Turkey / Byzantium: Constantine VI (771-804), Byzantine emperor, and Irene (752-803), Empress, from the book Romanorvm imperatorvm effigies: elogijs ex diuersis scriptoribus per Thomam Treteru S. Mariae Transtyberim canonicum collectis, 1583

Constantine VI (771-804) was the only child of Emperor Leo IV and Empress Irene. He was crowned co-emperor in 776, and became sole emperor in 780, aged only nine. Due to his young age, his mother Irene and her chief minister Staurakios ruled in his stead. However, even when Constantine was of age at sixteen, his mother still refused to hand over executive authority to him.

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