Constantine XXIV Theophilos (Fidem Pacis)

Constantine XXIV Theophilos (born 12th June, 1949) is the current Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans and Caliph of Islam. As the eldest surviving son and chosen heir of Emperor Isaac II, he succeeded his father upon the latter's abdication in 1980. At the time of his birth he was second in line to the throne, after his elder brother Alexios, Despot of Epirus, but became the heir in 1965 after Alexios' untimely death in a car accident.

Constantine was educated first at the Imperial Galatan College and later at the Pandidakterion, where he studied for a degree in biology. He later studied for a PhD in exobiology at Queens' College, Cambridge, where he was a keen rower and was even part of the men's coxless four team for the Roman Empire at the 1972 Summer Olympics. In 1974 Constantine married a commoner, Zoe Demetriadina, in Constantinople, a marriage that caused much controversy at the time. The couple have two children: Theodora, Despoina of Epirus (born 1976), and Prophiphoros, Praetorian Prefect of Syria (born 1979).

Upon acceding to the throne in 1980 Constantine made several important overdue reforms. He restored many legislative powers to the Senate and presided over the first truly democratic elections to it in 1985, though he himself remains the head of government. He ended the ancient custom of male-preference succession, designating his daughter as his chosen heir. In 1997 following a failed rebellion in Syria he began a great reorganization of the Empire, granting legislative independence to many of the free cities and devolving Syria and Cappadocia into semi-independent exarchates. For these, and other reasons, he remains extremely popular in the Empire to this day.

Titles and positions

Caliph of Islam

The title of successor to the Prophet Muhammad has been held by Roman Emperors for over 1300 years. Today the Caliph holds no real authority over the Ummah outside of the Empire, but the title still remains one of prestige and respect all over the world. As Caliph, Constantine is responsible for appointing the Patriarchs of the Church, the most senior imams within the Empire, but otherwise holds no real role in the governance of religion.

Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans

The Roman state has existed for almost three thousand years, and ever since the time of Augustus Caesar it has been controlled by one man. The long history of autocracy manifests itself in the extensive powers of emperors today, when most other developed countries have long since become constitutional monarchies or republics. It was not until the second half of the 20th century that any form of democracy returned to the empire, when Isaac V allowed the residents of Antalya to elect their own city magistrates, and not until the last 20 years that the newly-elected Senate began to have any relevance.

As Emperor, Constantine remains head of government and decides state policy, but any laws he proposes must be ratified by the Senate. At the same time, no decision of the Senate can become law without the approval of the Emperor, forcing everyone to behave rationally and moderately.