Romanus I 920-944 AD AE 25.8mm 8.72g. Follis. Constantinople Mint, Romanus w. transverse labarum and globus cruciger, Usurper

Romanus I 920-944 AD AE 25.8mm 8.72g. Follis. Constantinople Mint, Romanus w. transverse labarum and globus cruciger, Usurper

Obv: RωmAn' bASILεωS Rωm. Facing bust of Romanus, holding transverse labarum and globus cruciger

Rev: RWMA / n' εn Θεω bA / SILεVS Rω / MAIωn in four lines.

Ref: SB#1760

***Romanus I Lekapenos was a usurper, "Gentle Usurper".

The legitimate heir to the Macedonian dynasty, Constantine VII, was only a child when his father died.

Romanus, an ambitious admiral of the Byzantine fleet, used political maneuvering to oust the existing regency government in 919 AD.

He married his daughter Helena to the young Constantine VII, named himself basileopator (father of the emperor), and had himself crowned senior co-emperor in 920 AD.

Unlike typical Byzantine usurpers who routinely blinded, mutilated, or murdered deposed rivals, Romanus left Constantine VII completely physically unharmed. He allowed the rightful heir to live safely in the palace and maintain his imperial title, even though Romanus stripped him of all real governing power for 24 years.

In a twist of poetic justice, Romanus was eventually overthrown in 944 AD not by the rightful heir, but by his own ambitious sons, Stephen and Constantine. Shortly after forcing their father into a monastery, the sons were ousted by the public and loyalists, allowing Constantine VII to finally reclaim his throne as the sole ruler.***

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Sku# 1679