In 829, Theophilos became the last Byzantine emperor to champion the ban on icons
The ascension of Emperor Theophilos in 829 marked the final chapter of a centuries-long religious conflict that dictated whether art could exist within the churches of the Byzantine Empire.
When Theophilos succeeded his father in 829, he became the last Byzantine emperor to officially champion iconoclasm, the controversial ban on religious images. For over a century, the empire had been torn apart by the 'War of the Icons,' with leaders debating whether such art was a form of idolatry or a tool for devotion.
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