List of Byzantine emperors

The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised sovereign authority are included, to the exclusion of junior co-emperors who never attained the status of sole or senior ruler, as well as of the various usurpers or rebels who claimed the imperial title.
The following list starts with Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor, who rebuilt the city of Byzantium as an imperial capital, Constantinople, and who was regarded by the later emperors as the model ruler. Modern historians distinguish this later phase of the Roman Empire as Byzantine due to the imperial seat moving from Rome to Byzantium, the Empire's integration of Christianity, and the predominance of Greek instead of Latin.
The Byzantine Empire was the direct legal continuation of the eastern half of the Roman Empire following the division of the Roman Empire in 395. Emperors listed below up to Theodosius I in 395 were sole or joint rulers of the entire Roman Empire. The Western Roman Empire continued until 476. Byzantine emperors considered themselves to be Roman emperors in direct succession from Augustus; the term "Byzantine" became convention in Western historiography in the 19th century. The use of the title "Roman Emperor" by those ruling from Constantinople was not contested until after the papal coronation of the Frankish Charlemagne as Holy Roman emperor.
The title of all emperors preceding Heraclius was officially "Augustus", although other titles such as Dominus were also used. Their names were preceded by Imperator Caesar and followed by Augustus. Following Heraclius, the title commonly became the Greek Basileus, which had formerly meant sovereign, though Augustus continued to be used in a reduced capacity. Following the establishment of the rival Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe, the title "Autokrator" was increasingly used. In later centuries, the emperor could be referred to by Western Christians as the "emperor of the Greeks". Towards the end of the Empire, the standard imperial formula of the Byzantine ruler was " in Christ, Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans".
Dynasties were a common tradition and structure for rulers and government systems in the Medieval period. The principle or formal requirement for hereditary succession was not a part of the Empire's governance; hereditary succession was a custom and tradition, carried on as habit and benefited from some sense of legitimacy, but not as a "rule" or inviolable requirement for office at the time.

Constantinian dynasty (306–363)

Valentinianic dynasty (364–392)

Theodosian dynasty (379–457)

Leonid dynasty (457–518)

Portrait	Name	Reign	Notes
	Leo I "the Thracian"	7 February 457 – 18 January 474	Born in Dacia 400, and of Bessian origin, Leo became a low-ranking officer and served as an attendant of the Gothic magister militum, Aspar, who chose him as emperor on Marcian's death. He was the first emperor to be crowned by the Patriarch of Constantinople, and the first one to legislate in Greek. His reign was marked by the pacification of the Danube and peace with Persia, which allowed him to intervene in the affairs of the West, supporting candidates for the throne and dispatching an expedition to recover Carthage from the Vandals in 468. Initially a puppet of Aspar, Leo began promoting the Isaurians as a counterweight to Aspar's Goths, marrying his daughter Ariadne to the Isaurian leader Tarasicodissa. With their support, in 471 Aspar was murdered and Gothic power over the army was broken.
	Leo II "the Younger"	18 January – November 474	Born 468, he was the grandson of Leo I by Leo's daughter Ariadne and her Isaurian husband, Zeno. He was raised to Augustus on 17 November 473. Leo ascended the throne after the death of his grandfather on 18 January 474. He crowned his father as co-emperor and effective regent on 29 January, dying shortly after.
	Zeno	29 January 474 – 9 January 475	Born 425 in Isauria, originally named Tarasicodissa. As the leader of Leo I's Isaurian soldiers, he rose to comes domesticorum, married the emperor's daughter Ariadne and took the name Zeno, and played a crucial role in the elimination of Aspar and his Goths. He was named co-emperor by his son on 29 January 474 and became sole ruler upon the latter's death, but had to flee to his native country before Basiliscus in 475, regaining control of the capital in 476. Zeno concluded peace with the Vandals, saw off challenges against him by Illus and Verina, and secured peace in the Balkans by enticing the Ostrogoths under Theodoric the Great to migrate to Italy where the Gothic king ruled. Convincing Theodoric to move his Goths westward into Italy allowed Zeno to reduce what had been a drain to imperial resources, since these Germanic warriors had been exacting payments from the Empire throughout the 470s and 480s and menacing Eastern territories. As a consequence, Zeno's reign also saw the end of the western line of emperors. His pro-Miaphysite stance made him unpopular and his promulgation of the Henotikon resulted in the Acacian Schism with the papacy.
	Basiliscus	9 January 475 – August 476	General and brother-in-law of Leo I, seized power from Zeno and crowned himself emperor on 12 January. Zeno was restored soon after. Died in 476/477
	Zeno	August 476 – 9 April 491	Retook the throne with the help of general Illus. Saw the end of the Western Roman Empire. Died of dysentery or epilepsy
	Anastasius I "Dicorus"	11 April 491 – 9 July 518	Born 430 at Dyrrhachium, Anastasius was a palace official when he was chosen as the husband and ultimately Emperor by Empress-dowager Ariadne. He was nicknamed "Dikoros", because of his heterochromia. Apparently, there was some insistence from the citizenry of Constantinople that Zeno's successor should be an "Orthodox" Christian, which caused Ariadne to turn to Anastasius in the first place. Anastasius reformed the tax system and the Byzantine coinage and proved a frugal ruler, so that by the end of his reign he left a substantial surplus. His Miaphysitism led to widespread opposition, most notably the Revolt of Vitalian and the Acacian Schism. His reign was also marked by the first Bulgar raids into the Balkans and by a war with Persia over the foundation of Dara. He died childless. Shortly before his death, he tried to devise a means for one of his three nephews to succeed him by placing a note that read Regnum under their beds, but when none of them chose that bed, he decided instead to name the first person he saw the following morning. Keeping true to his word, when Justin—commander of the imperial guards—entered his presence first that morning, he was pronounced as Anastasius's successor.

Justinian dynasty (518–602)

Heraclian dynasty (610–695)

Portrait	Name	Reign	Notes
	Heraclius	5 October 610 – 11 February 641	Born as the eldest son of the Exarch of Africa, Heraclius the Elder. Began a revolt against Phocas in 609 and deposed him in October 610. Brought the Byzantine-Sassanid War of 602–628 to successful conclusion but was unable to stop the Muslim conquest of Syria. Heraclius' officials worked to replace Latin with Greek as the official language of administration in the East. By this time Latin had long fallen out of everyday use in the Eastern part of the Empire and Heraclius's adopting of the title basileus "marked a shift from Rome towards a Greek and Eastern Christian culture."
	Heraclius Constantine	11 February – 25 May 641	Born on 3 May 612 as the eldest son of Heraclius by his first wife Fabia Eudokia. Named co-emperor on 22 January 613, he succeeded to throne with his younger brother Heraklonas following the death of Heraclius. Died of tuberculosis, allegedly poisoned by Empress-dowager Martina.
	Heraclonas	25 May – 5 November 641	Born in 626 to Heraclius' second wife Martina, named co-emperor on 4 July 638. Succeeded to throne with Constantine III following the death of Heraclius. Sole emperor after the death of Constantine III, under the regency of Martina, but was forced to name Constans II co-emperor by the army, and was deposed by the Senate in September 641.
	Constans II "the Bearded"	September 641 – 15 July 668	Born on 7 November 630, Constans II was the son of Constantine III. Raised to co-emperor in summer 641 after his father's death due to army pressure, he became sole emperor after the forced abdication of his uncle Heracleonas and his exile. Baptized Heraclius, he reigned as Constantin but was given the nickname "Constans". He faced a number of Arab incursions, almost losing his life while commanding the Byzantine fleet. Constans had some military success against the Slavs in the Balkans. Around 662, he moved his seat and court to Syracuse, intending to liberate Italy from the Lombards. His presence was unwelcome in Italy and there was "fierce opposition" to Constans II's abandonment of Constantinople. He was assassinated by a chamberlain in 668.
	Constantine IV "the Younger"	September 668 – 10 July 685	Born in 652, co-emperor since 13 April 654, he succeeded following the murder of his father Constans II. Erroneously called "Constantine the Bearded" by historians through confusion with his father. He called the Third Council of Constantinople which condemned the heresy of Monothelitism, repelled the First Arab Siege of Constantinople, and died of dysentery.
	Justinian II "Rhinotmetus"	July 685 – 695	Born in 669, son of Constantine IV, he was named co-emperor in 681 and became sole emperor upon Constantine IV's death. Deposed by military revolt in 695, mutilated and exiled to Cherson, whence he recovered his throne in 705.

Twenty Years' Anarchy (695–717)

Portrait	Name	Reign	Notes
	Leontius	695 – 698	General from Isauria, he deposed Justinian II and was overthrown in another revolt in 698. He was executed in February 706.
	Tiberius III	698 – 21 August 705	Admiral of Germanic origin, originally named Apsimar. He rebelled against Leontius after a failed expedition. Reigned under the name of Tiberius until deposed by Justinian II in 705. Executed in February 706.
	Justinian II "Rhinotmetus"	21 August 705 – 4 November 711	Returned on the throne with Bulgar support. Named son Tiberius as co-emperor in 706. Deposed and killed by military revolt.
	Philippicus	4 November 711 – 3 June 713	A general of Armenian origin, he deposed Justinian II and was in turn overthrown by a revolt of the Opsician troops.
	Anastasius II	4 June 713 – fall 715	Originally named Artemios. A bureaucrat and secretary under Philippicus, he was raised to the purple by the soldiers who overthrew Philippicus. Deposed by another military revolt, he led an abortive attempt to regain the throne in 718 and was killed.
	Theodosius III	Fall 715 – 25 March 717	A fiscal official, he was proclaimed emperor by the rebellious Opsician troops. Entered Constantinople in November 715. Abdicated following the revolt of Leo the Isaurian and became a monk.

Isaurian (Syrian) dynasty (717–802)

Portrait	Name	Reign	Notes
	Leo III "the Isaurian"	25 March 717 – 18 June 741	Born in Germanikeia, Commagene, he became a general. Rose in rebellion and secured the throne in spring 717. Repelled the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople and initiated the Byzantine Iconoclasm.
	Constantine V "Copronymus"	18 June 741 – 14 September 775	Born in July 718, the only son of Leo III. Co-emperor since 720, he succeeded upon his father's death. After overcoming the usurpation of Artabasdos, he continued his father's iconoclastic policies and won several victories against the Arabs and the Bulgars. He is given the surname "the Dung-named" by hostile later chroniclers.
	Artabasdos	June 741 – 2 November 743	General and son-in-law of Leo III, Count of the Opsician Theme. Led a revolt that secured Constantinople, but was defeated and deposed by Constantine V, who blinded and tonsured him.
	Leo IV "the Khazar"	14 September 775 – 8 September 780	Born on 25 January 750 as the eldest son of Constantine V. Co-emperor since 751, he succeeded upon his father's death.
	Constantine VI "the Blind"	8 September 780 – 19 August 797	Born in 771, the only child of Leo IV. Co-emperor since 14 April 776, sole emperor upon Leo's death in 780, until 790 under the regency of his mother, Irene of Athens. He was overthrown on Irene's orders, blinded and imprisoned, probably dying of his wounds shortly after.
	Irene	19 August 797 – 31 October 802	Born in Athens, she married Leo IV on 3 November 768 and was crowned empress on 17 December. Regent for her son Constantine VI in 780–790, she dethroned and blinded him in 797 and became empress-regnant. In 787 she called the Second Council of Nicaea which condemned the practice of iconoclasm and restored the veneration of icons to Christian practice. Deposed in a palace coup in 802, she was exiled and died on 9 August 803.

Nikephorian dynasty (802–813)

Amorian dynasty (820–867)

Portrait	Name	Reign	Notes
	Michael II "the Amorian"	25 December 820 – 2 October 829	Born in 770 at Amorium, he became an army officer. A friend of Leo V, he was raised to high office but led the conspiracy that murdered him. He was sentenced to execution by Leo, but was proclaimed emperor by Leo's assassins and crowned by Patriarch Theodotus I on the same day. He survived the rebellion of Thomas the Slav, lost Crete to the Arabs, faced the beginning of the Muslim conquest of Sicily, and reinforced iconoclasm.
	Theophilos	2 October 829 – 20 January 842	Born in 813 as the only son of Michael II. Crowned co-emperor on 12 May 821, he succeeded on his father's death.
	Michael III "the Drunkard"	20 January 842 – 24 September 867	His precise date of birth is uncertain, but the balance of available evidence supports a birthdate in January 840. The son of Theophilos, he succeeded on Theophilos' death. Under the regency of his mother Theodora until 856, and under the effective control of his uncle Bardas in 862–866. Ended iconoclasm. Murdered by Basil the Macedonian. A pleasure-loving ruler, he was nicknamed "the Drunkard" by later, pro-Basil chroniclers.

Macedonian dynasty (867–1056)

Doukas dynasty (1059–1078)

Komnenos dynasty (1081–1185)

Portrait	Name	Reign	Notes
	[Alexios I Komnenos\|Alexios I Komnenos]	1 April 1081 – 15 August 1118	Born in 1056, a nephew of Isaac I Komnenos. A distinguished general, he overthrew Nikephoros III. His reign was dominated by wars against the Normans and the Seljuk Turks, as well as the arrival of the First Crusade and the establishment of independent Crusader states. He retained Constantine Doukas as co-emperor until 1087 and named his eldest son John co-emperor in 1092.
	John II Komnenos "the Good"	15 August 1118 – 8 April 1143	Born on 13 September 1087 as the eldest son of Alexios I. Co-emperor since 1092, he succeeded upon his father's death. His reign was focused on wars with the Turks. A popular, pious and frugal ruler, he was known as "John the Good". Named his eldest son Alexios co-emperor in 1122, but the son predeceased his father.
	Manuel I Komnenos "the Great"	8 April 1143 – 24 September 1180	Born on 28 November 1118 as the fourth and youngest son of John II, he was chosen as emperor over his elder brother Isaac by his father on his deathbed. An energetic ruler, he launched campaigns against the Turks, humbled Hungary, achieved supremacy over the Crusader states, and tried unsuccessfully to recover Italy and Egypt. His extravagance and constant campaigning, however, depleted the Empire's resources.
	Alexios II Komnenos	24 September 1180 – c. September 1183	Born on 14 September 1169 as the only son of Manuel I. In 1180–1182 under the regency of his mother, Maria of Antioch. She was overthrown by Andronikos I Komnenos, who became co-emperor and had Alexios II, aged 14, strangled and his body thrown in the sea
	Andronikos I Komnenos	c. September 1183 – 12 September 1185	Born, a nephew of John II by his brother Isaac. A general, he was imprisoned for conspiring against John II, but escaped and spent 15 years in exile in various courts in eastern Europe and the Middle East. He seized the regency from Maria of Antioch in 1182 and subsequently throne from his nephew Alexios II. An unpopular ruler, he was overthrown by Isaac II, tortured and mutilated in the imperial palace, then slowly dismembered alive by a mob in the Hippodrome

Angelos dynasty (1185–1204)

Laskaris dynasty (1205–1261)

Portrait	Name	Reign	Notes
	Theodore I Laskaris	May 1205 – November 1221	Born, he rose to prominence as a son-in-law of Alexios III. His brother Constantine Laskaris was elected emperor by the citizens of Constantinople on the day before the city fell to the Crusaders; Constantine only remained for a few hours before the sack of the city and later fled to Nicaea, where Theodore organized the Greek resistance to the Latins. Proclaimed emperor after Constantine's death in 1205, Theodore was crowned only in Easter 1208. He managed to stop the Latin advance in Asia and to repel Seljuk attacks, establishing the Empire of Nicaea as the strongest of the Greek successor states.
	John III Vatatzes	c. December 1221 – 3 November 1254	Born, he became the son-in-law and successor of Theodore I in 1212. A capable ruler and soldier, he expanded his state in Bithynia, Thrace, and Macedonia at the expense of the Latin Empire, Bulgaria, and the rival Greek state of Epirus.
	Theodore II Laskaris	3 November 1254 – 16 August 1258	Born in 1221/1222 as the only son of John III, he succeeded on his father's death. His reign was marked by his hostility towards the major houses of the aristocracy, and by his victory against Bulgaria and the subsequent expansion into Albania.
	John IV Laskaris	16 August 1258 – 25 December 1261	Born on 25 December 1250 as the only son of Theodore II, he succeeded on his father's death. Due to his minority, the regency was exercised at first by George Mouzalon until his assassination, and then by Michael Palaiologos, who within months was crowned senior emperor. After the recovery of Constantinople in August 1261, Palaiologos sidelined John IV completely, had him blinded and imprisoned. John IV died in captivity several decades later,.

Palaiologos dynasty (1259–1453)

Portrait	Name	Reign	Notes
	Michael VIII Palaiologos	1 January 1259 – 11 December 1282	Born in 1223, great-grandson of Alexios III, grandnephew of John III by marriage. Senior emperor alongside John IV in 1259. His forces reconquered Constantinople on 25 July 1261, thus restoring the Empire. He entered the city and was crowned on 15 August. Became sole emperor after deposing John IV on 25 December 1261.
	Andronikos II Palaiologos	11 December 1282 – 24 May 1328	Son of Michael VIII, Andronikos II was born on 25 March 1259. Named co-emperor in 1261, crowned in 1272, he succeeded as sole emperor on Michael's death. Favouring monks and intellectuals, he neglected the army by significantly reducing military spending, and his reign saw the collapse of the Byzantine position in Asia Minor. He named his son Michael IX co-emperor. In a civil war of 1321–1328\|protracted civil war], he was first forced to recognize his grandson Andronikos III as co-emperor and was then deposed outright. He became a monk and died peacefully in 1332.
	[Michael IX Palaiologos\|Michael IX Palaiologos]	21 May 1294 – 12 October 1320	Son and co-ruler of Andronikos II, named co-emperor in 1281 but not crowned until 21 May 1294. Allegedly died of grief due to the accidental murder of his second son.
	[Andronikos III Palaiologos\|Andronikos III Palaiologos]	24 May 1328 – 15 June 1341	Son of Michael IX, he was born on 25 March 1297 and named co-emperor in 1316. Rival emperor since July 1321, he deposed his grandfather Andronikos II in 1328 and ruled as sole emperor until his death. Supported by John Kantakouzenos, his reign saw defeats against the Ottoman emirate but successes in Europe, where Epirus and Thessaly were recovered.
	John V Palaiologos	15 June 1341 – 16 February 1391	While the only son of Andronikos III, John V was not crowned or declared heir at his father's death—partly due to being only 10-years old at the time—which contributed to the outbreak of a war of 1341–1347\|destructive civil war] between his regents and his father's closest aide, John VI Kantakouzenos, who was instead crowned co-emperor. The conflict ended in 1347 with Kantakouzenos recognized as senior emperor, but he was deposed by John V during another civil war. After successful Turkish incursions and their seizure of Adrianople, John V appealed to the West for aid against the Ottomans, even going so far as to seek religious union and journeying to Rome to convert to Catholicism. Despite his efforts otherwise, John V was forced to recognize Ottoman suzerainty in 1371.
	John VI Kantakouzenos	8 February 1347 – 10 December 1354	A maternal relative of the Palaiologoi, he was declared co-emperor on 26 October 1341, and was recognized as senior emperor for ten years after the end of the civil war on 8 February 1347. Deposed by John V in 1354, he became a monk, dying on 15 June 1383.
	Andronikos IV Palaiologos	12 August 1376 – 1 July 1379 May 1381 – June 1385	Son of John V and grandson of John VI, he was named co-emperor and heir in 1352, but imprisoned and partially blinded after a failed rebellion in May 1373. He rebelled again and successfully deposed his father in 1376. Deposed by John V in 1379, he fled to Galata in exile but was restored as co-emperor and heir in May 1381, ruling over Selymbria and the coast of Marmara. Rebelled again in June 1385 but died shortly thereafter
	John VII Palaiologos	1385 – 1403 14 April – 17 September 1390 late 1403 – 22 September 1408	Son of Andronikos IV, he was born in 1370, and named co-emperor under his father in 1377–79. He usurped the throne from his grandfather John V for five months in 1390, but with Ottoman mediation he was reconciled with John V and his uncle, Manuel II. As regent, he held Constantinople against the Ottomans in 1399–1402, and was then given Thessalonica as an appanage, which he governed until his death on 22 September 1408.
	Manuel II Palaiologos	1382 – 1387 16 February 1391 – 21 July 1425	Second son of John V, he was born on 27 June 1350. Raised to co-emperor in 1373, he became senior emperor on John V's death and ruled until his death. He journeyed to the West European courts seeking aid against the Turks, and was able to use the Ottoman defeat in the Battle of Ankara—thanks largely to the fact that Timur and the Tatars attacked the Turks when they were besieging Constantinople, which forced the Turks' retreat—to regain some territories and throw off his vassalage to them. Manuel II died in 1425 and was succeeded by his son, John VIII.
	John VIII Palaiologos	21 July 1425 – 31 October 1448	Eldest surviving son of Manuel II, he was born on 18 December 1392. Raised to co-emperor around 1416 and named full autokrator in 1425, he succeeded his father on his death. Seeking aid against the resurgent Ottomans, he ratified the Union of the Churches in 1439, a move to reunite the Orthodox and Catholic churches that proved very unpopular in Constantinople.
	Constantine XI Palaiologos	6 January 1449 – 29 May 1453	The fourth son of Manuel II and Serbian princess Helena Dragaš, he was born on 8 February 1405. As Despot of the Morea since 1428, he distinguished himself in campaigns that annexed the Principality of Achaea and brought the Duchy of Athens under temporary Byzantine suzerainty, but was unable to repel Turkish attacks under Turahan Bey. As the eldest surviving brother, he succeeded John VIII after the latter's death. Facing the designs of the new sultan, Mehmed II, on Constantinople, Constantine acknowledged the Union of the Churches and made repeated appeals for help to the West, but in vain. Refusing to surrender the city, he was killed in battle during the Fall of Constantinople on 29 May 1453.