Byzantine Emperors Are Not All Greek To Me Quiz

Answer: Crispus

Constantine the Great was born in 272 and became one of the four Emperors in 306. He reunited the Roman and Byzantine Empire in one sole hand in 324 and stayed on the throne until his death in 337.
Constantine's first son Crispus was already executed in 326, so he could not succeed his father. Constantine's other sons divided the Empire in three parts: Constantine II took the west (Britannia, Gaul, Hispania), Constantius II took the East (Asia and Egypt), and that left the centre (Italy and Africa) for Constans, the youngest son. When the eldest son (Constantine II) invaded the centre in 340, he was killed in an ambush by Constans' soldiers, and Constans quickly added the western provinces to the centre. In 350 Constans' general Magnentius usurped the power, and Magnentius' soldiers killed Constans. Magnentius was then bloodily defeated by Constantius II, who assumed sole rule of the Empire until his death in 361.
Do you find this confusing? It can and will get even worse...

Answer: Dacia

Leo was named the Thracian after his place of birth. But in fact he was born not in Thracia (nowadays northern Greece) but in the neighbouring province of Dacia (present Romania). Leo was a fine ruler. He pacified the northern and eastern frontiers and tried to regain control of the west.
Leo's full name was Flavius Valerius Leo in Latin and Leon ha ho Thrax in Greek. The "ha" is the pronunciation of his ordinal number: where in Latin rulers of the same named were numbered I, II, III and so on, the Greek numbering was with capital letters alpha, beta, gamma... "Ho Thrax" is Greek for "the Thracian".
To be born at the same spot where one would later die, was quite common in the lower classes. Peasants used to live for their entire life on the same soil they tilled, and craftsmen usually remained in their home city. But Emperors did travel a lot, and those who founded a new dynasty came mostly from one of the provinces. As for Leo: none of the trustworthy websites I've consulted states explicitly where he died. I presume it would be in the palace at Constantinople.
I have no knowledge of any Roman or Byzantine born at sea. In those days, pregnant women were discouraged travelling, so the chances of giving birth at sea were quite slim.
Of course no Emperor was ever born on the throne he would sit on. In the later centuries of the Byzanitine Empire, there would however be some Emperors born in the palace. They were nicknamed Porphyrogenitus (born in the purple): offspring from the ruling Emperor born in a specific part of the imperial palace.

Answer: Maurice

The Justinian dynasty started in 518 with Justin I (born in 450). At his death in 527, he was succeeded by his nephew Justinian I the Great, who left us a compilation of all legislation existing at that time. Justinian died in 565 and was succeeded by his nephew Justin II, who ruled until 578. Justin II had adopted Tiberius II Constantine as his successor, and at his death in 582 his son-in-law Maurice was the last of the dynasty on the throne.
Maurice was a fierce general, who defeated the Persians and routed the Avars to the Danube. In the domestic affairs, he granted some provinces (exarchates as he called them) far-stretching rights, almost to the point of making them independent. These exarchates (Ravenna, Alexandria, Carthage) were quite strong, and thus Maurice gained control of most of the Mediterranean coasts. The Mediterranean was once again the "Mare Nostrum" - translated as "Our Sea".
The hint refers to the children's book "Where the Wild Things Are", written and illustrated by the American Maurice Sendak. The red herrings are also first names of authors of children's literature: Roald Dahl, Jacob Grimm and Jean de la Fontaine.

Answer: His nose was cut off.

The Heraclian dynasty was founded by Heraclius. He was succeeded by his sons Constantine III and Heraclonas. The next generations were the son, grandson and great-grandson of Constantine III: respectively Constans II, Constantine IV and Justinian II.
Justinian II led an expansive politic. He regained control of Cyprus, routed most of the Slavic tribes from the Balkans and marched upon Armenia.
The cost of these many military expeditions as well as construction of splendid buildings and monuments, lead to a quite stringent taxation. Land reforms stripped the aristocracy of some of their precious privileges, so both the upper class and the lower class were quite malcontent with Justinian's reign. Finally the aristocracy and the proletariat joined forces and deposed Justinian, and as a token of his unworthiness they cut off his nose - a rather common sentence in those days.
Justinian then went in exile, spending ten years of gathering various (Byzantine and foreign) supporters. Finally in 705 he took Constantinople by ruse and started his second reign. He was the very first person with a mutilated face who gained a throne.
Justinian's Greek nickname Rhinotmetos translates quite literally to "the severed nose" or, the more common translation, "Slit nose".
Beards on Byzantine Emperors were rare. Constans II sported a long flowing beard, but alas we don't know its colour: the only remaining images I've found, are gold coins. Constans II had the nickname Pogonatos ("the bearded one"). Frederick Barbarossa, the emperor of the Holy roman Empire from 1155 until 1190, was known for his red beard.
Any Byzantine Emperor of more than two metres tall would earn the nickname Gigantas. Alas, none of them is known by this epithet, so I presume there were no Byzantine Emperors fit for a game of basketball.
Emperors in loincloth? Byzantine Emperors were too proud for this "fashion".

Answer: Religious icons

The Isaurian dynasty was founded by Leo III the Isaurian, a successful general. He deposed the non-dynastic Emperor Theodosius III and sent him to a monastery. Then Leo with the help of the Bulgars routed the Arabs at the Second Siege of Constantinople (717-718).
As soon as Leo's main foes were defeated, he took upon him to find a solution for something that hurt his religious feelings: the veneration of icons. Most Christians (and pagans) at that time were completely illiterate, so the churches were decorated with depictions of biblical stories and various saints. The ecclesiastical authorities thought a picture of, for instance, one of the well-known parables, could inspire the people to lead an exemplary life.
Leo felt that, as the Bible states, no one should make images of God. So he decided to have removed the grand crucifix at the palace. But this lead to a longstanding altercation between the iconodules (those who were in favour of the making and displaying of icons) and the iconoclasts (those who, as Leo III, were convinced that no image of God may be produced or displayed). Tempers rose so high that Leo's son Constantine V was given the epithet Copronymus ("named dung"), and rumour was spread Constantine V would have defiled the baptismal font - in his infancy.
The iconoclasm was ended by Empress Zoe, the last of the Isaurians, who made the fine distinction between the exemplary function of icons and the true worship of the Trinity without any image.
The codification of civil law was a major achievement by Justinian I, of the Justinian dynasty.
Throughout the whole Byzantine history, scientists copied and studied the texts of ancient Greek philosophers. Also throughout the Byzantine history, the silk manufacturers produced articles of luxury that were high in demand.

Answer: Nikephoros I

The logothete (literally: he that puts the word) was responsible for the finances of the Empire. His function can be compared with a present-day Secretary of the Treasury (USA) or Chancellor of the Exchequer (UK), or Minister of Finance (in most continental West-European countries).
It was Nikephoros I Logothetes who became Emperor in 802. His epithet reminds every one of his previous function.
As could be expected from his previous function, Nikephoros put a strong emphasis on the Imperial revenue. This led to some altercations with the ecclesiastical authorities, previously (and in the rest of Europe) exempt from taxation, when Nikephoros imposed some taxes on the clergy.
Nikephoros also refused to pay tribute to Harun al Rashid, which led to open war with the Arabs. Even though caliph Harun invaded the Byzantine Empire with an army of a whopping 135.000 troops, Nikephoros could evade a bloody defeat and settled the dispute.
Nikephoros died at the hands of another of his foes, the Bulgarian Khan Krum.
Theophilos translates to "the friend of God". He was the Byzantine Emperor between 829 and 842.
Philippikos can be translated to "the horse lover". Philippikos Bardanes was Byzantine Emperor from 711 until 713.
Andronikos translates to "victor of men". Andronikos I Komnenos ruled the Byzantine Empire from 1183 until 1185.

Answer: Macedonian dynasty

The longest rule by one family was founded by Basil I the Macedonian. He revolted against Michael III the Drunkard (born 840, ascended to the throne in 842). As we can derive from Michael's nickname, Michael III lived a luxurious life.
Basil I was succeeded by Leo VI the Wise. Basil's wife was the mother of Leo VI, but she had also been the mistress of Basil's predecessor Michael III. So it remains unclear which Emperor was Leo's father.
After Leo VI, Basil's son Alexander briefly took office. The next Emperors were Leo's son Constantine VII Porphyrogenetos ("the purple-born"), and Constantine's son Romanos II Porphyrogenetos.
Although Romanos had two sons and two daughters, he was at first succeeded by his father-in-law Nikephoros II Phokas and the latter's cousin John I Tzimiskes.
At the death of John I Tzimiskes, Romanos' offspring became Emperor one after the other: his eldest son Basil II Bulgaroktonos ("The Bulgar-Slayer"), his second son Constantine VIII Porphyrogenetos and his daughter Zoe Porphyrogenete.
Zoe ruled together with her three husbands Romanos III Argyros, Michael IV the Paphlagonian (and after his death, his son Michael V Kalafates) and Constantine IX Monomachos. Between the death of Michael IV and Zoe's marriage to Constantine, Zoe's sister Theodora also was co-empress.
The Constantine dynasty (306-363), Valentinian dynasty (364-379) and Theodosian dynasty (379-457) were all named after the first name of their founders, not after his place of birth.

Answer: Romanos IV Diogenes

Why did I put in the remark "he didn't live in a barrel, though"? Well, this was a hint referring to the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes of Sinope, who renounced all cumbersome property. So the philosopher Diogenes would sleep in a large clay jar, amphora or barrel - the stories are a bit vague.
Romanos IV was named Diogenes not because he shared the philosophical views of the aforesaid cynic, but because his family was named Diogenes. Romanos was an able general, who distinguished himself at the Danube.
When the reigning Doukas family had him arrested on suspicion of conspiracy against the Emperor, Romanos was at first incarcerated for a few years. Meanwhile Constantine X Doukas died, and his widow Eudokia chose not to have Romanos executed, but took him as her second husband and senior Emperor. Eudokia was convinced the Empire needed a strong general as Emperor, and Constantine's son Michael VII Doukas was still minor of age.
Romanos IV Diogenes was Emperor from 1068 until 1072, and was succeeded by the aforesaid Michael VII.
At the battle of Manzikert, Romanos was wounded at the hand and captured by sultan Alp Arslan. After promising a quite substantial tribute, Romanos returned to Constantinople - only to be betrayed by his stepson Michael VII. He was brutally blinded and died in a monastery of the wounds inflicted to him.
The epithets of the red herrings translate to "The Old" (ho Geron), "The Messenger" (Angelos) and "The Speaker of Old Tongue" (Palaiologos). All these were Byzantine Emperors at some point: Michael VI from 1056 unitl 1057, Isaac II between 1185 and 1195, and Andronikos II from 1282 until 1328. 

Answer: Basil II Bulgaroktonos

Basil II, of the Macedonian dynasty, was born in 958. Between 960 and 976 he was considered as co-emperor (second in rang), although still a minor. In 976 he ascended to the throne as the supreme ruler of the Byzantine Empire, known in the Empire as basileus (the Greek word for king) and tot the outside world as Imperator Graecorum (the Latin for emperor of the Greek).
During the first years of his adult reign, Basil II had to quell some revolts. Between 989 and 1000, Basil II marched upon the Fatimid Caliphate, gaining some territory. In 1000 Basil and the Caliph concluded a truce, and Basil engaged the Bulgars. With the help of Prince Vladimir I of Kiev, Basil II subdued Bulgary. At the end of the Battle of Kleidion (1014) Basil II would have condemned the Bulgarian prisoners to a frightening fate. Rumour has it that out of every hundred soldiers, only one was allowed to keep one of his eyes, while the others were completely blinded.
Basil died in 1025, after having ruled for 49 years - and most of the time, he was at war.
Theodosius II (born 401) ruled from 408 until 450, for 42 years.
Constantine VII (born 905) ruled between 913 and 959 - a total of 46 years.
Andronikos II was born in 1259. He ascended to the throne in 1282 and remained the Emperor until 1328, so for 46 years.

Answer: True

It's true of course, for otherwise I would lack interesting info to spread here.
The triple Emperor was John V Palaiologos, born in 1332. He was first crowned emperor in 1341, only three days before his ninth birthday. As he was still a minor, a regent was appointed: John VI Kantakouzenos, a distant relative of John V's mother. In theory John V was the reigning Emperor and John VI the (subordinate) co-emperor, but they clashed quite often. John VI won the civil war ensuing and was promoted to senior Emperor in 1347, whilst John V stayed on as the subordinate co-emperor. But in 1354 John V deposed John VI, and John VI went into exile in a monastery for the rest of his days.
John V stayed on the throne until 1376, when his son Andronikos IV Palaiologos deposed him. But three years later John V (supported by the hated Turks) turned tables on him and became Emperor once again (the second time). In 1381 John V reconciled with Andronikos IV and made him (the subordinate) co-emperor.
John V's second reign ended in April 1390 because of a revolt by John VII Palaiologos, Andronikos' son and thus John V's grandson. But after five months, John VII reconciled with John V. John VII stepped down as Emperor, and for the third time John V became the supreme Emperor. This third reign lasted only a few months, for John V died in 1391.
So John V was Emperor from 1341 until 1376, regained the throne in 1379 until 1390, and ascended to the throne once again in September 1390 until February 1391. And if we list all the senior Emperors in this half century, we get John V - John VI (with John V as co-emperor) - John V - Andronikos IV - John V - John VII - John V. A true challenge for the quizzers who like to learn by heart various lists !