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Count No Man Happy: A Byzantine Fantasy
''Count No Man Happy: A Byzantine Fantasy'' is a novel or fictionalized biography published in 2011 by author Paul Kastenellos. Count No Man Happy recounts the life of the Byzantine emperor Constantine VI who lived in the last years of the eighth century CE. Although a novel with elements of fantasy, it is also factually correct biography. The book’s title is a quote from the ancient historian Herodotus: “Count no man happy until he is dead.” The unhappy life of Constantine was one of religious extremism, court intrigue, family feuding, and a two front war. This reality is relieved by Constantine's dreams in which he is comforted by Beth, a mid twentieth century model inspired by the smile of the pinup model Bettie Page.
==Plot==
Constantine was the child of the iconoclastic emperor Leo IV and the Empress Irene. Upon Leo's death Irene showed her true colors by reintroduced the veneration of icons throughout the empire. She also ended the engagement of the young Constantine to a daughter of Charlemagne and arranged a loveless marriage with a beautiful but malleable Greek girl. She was power hungry and would not surrender authority to her son when he came of age to rule, instead employing the talents of her chief minister, Stauratius, who as a eunuch did not threaten the throne.
Irene and Stauratius failed to forestall the intrigues of Constantine's uncle Nicephorus who thought himself entitled to rule. The result was a growing estrangement between mother and son, and treason by Nicephorus. Irene ignored the rivalry between Constantine and Stauratius, seemingly not caring about her son's various victories and defeats against Bulgar and Arab enemies but only about restoring the icons and remaining in power. Finally there was open warfare between the two factions.
For a time Irene retired from power but after a year returned to the palace to share authority with her son. Then Constantine divorced his wife who had been charged with treason and married a handmaiden. As Irene had foreseen, the monks and people of Constantinople would not accept this and there was renewed feuding. Yet Constantine had supporters and in desperation to remain in power Irene authorized the blinding of her own son.
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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