Irene of Athens

[Al Kowsky]

 

BYZANTINE EMPIRE, Constantine VI & Irene, AD 780-797 (struck 792-797). Constantinople Mint. AV Solidus: 4.47 gm, 19.5 mm, 6 h. Obverse: Bust of Irene wearing loros & crown with cross, pinnacles & pendilia, holding a globus cruciger in her right hand & cross tipped scepter in her left hand. Inscription: IRInH AgammaOVSTI. Reverse: Bust of Constantine VI, beardless, wearing chalmys with crown & cross, holding globus cruciger with his right hand & akakia in his left hand. Inscription: ConSTAn TinOSbAS' at end Theta. DOC 3a. SB 1594. 

Coin in hand video: https://cngcoins.com/photos/CNG_Links/video/CNG_126/1046.html

SB 1594 had alluded me for many years because well struck examples that haven't been clipped, brushed, or mounted as jewelry are very expensive. I finally won this example at CNG Feature Auction 126, lot 1046. The coin is egg-shaped, has striking weakness on both sides, & there is a die flaw to the right of Irene's loros, but the portraits are well engraved for the type😊.  

This mother-son combination is responsible for one of the most bizarre epochs in Roman history. Emperor Constantine V brought Irene to Constantinople in 769, where she was chosen to be the bride of Leo IV, son of Constantine V. Leo IV was 25 years old but was physically weak & suffering from a number of maladies. They did have a son, Constantine VI, born in 770. When emperor Leo IV died in 780, most likely from tuberculosis, Constantine VI became the sole emperor at the age of 10. Because of his age, Irene became his controlling regent until 790. John Julius Norwich writes of Irene; "Scheming and duplicitous, consumed by a devouring ambition and an insatiable lust for power, she brought dissension and disaster to the Empire for a quarter of a century, and to leave a darker stain on her reputation by one of the foulest murders that even Byzantine history has to record". If there was one positive thing she could take credit for it was the ending of iconoclasm. Irene, with her lust for power & the help of associates, plotted against her son to seize power & become the sole ruler of the Empire. Constantine VI tried to escape but was captured & brought back to the imperial palace. There he was blinded with a red-hot poker 😮, & sent to a monastery where he died a few days later in 797. Irene now declared herself the sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire 🙄. When Charlemagne was crowned King of the Franks in 800, Pope Leo III declared him Holy Roman Emperor. When Irene caught wind of this she proposed marriage to him so the two of them could rule jointly over the entire Empire 🥰. Since Charlemagne was illiterate & born of barbarian stock, this didn't sit well with the Byzantine hierarchy 😖. In 802 she was deposed & exiled to Lesbos, where she had to support herself by spinning wool 🤣. She died the following year.

References: BYZANTIUM, The Early Centuries, John Julius Norwich, Copyright 1988.

                     BYZANTINE COINS and Their Values, David R. Sear, Copyright 1987.

                     Classical Numismatic Group, LLC, Lancaster, PA

                     Wikipedia

Website members are welcome to post any Byzantine coins relevant to this article ☺️.

Valentinian (Warren), pointed out my typo "Ahtens" in the title, which has been corrected, & also questioned her origin from the city of Athens. I used info from the book  BYZANTIUM, by John Julius Norwich, The Early Centuries, quoting Norwich: "The second Athenian to become Empress of Rome, Irene could hardly have been more different in character from the brilliant young Athenais who had married Theodosius II three and a half centuries before. Her family and antecedents were obscure; although she seems to have adopted the name of Irene only on her marriage, we know of no other. Her native city, too, had long since lost its old distinction. Worse still from the imperial point of view, the people of Athens were well known to be fervent supporters of images; and Irene was no exception."

Edited Friday at 12:14 PM by Al Kowsky
added coin in hand video

[Furryfrog02]

Wow! That's a stunner!

My measly little gnarly follis pales in comparison:

Constantine VI and Irene
780-797 AD
AE Follis
Constantinople
Obverse: Crowned busts of Constantine VI, unbearded, wearing chlamys, holding cross on globe, on left and Irene, wearing loros, holding cross-headed sceptre, on right, dot between their faces
Reverse: Crowned busts of Leo III, with short beard, wearing loros, on left, Constantine V, with short beard, wearing loros, in centre and Leo IV, wearing chlamys, on right, two dots to left and right, all above horizontal line beneath which is large M, X to left, N to right, A below

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Wow, very impressive!  I'm missing out on even an AE, insofar as portrait issues.

That's really something; well done!

[Hrefn]

Congratulations.  A very satisfactory example of a tough coin to get in acceptable condition, and it is one I have yet to acquire.  

 

[Al Kowsky]

1 hour ago, Furryfrog02 said:

Wow! That's a stunner!

My measly little gnarly follis pales in comparison:

Constantine VI and Irene
780-797 AD
AE Follis
Constantinople
Obverse: Crowned busts of Constantine VI, unbearded, wearing chlamys, holding cross on globe, on left and Irene, wearing loros, holding cross-headed sceptre, on right, dot between their faces
Reverse: Crowned busts of Leo III, with short beard, wearing loros, on left, Constantine V, with short beard, wearing loros, in centre and Leo IV, wearing chlamys, on right, two dots to left and right, all above horizontal line beneath which is large M, X to left, N to right, A below

Fury🐸2, You've got an excellent example of a hard to find coin 😉. I sold a choice VF follis, SB 1598, about 10 years ago for $300 & still regret selling it 🙁. Any coins picturing Irene are popular & hard to find. Thanks for posting your coin 🤩.

[ela126]

@Al Kowsky what a stunner of a piece. That’s a hugely popular coin and a choice example of the type.

i don’t know if I’ll ever get close to touching a piece like that, but I’ve gotten a few ok examples in AE. Irene’s portrait and crown are pretty similiar throughout all her coinage.

 

this one is my favorite, while it’s a little worn, the sand patina is perfect on it.

 

ok enough portrait on Irene for this one, Constantine VI could be better

my affordable Irene sole reign follis! The portrait is pretty ok so I’m ok with it. Surprising this shard weighs a full gram more than either of the previous full coins.

[mcwyler]

What a stunning coin @Al Kowsky! And what timing, I got this in the mail 15 minutes ago and came to post this ..

It's not very big. It's not at all pretty. It's quite worn. Well very worn. You need to use all your imagination  and squint a bit to make out her face. It was not expensive.
This, my favourite coin of the year so far.

 

Irene and Constantine VI. Æ Follis (19mm, 2.53g). Constantinople mint. Struck 792-797. Crowned facing bust of Irene, wearing loros, holding globus cruciger and cruciform sceptre / Crowned and draped facing bust of Constantine, holding globus cruciger, set on horizontal bar; to right, cross above pellet; in exergue, X–N flanking large M. Sear 1598.

I've wanted Irene for a while now, one of the most formidable women in antiquity. Among her many exploits, she had her son's eyes gouged out when he came of age so that she could assume sole temporal power in Byzantium and, therefore, by God's grace everywhere else. This despite lacking that vital Y chromosome. In so doing she caused a major schism between the eastern and western Christian churches, since Pope Leo may not have known what a chromosome was, but he was quite certain Emperors didn't have breasts... thus Charlemagne was annointed top man in Europe. 
Along the way she also ended iconoclasm, at least for a while. Busy woman. And not afraid of the tough decisions.
Inevitably she was eventually undone, despite her obvious diplomatic and maternal skills. So Goodnight Irene.
But hey, I finally have one of her coins, albeit not as sole ruler (and she's missing her crown, which she went to so much trouble to acquire).

 

[Al Kowsky]

7 hours ago, ela126 said:

@Al Kowsky what a stunner of a piece. That’s a hugely popular coin and a choice example of the type.

i don’t know if I’ll ever get close to touching a piece like that, but I’ve gotten a few ok examples in AE. Irene’s portrait and crown are pretty similiar throughout all her coinage.

 

this one is my favorite, while it’s a little worn, the sand patina is perfect on it.

 

ok enough portrait on Irene for this one, Constantine VI could be better

my affordable Irene sole reign follis! The portrait is pretty ok so I’m ok with it. Surprising this shard weighs a full gram more than either of the previous full coins.

ela126, Thanks for posting your excellent pics ☺️. The "sand patina" certainly enhances the beauty of these folles 🤩!

[Al Kowsky]

43 minutes ago, mcwyler said:

What a stunning coin @Al Kowsky! And what timing, I got this in the mail 15 minutes ago and came to post this ..

It's not very big. It's not at all pretty. It's quite worn. Well very worn. You need to use all your imagination  and squint a bit to make out her face. It was not expensive.
This, my favourite coin of the year so far.

 

Irene and Constantine VI. Æ Follis (19mm, 2.53g). Constantinople mint. Struck 792-797. Crowned facing bust of Irene, wearing loros, holding globus cruciger and cruciform sceptre / Crowned and draped facing bust of Constantine, holding globus cruciger, set on horizontal bar; to right, cross above pellet; in exergue, X–N flanking large M. Sear 1598.

I've wanted Irene for a while now, one of the most formidable women in antiquity. Among her many exploits, she had her son's eyes gouged out when he came of age so that she could assume sole temporal power in Byzantium and, therefore, by God's grace everywhere else. This despite lacking that vital Y chromosome. In so doing she caused a major schism between the eastern and western Christian churches, since Pope Leo may not have known what a chromosome was, but he was quite certain Emperors didn't have breasts... thus Charlemagne was annointed top man in Europe. 
Along the way she also ended iconoclasm, at least for a while. Busy woman. And not afraid of the tough decisions.
Inevitably she was eventually undone, despite her obvious diplomatic and maternal skills. So Goodnight Irene.
But hey, I finally have one of her coins, albeit not as sole ruler (and she's missing her crown, which she went to so much trouble to acquire).

 

ncwyler, Thanks for posting your excellent example of SB 1598 🤩! So many of these folles were struck on undersize flans 🙁, & finding a coin with complete design elements is nearly impossible.

[Ten-Speed]

18 hours ago, Al Kowsky said:

 

BYZANTINE EMPIRE, Constantine VI & Irene, AD 780-797 (struck 792-797). Constantinople Mint. AV Solidus: 4.47 gm, 19.5 mm, 6 h. Obverse: Bust of Irene wearing loros & crown with cross, pinnacles & pendilia, holding a globus cruciger in her right hand & cross tipped scepter in her left hand. Inscription: IRInH AgammaOVSTI. Reverse: Bust of Constantine VI, beardless, wearing chalmys with crown & cross, holding globus cruciger with his right hand & akakia in his left hand. Inscription: ConSTAn TinOSbAS' at end Theta. DOC 3a. SB 1594. 

Coin in hand video: https://cngcoins.com/photos/CNG_Links/video/CNG_126/1046.html

SB 1594 had alluded me for many years because well struck examples that haven't been clipped, brushed, or mounted as jewelry are very expensive. I finally won this example at CNG Feature Auction 126, lot 1046. The coin is egg-shaped, has striking weakness on both sides, & there is a die flaw to the right of Irene's loros, but the portraits are well engraved for the type😊.  

This mother-son combination is responsible for one of the most bizarre epochs in Roman history. Emperor Constantine V brought Irene to Constantinople in 769, where she was chosen to be the bride of Leo IV, son of Constantine V. Leo IV was 25 years old but was physically weak & suffering from a number of maladies. They did have a son, Constantine VI, born in 770. When emperor Leo IV died in 780, most likely from tuberculosis, Constantine VI became the sole emperor at the age of 10. Because of his age, Irene became his controlling regent until 790. John Julius Norwich writes of Irene; "Scheming and duplicitous, consumed by a devouring ambition and an insatiable lust for power, she brought dissension and disaster to the Empire for a quarter of a century, and to leave a darker stain on her reputation by one of the foulest murders that even Byzantine history has to record". If there was one positive thing she could take credit for it was the ending of iconoclasm. Irene, with her lust for power & the help of associates, plotted against her son to seize power & become the sole ruler of the Empire. Constantine VI tried to escape but was captured & brought back to the imperial palace. There he was blinded with a red-hot poker 😮, & sent to a monastery where he died a few days later in 797. Irene now declared herself the sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire 🙄. When Charlemagne was crowned King of the Franks in 800, Pope Leo III declared him Holy Roman Emperor. When Irene caught wind of this she proposed marriage to him so the two of them could rule jointly over the entire Empire 🥰. Since Charlemagne was illiterate & born of barbarian stock, this didn't sit well with the Byzantine hierarchy 😖. In 802 she was deposed & exiled to Lesbos, where she had to support herself by spinning wool 🤣. She died the following year.

References: BYZANTIUM, The Early Centuries, John Julius Norwich, Copyright 1988.

                     BYZANTINE COINS and Their Values, David R. Sear, Copyright 1987.

                     Classical Numismatic Group, LLC, Lancaster, PA

                     Wikipedia

Website members are welcome to post any Byzantine coins relevant to this article ☺️.

Very ironic that her name means "peace" and her reign was the opposite of peaceful...

[I_v_a_n]

Congratulations for amazing coin!

I managed to buy a solid with a portrait of Irene at one of the last Roma's auctions.

 

[Al Kowsky]

12 minutes ago, I_v_a_n said:

Congratulations for amazing coin!

I managed to buy a solid with a portrait of Irene at one of the last Roma's auctions.

 

I_V_A_N, Thanks for posting this lovely solidus 😍! Not only do we have excellent portraits of Constantine VI & Irene on the obverse, but we have the enthroned figures of Leo III, Constantine V, & Leo IV on the reverse 🤩.

[Al Kowsky]

It should be stated that Constantine VI was not an innocent victim in this chapter of Byzantine history, he was just as inept in governing the empire as Irene. His uncle, Nicephorus, attempted a rebellion to remove the young emperor that failed. As punishment he had his uncle blinded and had the tongues of his father's 4 surviving brothers cut off 😠.

                         

                                    

 

Edited Friday at 03:49 PM by Al Kowsky

[Furryfrog02]

6 hours ago, Al Kowsky said:

It should be stated that Constantine VI was not an innocent victim in this chapter of Byzantine history, he was just as inept in governing the empire as Irene. His uncle, Nicephorus, attempted a rebellion to remove the young emperor that failed. As punishment he had his uncle blinded and had the tongues of his father's 4 surviving brothers cut off 😠.

                         

                                    

 

I do love me some Byzantine history...those guys were wild!

[Al Kowsky]

45 minutes ago, Furryfrog02 said:

I do love me some Byzantine history...those guys were wild!

Fury🐸2, I too have a serious interest in Byzantine history, & no one authors a more entertaining view of the Byzantines than the late John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich, his pen name is John Julius Norwich. I was gifted his two books on Byzantine history, Byzantium, The Early Centuries, & Byzantium, The Apogee. If you have an opportunity to get those books at a reasonable price grab them, you won't regret it 😉. 

[mcwyler]

17 hours ago, Al Kowsky said:

Fury🐸2, I too have a serious interest in Byzantine history, & no one authors a more entertaining view of the Byzantines than the late John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich, his pen name is John Julius Norwich. I was gifted his two books on Byzantine history, Byzantium, The Early Centuries, & Byzantium, The Apogee. If you have an opportunity to get those books at a reasonable price grab them, you won't regret it 😉. 

Looking forward to reading them, thanks! There seems also to be a 3rd volume, Byzantium, Decline and Fall.

[Al Kowsky]

4 hours ago, mcwyler said:

Looking forward to reading them, thanks! There seems also to be a 3rd volume, Byzantium, Decline and Fall.

mcwyler, You're right about the 3rd volume 😉. One of his books that interests me more is SICILY, An Island at the Crossroads of History, for personal reasons. My mother's family immigrated from Sicily over a hundred years ago ☺️.

[Furryfrog02]

23 hours ago, Al Kowsky said:

Fury🐸2, I too have a serious interest in Byzantine history, & no one authors a more entertaining view of the Byzantines than the late John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich, his pen name is John Julius Norwich. I was gifted his two books on Byzantine history, Byzantium, The Early Centuries, & Byzantium, The Apogee. If you have an opportunity to get those books at a reasonable price grab them, you won't regret it 😉. 

I have a couple of books about Byzantine history but they aren't those. I will be on the lookout for sure. Thanks for the recommendation!

[Valentinian]

On 6/21/2024 at 3:54 PM, Al Kowsky said:

John Julius Norwich. I was gifted his two books on Byzantine history, Byzantium, The Early Centuries, & Byzantium, The Apogee.

I second the recommendation. He also has, as @mcwyler noted, a third volume. If three large entertaining volumes is more than you want, they are abbreviated into one, "A Short History of Byzantium." I have all four volumes.

One thing to like about them in their emphasis on stories of the emperors. Many other histories of Byzantium spend a big fraction of their pages on the Church and Byzantine administration (from which we got the adjective "Byzantine" for complex bureaucracy).  All interesting, but not as interesting as the stories of the emperors on our coins. 

[voulgaroktonou]

Here's a miliaresion of Constantine VI with his mother: Constantinople, 780-97. 1.94 gr. 24 mm. 12 hr. Sear 1595; DO 4a; BM 6:

...and a follis of Irene's sole reign: Constantinople, 797-802. 5.59 gr. 24.6 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1600; DO 2; BNP 1-3; BM 2. Ex Protonotarios collection.