Constantine VI (771-804) was the only child of Emperor Leo IV and Empress Irene. He was crowned co-emperor in 776; and became sole emperor in 780; aged only nine. Due to his young age; his mother Irene and her chief minister Staurakios ruled in his stead. However; even when Constantine was of age at sixteen; his mother still refused to hand over executive authority to him.

Constantine was to marry Rotrude; the daughter of the future Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne; in 788; but his mother broke off the engagement and instead supported Charlemagne's enemies. When Irene attempted to get official recognition as empress in 790; the plan backfired and Constantine was finally given the throne through military support; though his mother was still allowed to keep the title of empress.

Constantine soon proved he was not a capable leader however; suffering humiliating defeats at the hands of the Arabs and Bulgarians. When his uncle was favoured to replace him; he had his eyes put out and the tongues of his other uncles torn off. He became vastly unpopular; and in 797 was himself blinded and imprisoned by his mother's supporters. Irene was then crowned as Constantinople's first Empress Regnant. Constantine's date of death is unknown; though it was definitely before 805. Irene herself ruled until she was overthrown in 802; where she was then exiled to Lesbos and died the following year.