Leo III

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/leo-iii

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Where was Leo III born?Germanikeia, Syria (likely of Armenian origin)
2. What is the imperial accession?October 717 AD
3. What is the dynasty founded?Isaurian Dynasty
4. Who was Leo III and why is he important?Leo III was a Byzantine emperor who defended the empire from the Arab invasion and started the Iconoclasm movement, which changed how people used religious images.
5. How did Leo III stop the Arab invasion?He used Greek fire and clever tactics to defeat the Arabs during the 717-718 siege of Constantinople, saving the capital and the empire.

Strategos: A military governor of a Byzantine theme, holding significant political and military authority.
Iconodules: Individuals who venerated or supported the use of religious icons in worship.
Umayyad Caliphate: A vast Islamic empire that stretched from the Iberian Peninsula to Central Asia during the 7th and 8th centuries.
Greek Fire: A highly destructive incendiary weapon used by the Byzantine navy, its exact composition remains a historical mystery.