Editing Constantine V (section)

=== Domestic policies and administration ===
[[File:Asia Minor ca 780 AD.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|Themes of Byzantine Asia Minor and the Arab–Byzantine frontier zone in the late 8th century, following the provincial reforms of Constantine V (the border of imperial Thrace does not reflect that [[Plovdiv|Philippopolis]] was a Byzantine city)]]
Assiduous in courting popularity, Constantine consciously employed the [[Hippodrome of Constantinople|hippodrome]], scene of the ever-popular [[chariot races]], to influence the populace of Constantinople. In this he made use of the 'circus factions', which controlled the competing teams of charioteers and their supporters, had widespread social influence, and could mobilise large numbers of the citizenry. The hippodrome became the setting of rituals of humiliation for war captives and political enemies, in which the mob took delight. Constantine's sources of support were the people and the army, and he used them against his iconodule opponents in the monasteries and in the bureaucracy of the capital. Iconoclasm was not purely an imperial religious conviction, it also had considerable popular support: some of Constantine's actions against the iconodules may have been motivated by a desire to retain the approval of the people and the army. The monasteries were exempt from taxation and monks from service in the army; the Emperor's antipathy towards them may have derived to a greater extent from secular, fiscal and manpower, considerations than from a reaction to their theology.<ref>Angold, Ch. 5, 'Constantine V', paragraph 7</ref><ref>Magdalino (2015), pp. 177–178</ref><ref>Rochow, pp. 60–62</ref>

Constantine carried forward the administrative and fiscal reforms initiated by his father Leo III. The military governors ({{lang|grc|στρατηγοί}}, {{tlit|grc|stratēgoi}}) were powerful figures, whose access to the resources of their extensive provinces often provided the means of rebellion. The Opsikion theme had been the power-base that enabled the rebellion of Artabasdos, and was also the theme situated nearest to the capital within [[Asia Minor]]. Constantine reduced the size of this theme, dividing from it the [[Bucellarian Theme|Bucellarian]] and, perhaps, the [[Optimatoi|Optimaton]] themes. In those provinces closest to the seat of government this measure increased the number of ''stratēgoi'' and diminished the resources available to any single one, making rebellion less easy to accomplish.<ref>Bury, p. 3</ref><ref>Treadgold (1997), p. 358</ref>

Constantine was responsible for the creation of a small central army of fully professional soldiers, the imperial ''[[tagma (military)|tagmata]]'' ('the regiments'). He achieved this by training for serious warfare a corps of largely ceremonial guards units that were attached to the imperial palace, and expanding their numbers. This force was designed to form the core of field armies and was composed of better-drilled, better-paid, and better-equipped soldiers than were found in the provincial ''[[themata]]'' units, whose troops were part-time soldier-farmers. Before their expansion, the vestigial [[Scholae Palatinae|Scholae]] and the other guards units presumably contained few useful soldiers, therefore Constantine must have incorporated former thematic soldiers into his new formation.<ref>Treadgold (1995), pp. 71–72</ref> Being largely based at or near the capital, the ''tagmata'' were under the immediate control of the Emperor and were free of the regional loyalties that had been behind so many military rebellions.<ref>Haldon, p. 78</ref><ref>Magdalino (2015), p. 177</ref><ref>Treadgold (1997), pp. 358–359</ref>
[[File:Hagia Irene, built in the 4th century at the place where the old church of the bishop of Byzantium stood before the refoundation of Constantine the Great, destroyed by fire in 532 AD and then rebuilt, Istanbul (40654254081).jpg|thumb|right|A mosaic cross in the apse of the [[Hagia Irene]] church in Istanbul. It is one of the few artistic remains of iconoclasm. Created during the reign of Constantine it occupies the semi-dome of the apse usually reserved for a devotional image, often a depiction of [[Christ Pantocrator]] or the [[Theotokos]]]]
The fiscal administration of Constantine was highly competent. This drew from his enemies accusations of being a merciless and rapacious extractor of taxes and an oppressor of the rural population. However, the empire was prosperous and Constantine left a very well-stocked treasury for his successor. The area of cultivated land within the Empire was extended and food became cheaper; between 718 and c. 800 the corn (wheat) production of Thrace trebled. Constantine's court was opulent, with splendid buildings, and he consciously promoted the patronage of secular art to replace the religious art that he removed.<ref>Bury, p. 11</ref><ref>Jenkins, p. 72</ref>

Constantine constructed a number of notable buildings in the [[Great Palace of Constantinople]], including the [[Church of the Virgin of the Pharos]] and the ''porphyra''. The ''porphyra'' was a chamber lined with [[porphyry (geology)|porphyry]], a stone of imperial purple colour. In it expectant empresses underwent the final stages of labour and it was the birthplace of the children of reigning emperors. Constantine's son Leo was the first child born here, and thereby obtained the title ''porphyrogénnētos'' ([[born in the purple]]) the ultimate accolade of legitimacy for an imperial prince or princess. The concept of a 'purple birth' predated the construction of the chamber, but it gained a literal aspect from the chamber's existence.<ref>Herrin, p. 185</ref> The porphyry was reputed to have come from [[Rome]] and represented a direct link to the ancient origins of Byzantine imperial authority.<ref>Magdalino (1993), p. 424</ref> Constantine also rebuilt the prominent church of [[Hagia Eirene]] in Constantinople, which had been badly damaged by the [[740 Constantinople earthquake|earthquake that hit Constantinople in 740]]. The building preserves rare examples of iconoclastic church decoration.<ref>Freely and Cakmak, pp. 136–143</ref>

With the impetus of having fathered numerous offspring, Constantine codified the court titles given to members of the imperial family. He associated only his eldest son, [[Leo IV the Khazar|Leo]], with the throne as co-emperor (in 751), but gave his younger sons the titles of [[caesar (title)|caesar]] for the more senior in age and [[nobelissimos]] for the more junior.<ref>Jeffreys, Haldon and Cormack, p. 505</ref>