Anastasios 6 | Prosopography of the Byzantine Empire |
| Sex | M |
| Floruit | E VIII |
| Dates | 713 (taq) / 718 (ob.) |
| PmbZ No. | 236 |
| Variant Names | nst'syws; Anastasius; Anastasius II |
| Religion | Anti-monothelete |
| Locations | Kynegion (Constantinople) (deathplace); Thessalonike (exileplace); Hagia Sophia (Constantinople); Constantinople (officeplace); Constantinople (residence); Thessalonike (residence); Constantinople; Nikaia; Thessalonike; Herakleia (Thrace) |
| Occupation | Monk; Priest; Secretary |
| Titles | Asekretis (office); Augustus (office); Emperor (office) |
| Textual Sources | Agatho Diaconus, Epilogus, ed. Riedinger, ACO II 2. 898-901 = Mansi XII 189-196. (theology); Bar Hebraeus, Chronographia, tr. E. A. W. Budge, The Chronography of Abu 'l-Faraj (London, 1932; repr. Amsterdam, 1976) (history); Chronicon Anonymi ad annum 1234 pertinens, ed. and tr. J.-B. Chabot, I = CSCO 81-82 (Paris, 1916-20), II = CSCO 109 (Louvain, 1937) (chronicle); Chronicon ad annum Domini 846 pertinens, ed. E. W. Brooks, tr. J.-B. Chabot, CSCO 3-4 (Louvain, 1904); also tr. E. W. Brooks, "A Syriac Chronicle of the Year 846", Zeitschrift der deutschen morgenländ (chronicle); Chronique de Denys de Tell-Mahré, ed. and tr. J.-B. Chabot (Paris, 1895); tr. A. Palmer, The Seventh Century in West-Syrian Chronicles (Liverpool, 1993), pp. 54-65 (chronicle); Constantine Porphyrogenitus, De Ceremoniis Aulae Byzantinae Libri II, ed. J. J. Reiske, CSHB (Bonn, 1829); also ed. (in part) A. Vogt (Paris, 1935, repr. 1967) (history); Liber Pontificalis, ed. L. Duchesne, Le liber pontificalis. Texte, introduction et commentaire, 2 vols. (Paris, 1886-92); re-issued with 3rd vol. by C. Vogel, (Paris, 1955-57) (chronicle); Nicephorus, Breviarium Historiae, ed. C. Mango, Nikephoros, Patriarch of Constantinople: Short History; prev. ed. C. de Boor Nicephori ArchiepiscopiConstantinopolitani Opuscula Historica Leipzig 1880 (history); Paulus Diaconus, Historia Gentis Langobardorum, ed. L. Bethmann and G. Waitz, MGH, Scr. Rer. Lang., pp. 12-187; also in MGH, Scr. Rer. Ger. 48, pp. 49-242 (history); Theophanes Confessor, Chronographia, ed. C. de Boor, 2 vols. (Leipzig, 1883-85, repr. Hildesheim/NewYork, 1980); tr. and comm. C. Mango and R. Scott, The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor, Oxford 1997 (chronicle); Zonaras = Ioannis Zonarae Epitome Historiarum, libri XIII-XVIII, ed. Th. Büttner-Wobst, (Bonn, 1897) (history) |
Anastasios 6's original name was Flavios Artemios; he served under the emperor Philippikos 1 as asekretis: Nic. Brev. de Boor 49, Mango 48:18-19 (Φιλιππικοῦ γραμματέα τυγχάνοντα, οὓς τῇ Ἰταλῶν φωνῇ καλοῦσιν ἀσηκρῆτις). He became protoasekretis, according to Theophanes; at Pentecost in 713 (Sunday, 4 June) he was proclaimed emperor in Hagia Sophia by the populace and given the new name Anastasios II: Agatho Diac. (Mansi XII 193) (Φιλαρτέμιος (sic) τοὔνομα, ὁ καὶ μετακληθεὶς Ἀναστάσιος, τῆς τῶν ἀσηκρητίων σχολῆς πρότερον γενόμενος ρτη εναμιος), Nic.Brev. de Boor 49, Mango 48, Theoph. AM 6205 (ἐστέφθη Ἀρτέμιος ὁ πρωτοασηκρήτης, μετονομασθεὶς Ἀναστάσιος), AM 6209 (p. 395), Zon. XIV 26. 11 (Αρτέμιον τὸν πρωτοασηκρῆτις προχειρίζονται (sc. senate and people) αὐτοκράτορα, μετονομάσαντες Ἀναστάσιον), Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 34 (
Successor of Philippikos 1, the new emperor Anastasios II (Anastasios 6) sent to Rome his declaration of faith, which the pope Constantine (Konstantinos 136) accepted as orthodox: Lib. Pont. 90. 11, Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 34. Anastasios 6 reversed the policy of his predecessor and supported the decisions of the Sixth Ecumenical Council in rejecting Monotheletism: Agatho Diac. (Mansi XII 193).
When the troops of the Opsikion revolted in 715 and proclaimed Theodosios 2 as emperor, Anastasios 6 left his own men in charge of Constantinople and withdrew to the safety of Nikaia; however Constantinople eventually fell and when he heard the news he immediately abdicated and became a monk; he was exiled to Thessalonike: Nic. Brev. de Boor 51-52, Mango 51, Theoph. AM 6207, cf. AM 6209 (p. 395) (overthrown by Theodosios), Zon. XIV 27. 13-14, Chron. 1234, §156 (p.300) (he fled to Nikaia where Theodosios 2's men captured him, tonsured him and sent him to the new emperor, who sent him into exile), Lib. Pont. 91. 5 (when his army was defeated he secured an oath guaranteeing his safety and entered the priesthood - "
In 718, from his exile, Anastasios 6 tried to regain the throne, seeking the help of Sisinnios 2 and the Bulgars and writing to Niketas 2, Isoes 1, Theoktistos 1 and Niketas 3 at Constantinople for their support, but at Herakleia the Bulgars turned against him and surrendered him to the emperor Leo III (Leo 3); he was beheaded in the Kynegion and his head paraded in the hippodrome with that of a supporter, the bishop of Thessalonike (Anonymus 179): Nic. Brev. 55-56, Mango 57, Theoph. AM 6211, Zon. XV 2. 15-18 (cf. also Niketas 2). See Rochow, Theophanes, pp. 100-101, 103.
In their accounts of his reign, Nicephorus uses the name Anastasios, Theophanes and Zonaras the name Artemios. He was emperor for one year three months: Theoph. AM 6207, Zon. XIV 27. 14, Chron. 1234, §156 (p. 300) (the figures are wrong; his reign was about two years three months). He was buried in the Mausoleum of Justinian in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople, with his wife: Const. Porph., De Cer. II 42 (Reiske 644-645). The name of his wife was Eirene; see Eirene 11.
According to oriental sources, the Romans rebelled against Philippikos 1 and overthrew him and made Anastasios 6 their ruler; after three years Anastasios 6 was deposed and replaced by Theodosios 2: Chron. 846, p. 231, 10-12 = p. 175 (Chabot) = p. 580 (Brooks). He reigned for two years between Philippikos 1 and Theodosios 2: Pseudo-Dion., Chron., p. 156, 10-15 = p. 117. He succeeded Philippikos 1 as emperor and reigned for two years and five months: Bar Hebr., p. 106. Then the army which he sent to the West rebelled, killed its commander and proclaimed Theodosios 2 as emperor; Anastasios 6 fled to Nikaia: Bar Hebr., p. 107.
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