Constantine VII

Constantine VII., Flavius Porphyrogenitus, the son of Leo VI. and his concubine Zoe, was born in 905 A.D. At the age of six he lost his father, and his father-in-law Romanus Lecapenus became his colleague and virtually his master until 944. The sons of Lecapenus then expelled their father, and were themselves banished by Constantine, who at last assumed his proper position. Though a weak ruler, he was a patron of literature and art, and he wrote a number of valuable treatises giving a fair idea of the times in which he lived. These include an account of the provinces of the empire and of the outlying nations, a system of administration, a description of the customs of the Greek Church and Court, two essays on military subjects, and a variety of other works, He was poisoned by his son Romanus in 959.