When the day of the imperial proclamation arrived, all those concerned with the event gathered on the Campus at the Hebdomon. This included soldiers, officials, senators, clergy, and a vast crowd of ordinary citizens. The ceremony was designed to show that the whole Empire—army, government, and people—took part in the choice of a new ruler.
As the assembly reached silence, the troops performed a striking symbolic act. They laid their military standards flat upon the ground, a gesture meant to express the sorrow and disorder of the State left without an emperor. By this act, the army declared that the Empire stood helpless until a new sovereign was lawfully installed Valens and the Development of the Harbour of the Hebdomon.
Public Prayer and Acclamation
While the standards lay prostrate, prayers rose from every part of the Campus. The immense crowd joined in loud supplications, asking God to approve and bless the man chosen to rule. The voices of thousands blended together in a powerful chant, calling upon divine mercy and guidance.
The prayer took the form of repeated acclamations:
“Hear us, O God; we beseech Thee to hear us.
Grant Leo life; let him reign.
O God, Lover of mankind, the public good demands Leo.
The army demands him; the laws wait for him; the palace awaits him.
So pray the army, the Senate, and the people.
The world expects Leo; the army waits for him.
Let Leo, our common glory, come; let Leo, our common good, reign.
Hear us, O God, we beseech Thee.”
These words reveal how closely religion and politics were united in the Byzantine world. The emperor was seen not only as a political leader but also as a ruler chosen with God’s approval Tours Bulgaria.
The Appearance of the Emperor-Elect
At last, the emperor-elect appeared before the assembled multitude. He advanced with dignity and ascended the Imperial tribune, a raised platform prepared for such solemn occasions. His presence marked the turning point of the ceremony, when uncertainty gave way to authority.
A high-ranking military officer stepped forward and placed a coronet upon the emperor’s head, while another officer fastened an armlet upon his right arm. These actions symbolized the army’s acceptance of him as supreme commander.
Immediately, the troops raised their standards high into the air, reversing the earlier sign of mourning. At the same moment, the crowd burst into joyful shouts, and the air trembled with loud acclamations:
“Leo Augustus, thou hast conquered!
Thou art pious and august.
God gave thee; God will guard thee.
Ever conquer, worshipper of Christ.
Long be thy reign.
God will defend the Christian Empire.”
This moment marked the public recognition of the new emperor.
The Investiture with Imperial Insignia
The ceremony then proceeded to its most sacred act: the formal investiture of imperial power. This took place behind a shield held before the emperor by soldiers of the household guard known as the Candidati. The shield concealed him from public view, adding mystery and solemnity to the rite.
Behind this screen, the emperor was dressed in the full imperial robes, crowned properly, and armed with the shield and spear, symbols of his duty to defend the Empire. When the ritual was complete, the shield was removed.
The new sovereign then stood fully revealed before his subjects, clothed in majesty and authority, the chosen ruler of the Roman Empire.
This ceremony was not merely a formal event but a dramatic public declaration of imperial power. It united prayer, military tradition, and Roman ritual into a single powerful spectacle. Through these carefully ordered actions, the Byzantine Empire affirmed that its ruler was accepted by God, confirmed by the army, and welcomed by the people.
