Italy: Constans II (630-668) and his son Constantine IV (652-685), Byzantine emperors, from the book Romanorvm imperatorvm effigies: elogijs ex diuersis scriptoribus per Thomam Treteru S. Mariae Transtyberim canonicum collectis, 1583

Constans II (630-668), also called Constantine the Bearded, was emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 641 to 668. He was the last emperor to serve as consul, in 642. Under his reign, the Byzantine Empire completely withdrew from Egypt, losing territory to the Arab Caliphate. He became the first emperor to set foot in Rome for two centuries, stripping the city of ornaments and bronze to be brought back to Constantinople.

Constans was assassinated in his bath by his chamberlain in 668. He was succeeded by his son, Constantine IV (652-685), also known as Constantine the Bearded. His rule saw the first serious check to nearly 50 years of uninterrupted Islamic expansion. During the Siege of Constantinople (674-678), he ordered the first known use of Greek fire in combat, ensuring that the siege failed. He also fixed the Church divide with the Sixth Ecumenical Council. He eventually died of dystentry in 685.

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