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having taken it and placed it on his head, he was immediately seized by a violent fever, and this took him from life. 285 When he died, the Augusta Irene with her son Constantine, who was completing his tenth year of age, succeeded to the imperial rule. And both were venerators of the holy icons, but before they had firmly established themselves on the throne, some plotted against them, so that they might make Caesar Nicephorus, the brother of the deceased emperor Leo, emperor. And when the conspiracy became known, the empress, having tortured those who had taken part in the plot and having shaved their hair, condemned them to exile. But her husband's brothers, both the Caesars and the Nobilissimi, she had tonsured and ordained into the priesthood, and she made them distribute the sacraments to the people on the feast of the Savior's birth. And she with her son went forth with the usual imperial bodyguard, and having come into the great church, she offered the crown which her husband had taken from there, having embellished it with greater ornament. And she also sent an army against the Arabs, in order to check their raids. So the Hagarenes, having gone out on a raid, were met by the Roman army that had been sent, and were routed, and many were killed. 286 And in Thrace, near the Long Wall, at that time a certain man digging came upon a stone sarcophagus containing the body of a man and having engraved letters saying, "Christ is about to be born of a virgin, and I believe in him; and in the time of the emperors Constantine and Irene, you will see me again, O sun." However, the empress Irene, wishing to arrange a marriage for her son, sent to Charles, the king of the Franks, seeking his daughter for her own child. Then, having abandoned such a marriage alliance because of fear and love of power, so that her son might not acquire the power of the Franks through the marriage connection, she brought a maiden from the east; whom some say was from the Armeniakon theme, and others from Paphlagonia, being the granddaughter of Philaretus, famous for his charity, and she joined this one to Constantine against his will and while he rejected her marriage, because he exceedingly wished to marry the daughter of Charles. And Aaron, the leader of the Arabs, campaigning against the Romans, 287 came as far as Chrysopolis. And Constantine, 287 having sent an army, captured the lake of Banes through it; and learning this, the Arabs asked to make a truce with the Romans. So the administrators of public affairs, having gone to Aaron in order to make treaties, and not having taken care beforehand to take hostages from among their important men, were seized by him and imprisoned in fetters. Therefore the rulers, being compelled on account of the officials, made a truce, agreeing to give tribute to the Arabs. So they then withdrew on such terms. And the empress appointed the patrician Elpidius as strategos of Sicily; then, learning that he supported the cause of the Caesars, she sent men to bring him from there. But when the Sicilians did not allow the men who were sent to take Elpidius, Irene, seized with anger, having whipped his wife and children and torn out their hair, imprisoned them in the praetorium; and she sent an army against him, having placed over them a eunuch from among her most trusted men. And with constant wars occurring, Elpidius was routed and fled to Africa and went over to the Arabs. And they, 288 having received him, placed an imperial diadem on him, and he was proclaimed emperor, even if nothing went according to his plan. And the empress, having been freed from her concern about the Arabs because of the peace, went out with her son into Thrace, taking along a large force and musical instruments; and having gone to Beroe and rebuilt the fort in it and named it Irenopolis, and moreover also having built Anchialus and having advanced as far as Philippopolis, she returned. And when the patriarch Paul fell ill and withdrew from the church and

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λαβὼν καὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ περιθέμενος εὐθὺς ἐλήφθη σφοδρῷ πυρετῷ, καὶ οὗτος αὐτὸν τῆς ζωῆς ὑπεξήγαγε. 285 Τοῦ δὲ θανόντος ἡ Αὐγούστα Εἰρήνη σὺν τῷ υἱῶ Κωνσταντίνῳ δέκατον ἐνιαυτὸν τῆς ἡλικίας ἀνύοντι τὴν βασίλειον ἀρχὴν διεδέξαντο. ἦσαν δὲ ἄμφω τῶν σεβασμίων εἰκόνων προσκυνηταί, ἀλλ' οὔπω τοὺς πόδας τῇ βασιλείᾳ βεβαίως ἐρείσασί τινες αὐτοῖς ἐπεβούλευσαν, ἵνα τὸν Καίσαρα Νικηφόρον τὸν τοῦ θανόντος βασιλέως Λέοντος ἀδελφὸν βασιλεύσωσι. γνωσθείσης δὲ τῆς συνωμοσίας τοὺς μὲν τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς μετασχόντας αἰκισαμένη ἡ βασιλὶς καὶ τὴν τρίχωσιν αὐτοῖς ἀποθρίξασα ὑπερορίαν τούτων κατεψηφίσατο, τοὺς δὲ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς ἀδελφοὺς τούς τε Καίσαρας καὶ τοὺς νωβελισίμους καρῆναι παρασκευάσασα καὶ ἱερωσύνης ἀξιωθῆναι καὶ μεταδοῦναι τῷ λαῷ τῶν ἁγιασμάτων ἐποίησε κατὰ τὴν ἑορτὴν τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος γεννήσεως. ἐκείνη δὲ σὺν τῷ υἱῷ προελήλυθε μετὰ τῆς συνήθους τοῖς βασιλεῦσι δορυφορίας καὶ ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ γενομένη τὸ στέμμα, ὃ ἐκεῖθεν ἀφείλετο ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς, προσήνεγκε, κόσμῳ πλείονι τοῦτο ἐπικοσμήσασα. ἔστειλε δὲ καὶ κατὰ τῶν Ἀράβων στράτευμα, ἵνα ἀνακόπτῃ τὰς ἐκείνων ἐπιδρομάς. ἐξελθόντες οὖν ἐπὶ λεηλασίαν Ἀγαρηνοὶ συναντῶνται παρὰ τῆς σταλείσης Ῥωμαϊκῆς στρατιᾶς καὶ τρέπονται καὶ ἀναιροῦνται 286 πολλοί. ἐν δέ γε τῇ Θράκῃ κατὰ τὸ Μακρὸν τεῖχος τότε τις ὀρύττων λάρνακι ἐντυγχάνει λιθίνῃ ἀνθρώπου φερούσῃ νεκρὸν καὶ γράμματα ἐγκεκολαμμένα ἐχούσῃ λέγοντα "Χριστὸς μέλλει γεννᾶσθαι ἐκ παρθένου, καὶ πιστεύω εἰς αὐτόν· ἐπὶ δὲ Κωνσταντίνου καὶ Εἰρήνης τῶν βασιλέων πάλιν, ἥλιε, ὄψει με." βουληθεῖσα μέντοι ἡ βασιλὶς Εἰρήνη γυναῖκα μνηστεύσασθαι τῷ υἱῷ, ἔπεμψε πρὸς Κάρουλον τὸν ῥῆγα τῶν Φράγγων, τὴν ἐκείνου παῖδα τῷ οἰκείῳ μνωμένη παιδί. εἶτα τὸ τοιοῦτον κῆδος καταλιποῦσα διὰ φόβον καὶ φιλαρχίαν, ἵνα μὴ δύναμιν ὁ υἱὸς αὐτῆς περιβάληται τὴν τῶν Φράγγων διὰ τὴν ἀγχιστείαν, ἐξ ἑῴας ἤνεγκε κόρην· ἣν οἱ μὲν ἐκ τοῦ τῶν Ἀρμενιακῶν θέματος λέγουσιν, ἕτεροι δ' ἐκ Παφλαγόνων, οὖσαν τοῦ ἐπὶ ἐλεημοσύνῃ διαβοήτου Φιλαρέτου θυγάτριον, καὶ ταύτην τῷ Κωνσταντίνῳ συνέζευξεν ἄκοντι καὶ τὸν γάμον αὐτῆς ἀποστέργοντι, ὅτι τὴν τοῦ Καρούλου παῖδα ἐκτόπως ἀγαγέσθαι ἐβούλετο. Ἀαρὼν δὲ ὁ τῶν Ἀράβων ἀρχηγὸς κατὰ Ῥωμαίων στρα287 τεύσας μέχρι Χρυσοπόλεως ἦλθεν. ὁ δὲ Κωνσταντῖνος στρά287 τευμα πέμψας τὴν λίμνην Βανῆς δι' αὐτοῦ κατέσχε· καὶ τοῦτο μαθόντες οἱ Ἄραβες σπείσασθαι Ῥωμαίοις ᾐτήσαντο. ἀπελθόντες οὖν οἱ τῶν κοινῶν διοικηταὶ πρὸς τὸν Ἀαρών, ἵνα συνθήκας ποιήσωσι, καὶ μὴ φροντίσαντες πρότερον ὁμήρους τῶν παρ' ἐκείνοις ἀναγκαίων λαβεῖν, κατεσχέθησαν παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν πέδαις καθείρχθησαν. ὅθεν βιασθέντες οἱ κρατοῦντες διὰ τοὺς ἄρχοντας ἐσπείσαντο, συνθέμενοι φόρους διδόναι τοῖς Ἄραψιν. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τοιαύταις συνθήκαις ἀνέζευξαν. ἡ δὲ βασίλισσα Ἐλπίδιον τὸν πατρίκιον στρατηγὸν Σικελίας προεχειρίσατο· εἶτα μαθοῦσα ὅτι τὰ τῶν Καισάρων φρονεῖ, ἔστειλε τοὺς ἄξοντας ἐκεῖθεν αὐτόν. τῶν δὲ Σικελιωτῶν μὴ παραχωρησάντων τοῖς σταλεῖσι λαβεῖν τὸν Ἐλπίδιον, ἡ Εἰρήνη θυμῷ ληφθεῖσα τὴν ἐκείνου γυναῖκα καὶ τοὺς παῖδας μαστίξασα καὶ τῶν τριχῶν ἀφελομένη ἐν τῷ πραιτωρίῳ καθεῖρξε· κατ' ἐκείνου δὲ ἐκπέπομφε στράτευμα, εὐνοῦχον αὐτοῖς ἐπιστήσασα τῶν πιστοτάτων αὐτῇ. πολέμων δὲ συνεχῶν γενομένων, τρέπεται ὁ Ἐλπίδιος καὶ ἀπέδρα εἰς Ἀφρικὴν καὶ τοῖς Ἄραψι προσεχώρησεν. οἱ δὲ 288 τοῦτον δεξάμενοι βασιλικὴν ταινίαν αὐτῷ περιέθεντο, καὶ ὡς βασιλεὺς ἀνηγόρευτο, εἰ καὶ μηδὲν αὐτῷ κατὰ σκοπὸν προεχώρησε. Τῆς δὲ περὶ τῶν Ἀράβων φροντίδος ἀπαλλαγεῖσα διὰ τὴν εἰρήνην ἡ βασιλὶς ἐξῆλθε σὺν τῷ υἱῷ κατὰ Θρᾴκην, δύναμίν τε πολλὴν ἐπισυρομένη καὶ ὄργανα μουσικά· καὶ ἀπελθοῦσα εἰς Βερόην καὶ τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ φρούριον ἀνοικοδομήσασα καὶ Εἰρηνόπολιν αὐτὸ ὀνομάσασα, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὴν Ἀγχίαλον δειμαμένη καὶ ἕως Φιλιππουπόλεως προελθοῦσα ὑπέστρεψε. Τοῦ δὲ πατριάρχου Παύλου νοσήσαντος καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὑποχωρήσαντος καὶ