Directory

726 CE

A year defined by the beginning of Byzantine Iconoclasm, as Emperor Leo III ordered the removal of religious images, triggering a bitter theological and political controversy that would divide the empire for over a century.

Culture & Society

  • Emperor Leo III issued an edict ordering the destruction of religious icons and images in churches and public spaces, launching the first period of Byzantine Iconoclasm.
  • The iconoclast policy provoked fierce opposition from monks, many clergy, and the general population, who venerated icons as sacred objects and conduits of divine grace.
  • Pope Gregory II condemned the iconoclast policy, deepening the rift between the papacy in Rome and the Byzantine emperor in Constantinople.
  • The estimated world population was approximately 225 million.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • The Iconoclasm controversy weakened Byzantine control over Italy, as the papacy increasingly looked to the Frankish kingdoms for protection rather than to Constantinople.

Climate & Environment

  • Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was approximately 277 parts per million, as later confirmed by ice core analysis.