Constans II AD 641-668. Constantinople
Solidus AV

20 mm, 4,45 g

∂ N CONSƮANƮINЧS P P AV, half-length bust facing, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger / VICTORIA AVςЧ E, cross potent on three steps; Z (date) in right field, CONOB in exergue.

Good Very Fine

Sear 949.

Constans II, known as "the Bearded," was the Byzantine Emperor from 641 to 668. Born in 630, he became co-emperor with his father in 654 and later assumed sole rule in September 668 after his father's assassination. Constans faced challenges, including suppressing a military revolt in Sicily and navigating conflicts with the Muslim Caliphate. His religious policy attempted to find a middle ground between Orthodoxy and Monothelitism, culminating in the Type of Constans decree in 648. During his reign, the Muslim Caliphate, under Umar, Uthman, and Mu'awiya I, launched invasions, leading to Arab raids and territorial losses for the Byzantines. Constans was the first emperor to visit Rome since the Western Roman Empire's fall in 476. In 663, he embarked on campaigns in Italy, attacking the Lombard Duchy of Benevento and visiting Rome for twelve days. Despite friendly relations with Pope Vitalian, Constans stripped buildings of their ornaments and bronze. His rule saw developments such as the creation of themes, military-administrative districts. However, Constans faced internal challenges, including opposition to Monothelitism and suspicions regarding his younger brother Theodosius, whom he later had killed in 660. Constans II was assassinated in 668, leading to the succession of his son Constantine IV. His legacy includes diplomatic contacts with China, recorded in the Chinese dynastic histories of the Old and New Book of Tang, showcasing the Byzantine Empire's interactions with distant cultures.