A Syrian shepherd who, according to legend, caught the emperor's eye by offering sheep to feed his army on campaign, and rose through the imperial ranks to be proclaimed emperor just months before the great Arab siege of Constantinople. He outsmarted the Arab besiegers at every turn and induced the Bulgarians to deliver the killing blow to the besieging forces. Having saved the empire, he then unleashed the iconoclast controversy, ordering the destruction of holy images and causing a religious firestorm that split east from west and would drain the empire for a hundred years.
Also known as: Leo III the Isaurian · Leo the Syrian
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Episode 11 (1 mention)
A Syrian shepherd who, according to legend, caught the emperor's eye by offering sheep to feed his army on campaign, and rose through the imperial ranks to be proclaimed emperor just months before the great Arab siege of Constantinople. He outsmarted the Arab besiegers at every turn and induced the Bulgarians to deliver the killing blow to the besieging forces. Having saved the empire, he then unleashed the iconoclast controversy, ordering the destruction of holy images and causing a religious firestorm that split east from west and would drain the empire for a hundred years.
“commands, and taking the name Leo III, had been proclaimed emperor a few months before”
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