720 – 730s

Events in the 720s 1

• 726 – 843 Iconoclasm -- a century of theological civil war The Iconoclast controversy (726-843) divides the Byzantine Empire for 117 years over whether religious images should be venerated or destroyed. Leo III orders the removal of icons in 726; two councils reverse and restore the policy; Empress Theodora finally restores icon veneration in 843 (the Triumph of Orthodoxy). The controversy permanently damages relations with Rome and accelerates the East-West schism.