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'''Constantine V''' ''Kopronymos'' or ''Copronymus'' (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Ε΄, ''Konstantinos V'' ), (718–September 14, 775) was Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775. He was a confirmed iconoclast.
==Life==
Constantine was born in 718, the son and successor of Emperor [[Leo III the Isaurian|Leo III]] and Maria. His derogatory nickname ''Kopronymos'' derives from kopra (feces) and onoma (name). This nickname, given to him by [[iconodule]] sources (with whom he had many conflicts), refers to him allegedly defecating in the [[baptism]]al font or the imperial purple cloth with which he was swaddled.
In August of 720 he was associated on the throne by his father, who had him marry a Khazar princess, baptized [[Irene of Athens]] (''Eirēnē'', "peace") in 732. Constantine V then succeeded his father as sole emperor on [[April 19]], 741.
==Later Reign==
His reign was also marked by the return of the Empire to the offensive against the [[w:Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad Caliphate]]. He made it a policy of resettling Syrian and Anatolian Christians from reconquered territories into the depopulated Balkans. This provided a much needed resurgence and replenishment of people into [[parish]]es devastated by war.
Constantine died from a fever on [[September 14]], 775 while on a campaign against Bulgaria.
Iconophiles considered his death a divine punishment. They spread the rumour that he had defecated in his baptismal font as a baby, and began to refer to him as ''Kopronymos''. In the 9th century he was disinterred and his remains were thrown into the sea.