an approximate profile of his character. A legendary halo of righteousness even surrounds Theophilos in some later accounts.