Twenty Years' Anarchy

Byzantine Empire
Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων (Ancient Greek)
Imperium Romanum (Latin)
695–717
The Byzantine Empire by the end of the Twenty Years' Anarchy in 717 AD.
CapitalConstantinople
Common languagesGreek
Latin
Religion
Chalcedonian Christianity
GovernmentMonarchy
Emperor 
• 695–698
Leontius
• 698–705
Tiberius III
• 705–711
Justinian II (restored; second term)
• 711–713
Philippicus
• 713–715
Anastasius II
• 715–717
Theodosius III
History 
• First deposition of Justinian II
695
• Deposition of Theodosius III
717
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Byzantine Empire under the Heraclian dynasty
Byzantine Empire under the Isaurian dynasty

The Twenty Years' Anarchy is a historiographic term used by some modern scholars for the period of acute internal instability in the Byzantine Empire, marked by the rapid succession of several emperors to the throne. It began with the first deposition of Justinian II in 695 and ended in 717, when Leo III the Isaurian took power and inaugurated the Isaurian dynasty.