Constans II, Byzantine emperor (r. 641-668)

My take on the Byzantine emperor Constans II (r. 641-668) or Konstantinos ho Pogonatos (Constantine the Bearded), one of Byzantium's lesser known underrated emperors who never really gets any representations in art, whether in his time or today, so I decided to one on him. His appearance here with his large square beard is based on his image on his coin, one of the very few surviving pieces that show his appearance. This work was mostly hand-drawn, in black white colors only, though the coloring and finishing touches for this were made using Photoshop.

Constans II, the grandson of the more famous Byzantine emperor Heraclius ruled Byzantium in a very troubled time as it fced the first wave of invasions by the Arab Caliphates (first Rashidun then Umayyad), and only inherited a now troubled and dystopian like Byzantine Empire at only 11. Constans may usually be only remembered for ruling in such an autocratic way wherein he went as far as arresting the pope, Martin I for opposing his religious policy, ending up killing his own brother as well as banishing and mutilating his uncle and step-grandmother, and at the end getting assassinated in his bath by a servant with the use of a soap dish when thinking of moving the capital from Constantinople to Sicily. On the other hand, this lesser known bearded autocratic emperor Constans II had made many achievements and reforms that helped keep the Byzantine Empire alive in these troubled times, most notably the introduction of the military/ administrative Thematic System or Themes in Asia Minor, the new Byzantine heartland.

This recent drawing I made is also for the latest article I made on Constans II, the 4th chapter of my Byzantine Alternate History (fan fiction) series on exactly the reign of Constans II and what if he moved the capital to Sicily. Read it by clicking the link below.
https://byzantium-blogger.blog/2021/04/14/byzantine-alternate-history-series-chapter-iv-constans-ii-relocates-the-imperial-capital-to-sicily/

© Powee Celdran, 2021