In 655 Constans decides to put a stop to this, and it's the almost the end of his reign. He's with the Roman fleet as it confronts the Arabs near Phoinike. There ensues the Battle of the Masts.
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Eventually Constans goes to Sicily, where the enormous expense of the imperial household alienates and enrages everybody. He is assassinated while taking a bath by his eunuch chamberlain, probably in September 668.
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Next thread, probably tomorrow: We'll start with some maps, to survey the extent of territorial loss Byzantium experienced in this period. Then we'll cover the reigns of Constantine IV and Justinian II.
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If you want to read about all of this in vastly more detail, I recommend you try to get access to Andreas Nikolaos Stratos, Byzantium in the Seventh Century, a five-volume magnum opus in translation that is both highly readable and very reliable.
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And here at the end I clip in helpful orphaned comment from @Scooby17481811 to the prior nuked thread, who points out that late 6th/7th century revenue problems might also have something to do with the Justinianic plague. https://twitter.com/Scooby17481811/status/1392861702056726533?s=20 …
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