Leo III, a Syrian, was a great military strategist, reformer, and politician. As a Byzantine general, he overthrew Theodosius III, ended the anarchy of Byzantium from 711 to 717, ascended to the throne as emperor, and founded the Isurian dynasty. Leo III was originally a Syrian military commander who seized power during the Arab siege of Constantinople. He not only crushed the Arab siege, but also drove them out of Asia Minor.

Leo III was originally a herder of Syrian descent from Asia Minor, with his hometown in Malash, and he spoke Arabic and Greek. In his early years, he assisted Justinian II in his restoration and presented many livestock to the government, earning recognition and official positions. He began his political career and was appointed as the commander of the Anatolian Military District by Anastasius II.
Relations with Arab Countries
In 716, Leo III declared himself king, but in reality, he had not yet become the true ruler of Byzantium. Constantinople was still under the rule of Theodosius III. Therefore, Leo III colluded with Arab forces, accepted Arab conditions to gain their support, and jointly sent troops to capture Constantinople. In 717, Leo III led his army into Constantinople, officially opening the curtain of the Isurian dynasty. But after Leo III founded the country, he did not fulfill his promise to the Arabs. As a result, the Arabs led troops to attack Constantinople, and their army and navy respectively attacked through Asia Minor and the Bosphorus Strait. After nearly a year of siege by the Arabs, Leo III used the power of his new weapon, the Greek fire, and finally defeated the Arab army in 718, temporarily suppressing the Arab threat.

Iconoclastic Destruction Movement
During the reign of Leo III, the Arabs occupied most of the empire's territory, causing Christian monks in the occupied territories to return to the Eastern Roman Empire, resulting in a significant increase in the number of monks within the empire. Monks and churches have always enjoyed numerous privileges within the empire, coupled with the church's collection of people's assets under the guise of worshipping holy images, making the religious class a major burden on society at that time. So between 726 and 730, Leo III twice issued edicts opposing the veneration of icons, in order to disrupt the icon movement, confiscate church property and land, force monks to return to secular life, and alleviate social burdens. Pope Gregory II strongly protested against this, and in 727, Ravenna broke away from imperial rule as a result, but this did not hinder the progress of the icon destruction movement. The Iconoclastic Movement greatly undermined the power of the Christian Church, and most importantly, Leo III distributed the confiscated land and land to the army and nobles, thereby consolidating his rule.
During the reign of Leo III, the legal code of Justinian I was revised as Ecloga, which covered legal content such as weddings, wills, slavery, and private ownership. At the same time, the importance of monarchy was emphasized in the code, consolidating the rule of the Isurian dynasty.

Emperor of the Byzantine Empire. The founder of the Isurian dynasty, reigned from 717-741. Father of Constantine V.
Since the establishment of the Arab Empire, under the attack of this politically, religiously, and militarily integrated regime with unlimited expansion consciousness, the once glorious Byzantine Empire has entered a nightmare era, with almost all of its Asian territories lost, leaving only a few remnants on the Anatolian Peninsula. In 716 AD, Islamic leader Mosslama led an army of 80000 on both land and sea to once again advance towards Constantinople. Emperor Theodosius III was helpless, so Leo III, the governor of Asia Minor, seized power and ascended to the highest throne.
Leo III was originally a soldier of Syrian descent, born in Malash and fluent in Arabic and Greek. Like many emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire, he also rose in the ranks and rose to high positions through military achievements, becoming the commander of the Anatolian Military District and a rising class of military aristocrats in Asia Minor. This large-scale Arab attack seemed to have been prepared specifically for Leo III's bright future. Constantinople was besieged for a year from 717 to 718, but with its unique superior defense conditions, Leo III's calm response, and the use of a secret weapon - Greek fire - it finally resisted the Arab attack. The harsh winter, the betrayal of some sailors in the Arab fleet, and the unexpected attack of the Bulgarians turned the situation in favor of the Christians. In the end, Mosslama was completely defeated, and the Arabs reportedly lost 150000 people (an exaggerated number) and almost all of their ships. This battle was of great significance to both the Eastern and Western worlds, as it earned Leo III the title of "savior of Byzantium" and established the rule of the Isurian dynasty, while plunging the Arab Umayyad dynasty into a vicious cycle. Later, Leo III took advantage of his victory and launched a counterattack, gradually driving the Arabs out of western Asia Minor. During the reign of his proud successor Constantine V (741-775), he also cooperated with the Abbasid dynasty to defeat the Umayyad dynasty and recapture the entire region of Asia Minor and parts of Syria.

Utilizing religion
Leo III, who came from a grassroots background, had a very clear understanding of the drawbacks of the imperial system, and for the Byzantine Empire, which was facing enemies on all sides, strengthening military power was obviously of paramount importance. After consolidating his position, Leo III began to put into practice the reforms he had been pondering for many years. He made every effort to rectify the collection of taxes, improve the financial situation of the empire, strengthen and perfect the military district system, provide land and property to emerging military nobles, and provide soldiers with a stable life. But all of this conflicted with the Byzantine Empire's church at that time, making it difficult to move forward.
Four centuries after Christianity gained orthodox status, the power of the church developed at an astonishing pace, to the point of abnormal growth. By the 7th century, with the conquest of Asia by the Arabs, bishops from these regions flooded into the imperial interior, exacerbating the situation of abnormal growth. There is a scripture in the church that says, "Humanity is divided into two halves, half monks and the other half laypeople." Although the actual number of monks does not reach half of the population, the land they occupy almost occupies half of the empire. And they also have tax exemptions and other privileges. At the same time, the empire had an increasing number of civilians without land. To increase the empire's taxes and labor force, and to allocate a large amount of fertile land to emerging military nobles, it was necessary to target the oil-rich church, regardless of Leo III's own religious beliefs, which had become his inevitable choice.
In addition, the Christian church's inherent flaws in religion have also made it a target of attack. Early Christianity emphasized spiritual faith and prohibited idol worship. But with its development, Christianity, like many other religions, gradually embarked on the path of idol worship. Holy images and the remains of saints were enshrined in monasteries, and ignorant people believed that worshiping holy images could help them seek benefits and avoid harm, bringing them a rolling source of wealth. Moreover, the idol worship of various saints poses a danger of leading Christianity towards polytheism, which seriously violates the essence of Christianity as a monotheistic religion. There are already people within Christianity who are very dissatisfied with this, and Leo III is taking advantage of these flaws to launch a vigorous "Iconoclastic Campaign" to seize power from the church.

In 726 AD, Leo III issued the first edict opposing the worship of icons, treating the worship of icons as idol worship. This is the first declaration of war against the national church. Subsequently, a nationwide campaign to destroy icons was launched. Subsequently, due to the church's disobedience to the edict, a large amount of land in the monastery was confiscated, and the remaining land had to be taxed. The number of monasteries was greatly reduced, and a large number of monks were converted back to secular life and became social laborers. The privileges of monasteries in education have also been revoked. Leo III took the lead, and the actions taken by his son Constantine V during his reign were even more intense, leading to the peak of this movement.
Convincing nobles
Leo III received the support of the majority of military and court nobles, as they were the biggest beneficiaries of this movement and received a large amount of land and property. Some enlightened monks and Pauline believers also sided with him. And most senior church leaders are representatives of opposition forces. Geographically, the military districts and the majority of the population in Asia Minor supported this movement, while the majority of the population in the European provinces of the empire, including the capital Constantinople, particularly in Greece, opposed it, and even experienced short-lived armed resistance in some areas. But Leo III's determination to implement reforms will not be weakened by any resistance, and he decisively suppressed armed resistance. In 730 AD, Leo III deposed Archbishop Zemen of Constantinople. Pope Gregory III could no longer sit still. In 731, he announced the excommunication of Leo III and all iconoclasts, and Leo III retaliated by revoking the Pope's taxation and jurisdiction over Illyria in southern Italy.

This iconoclastic movement lasted for 117 years and finally ended with Queen Theodora announcing the restoration of icon worship. The Iconoclastic Movement appears to have failed on the surface, but the confiscated church land and property during this movement cannot be recovered. The military power of the empire has greatly strengthened. From the nearly thousand year history of the Byzantine Empire, from the continuous decline in the 6th and 7th centuries AD to the resurgence in the 9th and 10th centuries AD, the 'Iconoclastic Destruction Movement' was a crucial turning point. History is the most impartial judge, and most historians have given a positive evaluation of Leo III's movement.
Leo III has many similarities with the founder of his previous dynasty, Jacques Chirac. They all came from the ranks of the military, achieved lifelong status during the Battle of Constantinople, established a dynasty that was not long or short, and implemented a series of far-reaching reforms.
The Great Patriotic War
In 717, the Arab Empire's 200000 strong army and 1800 warships advanced by sea and land, surrounding Constantinople, and the situation of the Byzantine Empire was critical. At this time, General Leo of the Byzantine Empire's Anatolian Military Region was enthroned by the army and led the defense of Constantinople. In 718, Leo III introduced the Arab navy into the port of Constantinople and burned down a large number of Arab warships with the "Greek fire". The Arab army's morale has been shaken due to a large number of casualties caused by severe winter temperatures and epidemics. Leo III then launched a surprise attack on the Arab army, killing 22000 Arab soldiers in the Battle of Adrianople alone. The Byzantine navy successively defeated two Arab reinforcement fleets, forcing the Arab army to retreat. In this battle, 150000 Arabs died and almost all warships were lost. Leo III saved the Byzantine Empire in a critical moment, greatly thwarting the expansion momentum of the Arab Empire. In 740, Leo III once again dealt a heavy blow to the Arab army in the Battle of Akron in Xiaoya. Leo III was an outstanding military strategist of the Byzantine Empire. He not only saved Byzantium from danger, but also further consolidated the military district system and strengthened the military strength of the empire. His performance in the defense of Constantinople can be described as a model of utilizing favorable timing, location, and people.

Exclusion of religion
Leo III greatly defeated the Arabs in the Battle of Constantinople, consolidating his political position and laying the foundation for him to take measures to restore the dilapidated state. In order to reorganize the army, he ordered the widespread requisition of all the land and other properties of the church. It is not easy for the church to gather this wealth into its own arms, how can it be said to give it to others? The spirit of resistance that Westerners are accustomed to is fully reflected in those monks, and the voice of "return property, return our land" is constantly emerging.
Unlike Chinese temples, the church was not only the leader of the spiritual world at that time, but also ruled over the economy of society. Monasteries utilize various privileges, tax exemptions, and occupy a large amount of land, exploiting residents who are dependent on the land. The national strength has been completely drained by these monks, who are actually even more vulgar than the common people. According to data, by the 7th century, half of the Byzantine Empire's land had been occupied by the church, posing a serious threat to the security of the empire itself.
With the invasion of the Arabs, many monks flooded into the empire's interior from the occupied areas, and the resulting monasteries spread throughout the country, crawling like moths on the already shrinking land. What the empire needs is not just foreign monks who can recite scriptures, but soldiers who can fight and defend their country. This will inevitably create a fierce conflict between the church and Leo III, who came from a military background.
In 726, Leo III issued a decree prohibiting the worship of icons, marking the beginning of the "Iconoclastic Movement". The monks were annoyed when they heard this. Without the holy image, how can we collect incense money? However, the emperor's measures received support from the army and nobles, as they all coveted the land of the church. Some bishops also came to sing hymns to the emperor, because the monks didn't listen to him, and this time they could take the opportunity to rule over them. The urban artisans also rose up to cheer, they had long been dissatisfied with the arrogance of the monks. The Archbishop of the Church couldn't resist and stood up against Leo III's orders. The monks stood up authoritarian and began to incite the easily agitated residents, with women being their main target of propaganda. The residents showed sympathy towards the monks, and most of the residents in the provinces of the empire and Constantinople began to respond to their call.

In 727, uprisings broke out in Greece and various islands in the Aegean Sea, opposing the emperor's policies. The power of religion was truly terrifying. Fortunately, Rao III was an iron fisted figure who easily suppressed the rebels. Pope Gregory II (at that time, the Papal States had not yet been established and the Pope was still under the jurisdiction of Byzantium) was greatly angered by this letter and opposed the emperor's policy by stopping the collection of tribute in Italy. Ravenna and the city of Rome in central Italy, although part of Byzantine territory, have become increasingly distant. In order to oppose the government, the Pope has colluded with the Lombards, who are enemies of the empire, adding insult to injury.
Faced with many opposing voices, Leo III ignored them and continued to implement his own policies. At the same time, he also punished those who led the trouble: in 730, the Archbishop of Constantinople was dismissed; Confiscate all income of Grigory II in southern Italy, and revoke the jurisdiction of Iliric.
Soon after, the news of the great victory of Tours reached Constantinople, and the army took the opportunity to launch a counterattack. In 736, Leo III declared his power and defeated the Arabs in Akron, driving them all out of western Asia Minor.
The division of the empire
On June 18, 741, after the death of Leo III, he was succeeded by his son Constantine V. Constantine V inherited his father's will and adopted more aggressive measures against the monks. As a result, domestic conflicts intensified and civil war broke out.
Artavazd, the son-in-law of Leo III and the commander of the Opsigi military district, raised his hands in support of the father-in-law's movement to destroy the icons. Constantine V went to Asia Minor in the month of his accession to the throne, preparing to organize an army to counterattack the Arabs. Altawazd suddenly raised the banner of rebellion, proclaimed himself emperor, and targeted his brother-in-law. Constantine V, who was caught off guard, was startled to find out that the support for the government by that guy was all fake. There was no other way, he hastily fled to the Anatorica Military District because there were many people who supported him there.

Soon after, news came from Constantinople that the emperor had passed away. Upon hearing this, Constantine V quit and thought to himself, 'I am living well, with food and drink. It is outrageous that you spread rumors that I am dead.'. Originally, Artavazd conspired with the governor of the capital and the newly appointed Archbishop to falsely claim that Constantine V had passed away, and Artavazd usurped the throne and became the new emperor. In order to gain the support of the residents of the capital, Altawazd eagerly abolished the decision to destroy the icons as soon as he entered the city.
Although the Iconoclastic Movement appears to have failed on the surface, its influence far exceeds the imagination of the opposition. In addition to the Anatorica Military District, the Thrace Military District and the Kivileot Military District located in Asia Minor also fully support this movement.
In 742, Constantine V defeated the usurper and forced him to flee back to Constantinople. Before long, the son of Artavazd also became a defeated subordinate of his uncle. Constantine V sent troops to surround Constantinople from both land and sea routes. In 743, Constantine V ascended the throne again, and other traitors and political opponents also paid a heavy price. Altawazd was captured and his eyes were gouged out. The Archbishop was beaten with whips by the residents and then tied to a donkey's back. He carried the donkey's buttocks upside down and paraded through the racecourse in public, finally saving his life.
The Byzantine Empire, which had just quelled the internal turmoil, encountered trouble again. In 746, a great plague broke out in the Near East, spreading throughout the empire and causing massive deaths among the Byzantines and Greeks. Slavs took advantage of the situation and settled in the land that had become uninhabited. The Byzantine royal historian Porphyrogenitus said, 'When the plague engulfed everything, the vast land became Slavic and barbarian.'.
Despite encountering epidemics and foreign invasions, Constantine V did not spare the country's pests: monks. In 753, he strongly condemned the act of worshipping holy images at a religious assembly. Subsequently, a massive religious purge began: confiscating monastery property, closing monasteries, converting them into barracks, forcing monks to return to secular life, marry and have children, and so on.

In 756, a comical performance was staged at the racecourse in Constantinople, featuring monks and nuns as the main characters. They appeared in pairs on the field, with a man accompanied by a woman. The audience in the stands kept throwing garbage and spitting, and the laughter was incessant. The emperor loudly condemned these foreigners from the royal stands, making him sleepless all night. The audience then shouted, 'These scum no longer exist.'.
In order to consolidate the rule and carry out the Iconoclastic Movement to the end, it is necessary to reform and simplify the somewhat outdated Justinian Code. Since Leo III, a brand new legal book has been compiled. In this law, civil law takes precedence, while criminal law accounts for a small portion. It eliminates the inequality between the rich and the poor in court and stipulates that trials are unpaid. In criminal law, some prisoners sentenced to death are subjected to corporal punishment, leaving them permanently disabled but with the option to leave a small life behind. These physical punishments include: amputation of arms, nose cutting, tongue cutting, and eye gouging, among others, with the lightest being whipping.
In the early days of the Isurian dynasty, due to the confiscation of a large amount of property from monasteries, the military power of the empire greatly increased, mainly reflected in its frequent victories in the Arab Wars. On the basis of Leo III's victory, the Byzantine army pursued and successively liberated parts of Syria, the island of Cyprus, and Armenia.
Unlike the plight of the Byzantine monks, Italy suddenly emerged as a Papal State, and divine power was increasingly rising. Constantine V was dumbfounded, as the Roman Catholic Church continued to grow while the Byzantine territories in Italy were gradually lost.
During his reign, his energy was mainly used to suppress the constantly rebelling Arab and Berber tribes, and the most difficult thing was to constantly guard against the subversive activities of the Abbasid dynasty. In 763, he brutally suppressed a domestic rebellion under the guise of supporting the Abbasid dynasty. Several wars were also launched against various Christian kingdoms in the north.