Zeno was Byzantine emperor from 474 until 491 CE. An ethnic Isaurian, Zeno was repeatedly criticized as an outsider during his reign, which was full of rebellions and attacks by the Ostrogoths. He is best known for his failed attempt to compromise between Chalcedonian Christians and the Monophysite Christians, the Henotikon, which led to the Acacian Schism with Rome, and for sending Theodoric the Great to conquer Italy.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original definition at https://www.worldhistory.org/Emperor_Zeno/.
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- Was Zeno a weak ruler or a smart survivor?
- Did the Henotikon help the empire, or did it make the conflict worse?
- Was Zeno wise to send Theodoric to Italy?
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