Byzantine Emperors

Byzantine emperors

It is difficult to define when the Roman empire ended and the Byzantine empire begun. To simplify the administration, in 284 the Roman empire was divided by Diocletian in its western and of eastern part. The title of "first" Byzantine Emperor can be assigned, for different reasons, to the followings people:

Constantine I the Great (the first Christian emperor, that moved the capital to Constantinople)
Valens (the battle of Adrianopolis is one of the events considered the beginning of the middleage)
Arcadius (considering Teodosio I as the last emperor of the united Roman Empire)
Zenone I (since the last emperor of west Romolus Augustolus was deposed during his reign)
Eraclio (who imposed the Greek as the official language)
Anastasio I (in 498 introduced the Greek numeration to express conins value).

In the following there are the dynasties of the Byzantine emperors from mid IV century to mid XV century.

Valentinian dynasty (364–379)

Name		Reign
Valentinian I	Flavius Valentinianus	26 February 364 – 17 November 375
Valens	Flavius Iulius Valens	28 March 364 – 9 August 378
Gratian	Flavius Gratianus	9 August 378 – 19 January 379

Theodosian dynasty (379–457)

Name		Reign
Theodosius I "the Great"	Flavius Theodosius	19 January 379 – 17 January 395
Arcadius	Flavius Arcadius	17 January 395 – 1 May 408
Theodosius II	Flavius Theodosius	1 May 408 – 28 July 450
Pulcheria	Aelia Pulcheria	28 July 450 – July 453
Marcian	Flavius Marcianus Augustus	450 – January 457

Leonid dynasty (457–518)

Name		Reign
Leo I "the Thracian"	Flavius Valerius Leo	7 February 457 – 18 January 474
Leo II "the Little"	Flavius Leo	18 January – 17 November 474
Zeno	Flavius Zeno	17 November 474 – 9 April 491
Basiliscus	Flavius Basiliscus	9 January 475 – August 476
Anastasius I Dicorus	Flavius Anastasius	11 April 491 – 9 July 518

Justinian dynasty (518–602)

Name		Reign
Justin I	Flavius Iustinus	July 518 – 1 August 527
Justinian I "the Great"	Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus	1 August 527 – 13/14 November 565
Justin II	Flavius Iustinus Iunior	14 November 565 – 5 October 578
Tiberius II Constantine	Flavius Tiberius Constantinus	5 October 578 – 14 August 582
Maurice	Flavius Mauricius Tiberius	14 August 582 – 22 November 602

Non-dynastic (602–610)

Name		Reign
Phocas	Flavius Phocas	23 November 602 – 4 October 610

Heraclian dynasty (610–695)

Name		Reign
Heraclius	Flavius Heraclius	5 October 610 – 11 February 641
Constantine III	Heraclius Novus Constantinus	11 February – 24/26 May 641
Heraklonas	Constantinus Heraclius	11 February 641 – September 641
Constans II		September 641 – 15 September 668
Constantine IV "the Bearded"		15 September 668 – September 685
Justinian II "the Slit-nosed"		September 685 – 695

Twenty Years' Anarchy (695–717)

Name	Reign
Leontios	695–698
Tiberius III Apsimar	698–705
Justinian II "the Slit-nosed"	August 705 – December 711
Philippikos Bardanes	December 711 – 3 June 713
Anastasios II	June 713 – November 715
Theodosios III	May 715 – 25 March 717

Isaurian dynasty (717–802)

Name	Reign
Leo III "the Isaurian"	25 March 717 – 18 June 741
Constantine V "the Dung-named"	18 June 741 – 14 September 775
Artabasdos	June 741/742 – 2 November 743
Leo IV "the Khazar"	14 September 775 – 8 September 780
Constantine VI	8 September 780 – August 797
Irene of Athens	August 797 – 31 October 802

Nikephorian dynasty (802–813)

Name	Reign
Nikephoros I "the Logothete"	31 October 802 – 26 July 811
Staurakios	26 July 811 – 2 October 811
Michael I Rangabe	2 October 811 – 22 June 813

Non-dynastic (813–820)

Name	Reign
Leo V "the Armenian"	11 July 813 – 25 December 820

Amorian dynasty (820–867)

Name	Reign
Michael II "the Amorian"	25 December 820 – 2 October 829
Theophilos	2 October 829 – 20 January 842
Michael III "the Drunkard"	20 January 842 – 23 September 867

Macedonian dynasty (867–1056)

Name	Reign
Basil I "the Macedonian"	867 – 2 August 886
Leo VI "the Wise"	886 – 11 May 912
Alexander	11 May 912 – 6 June 913
Constantine VII "the Purple-born"	6 June 913 – 9 November 959
Romanos I Lekapenos	17 December 920 – 16 December 944
Romanos II "the Purple-born"	9 November 959 – 15 March 963
Nikephoros II Phokas	16 August 963 – 11 December 969
John I Tzimiskes	11 December 969 – 10 January 976
Basil II "the Bulgar-Slayer"	10 January 976 – 15 December 1025
Constantine VIII "the Purple-born"	15 December 1025 – 15 November 1028
Zoe "the Purple-born"	15 November 1028 – June 1050
Romanos III Argyros	15 November 1028 – 11 April 1034
Michael IV "the Paphlagonian"	11 April 1034 – 10 December 1041
Michael V "the Caulker"	10 December 1041 – 20 April 1042
Theodora	19 April 1042 – after 31 August 1056
Constantine IX Monomachos	11 June 1042 – 7/8 or 11 January 1055

Non-dynastic (1056–1057)

Name	Reign
Michael VI Bringas, "Stratiotikos" or "the Old"	September 1056 – 31 August 1057

Komnenid dynasty (1057–1059)

Name	Reign
Isaac I Komnenos	5 June 1057 – 22 November 1059

Doukid dynasty (1059–1081)

Name	Reign
Constantine X Doukas	24 November 1059 – 22 May 1067
Michael VII Doukas	22 May 1067 – 24 March 1078
Romanos IV Diogenes	1 January 1068 – 24 October 1071
Nikephoros III Botaneiates	31 March 1078 – 4 April 1081

Komnenid dynasty (1081–1185)

Name	Reign
Alexios I Komnenos	4 April 1081 – 15 August 1118
John II Komnenos	15 August 1118 – 8 April 1143
Manuel I Komnenos	1143 – 24 September 1180
Alexios II Komnenos	24 September 1180 – October 1183
Andronikos I Komnenos	1183 – 11 September 1185

Angelid dynasty (1185–1204)

Name	Reign
Isaac II Angelos	1185–1195
Alexios III Angelos	1195 – 17/18 July 1203
Isaac II Angelos	18 July 1203 – 27/28 January 1204
Alexios IV Angelos	1 August 1203 – 27/28 January 1204
Alexios V Doukas "Mourtzouphlos"	5 February 1204 – 13 April 1204

Laskarid dynasty (Empire of Nicaea, 1204–1261)

Name	Reign
Theodore I Laskaris	1205– December 1221/1222
John III Doukas Vatatzes	15 December 1221/1222– 3 November 1254
Theodore II Laskaris	3 November 1254– 18 August 1258
John IV Laskaris	18 August 1258– 25 December 1261

Palaiologan dynasty (restored to Constantinople, 1261–1453)

Name	Reign
Michael VIII Palaiologos	1 January 1259– 11 December 1282
Andronikos II Palaiologos	11 December 1282– 24 May 1328
Andronikos III Palaiologos	24 May 1328– 15 June 1341
John V Palaiologos	15 June 1341– 12 August 1376
John VI Kantakouzenos	8 February 1347– 4 December 1354
Andronikos IV Palaiologos	12 August 1376– 1 July 1379
John V Palaiologos	1 July 1379– 14 April 1390
John VII Palaiologos	14 April 1390– 17 September 1390
John V Palaiologos	17 September 1390– 16 February 1391
Manuel II Palaiologos	16 February 1391– 21 July 1425
John VIII Palaiologos	21 July 1425– 31 October 1448
Constantine XI Palaiologos	6 January 1449– 29 May 1453