Turkey / Byzantium: Leontios (660-706), Byzantine emperor, from the book Icones imperatorvm romanorvm (Icons of Roman Emperors), Antwerp, 1645

Leontios (660-706), sometimes spelt Leontius, was an Isaurian citizen of the Byzantine Empire, enlisting as a soldier from an early age and swiftly rising through the ranks under the reign of Emperor Constantine IV. When he was appointed to lead the Byzantine army against the Arabs in Armenia and Georgia by Emperor Justinian II in 686, Leontios proved himself to be a ruthless, but successful leader, forcing substantial tributes from the Arabs.

However, his successes would turn to disaster in a renewed Arab war in 692, when he was defeated and lost a large portion of his army. Furious at the losses, Justinian imprisoned him for over two years. When he was freed in 695, Leontios immediately organised a revolt against the emperor, deposing Justinian and claiming the throne for himself. He ordered Justinian's nose and tongue to be slit before exiling him to Crimea.

Leontios refrained from major military operations during his reign, which led to the loss of Carthage to the Arabs in 697. The fleet he sent to retake the city was defeated, and rebelled in 698 rather than admit failure, naming the Germanic sailor Apsimaros as their leader. He changed his name to Tiberius III and returned to Constantinople to overthrow Leontios. Leontios was imprisoned, his nose and tongue slit. Years later in 705, Justinian returned to the throne, and he executed both Leontios and Tiberius after paradiing them through the streets.

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