So I want a favorite emperor pre 11th century and I set on Leo iii but now I’m a little shaky on him bc of iconoclasm.So do you think he is still a contender or not?also please give me other emperors to consider to
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Favorite emperor shouldn't be about how good they were or how much they aligned with other emperors, it should be about how much you enjoy learning about and discussing them. Iconoclasm is the most interesting part of Leo's reign imo
And this is why Justinian will always be one of my favorites. Many have rightly argued that he had serious shortcomings. But no one ever calls him boring.
Yeah, I've grown to have loads of problems with him, but he is without a doubt fascinating. I remember when I wrote my timelines for East Roman history, I was aghast at just how much happened during his reign and how much was documented.
I honestly wonder if he's the Roman emperor with the most detail written about him and his rule.