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How did some bishops in Asia Minor influence Leo III’s religious policy?
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Leo III
Leo III, gold solidus from Constantinople, 717–741.
The religious policy of Emperor Leo III was influenced by the Iconoclastic views held by certain bishops in western Asia Minor. These bishops, who opposed the veneration of religious images, helped shape the emperor's perspective, contributing to his conviction that such icons were sacrilegious.1
Following this influence, Leo III began publicly speaking out against the use of sacred pictures in 726 and eventually proclaimed Iconoclasm as the official policy of the empire in 730.1