Constantine VI

Born 14 January 771, Constantine became co-emperor at five and sole ruler at nine when his father Leo IV died in 780. His mother Irene ran the empire as regent until he reached maturity in 790, but she never let go - by 792 he'd named her empress and official colleague just to manage her. Military losses piled up; he blinded a loyal general and divorced his wife for a mistress, Theodote, in a marriage the church condemned. Irene read the room, had her son deposed in 797, blinded him, and locked him away - he likely died soon after. She ruled alone, the first empress regnant, but Pope Leo III refused to recognize a woman as legitimate sovereign. In 800 he crowned Charlemagne "Emperor of the Romans," splitting the claim and setting the course for the Holy Roman Empire.