Anastasius II
Anastasius II, born Artemios, was the Byzantine emperor from 713 to 715, a palace official who came to power through the coup that overthrew Philippicus Bardanes. He moved immediately to restore Chalcedonian orthodoxy as imperial theology and issued new coinage. His most ambitious initiative was a preemptive military strike against the Arab Caliphate, assembling a fleet and army at Rhodes. However, the troops mutinied rather than embark. The mutineers selected a tax collector named Theodosius as emperor, and the resulting civil war ended with Anastasius deposed and exiled to a monastery. In 719 he attempted to reclaim the throne by allying with the Bulgars, but the plot was discovered and he was executed.
- Lived: 680 CE – 719 CE
- Nationality: byzantine
- Roles: emperor, head_of_state, administrator
