which condemned iconoclasm as heretical and brought an end to the first iconoclast period (730-787). Irene's concluding five years of sole rule were unprecedented in Roman and Byzantine history. Her public figure in this period was polarizing, due to the setbacks faced by the Empire and her iconophilic stances, often attributed to her gender and the influence of her retinue.

After the death of her husband, Irene secured the throne for her family,