An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors Nicephorus I A. D.
802-811 Sul Ross State University Nicephorus I can be considered
one of the Byzantine Empire's more controversial emperors,
reigning in a period more turbulent than usual. Nicephorus'
policies, which were aimed at strengthening the Byzantine State,
were viewed extremely critically by Theophanes, the main
chronicler for the period. Theophanes objected strongly to
Nicephorus' tolerance towards the iconoclasts, his desire to
make the church subordinate to the state once again, and his
financial policies which affected the church. This would lead to
Nicephorus having an unflattering and frequently unfair
portrayal in the historical record of the time. Since Theophanes
was the main chronicler working during this period, and the one
whose work is the most intact, his viewpoint has tended to
dominate the historical record, despite the more favorable, but
fragmented accounts in the Chronicle of Monemvasia and the non-
Byzantine sources such as Bar Hebraeus an