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====Leo III and Iconoclasm====
The Emperor after his victory against the Muslims was viewed as the saviour of the Christian world and his reign began a long and often successful fightback against the Arabs. Leo established a very successful dynasty, the Isaurian (717-802). He used his popularity to reform the bureaucracy, the tax system and reclaimed Sicily from a usurper. Leo was from the eastern part of the Empire, that bordered Arab territories, which was influenced by Islamic theology, especially with regard to its prohibition on representations of the divine image, because it was idolotrous.<ref> Haldon, John F. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/052131917X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=052131917X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=6842a4ec7c5dd1b5d90fa5f0351fa77b Byzantium in the Seventh Century: The Transformation of a Culture ]</i> (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1990),p. 56</ref> Many, including Leo, from the east, came to believe that the worship of religious icons, in particular, was idolatry and it was argued by the iconoclasts that this had led to God almost abandoning the Christian Empire.
The victory over the Arabs in 718 A.D was also a victory for the Iconoclast party. The Isaurian Emperor believed that his victory was a sign that God favoured Iconoclasm. In 730 AD he prohibited the use of icons and their production, claiming they were idolatrous.<ref> Haldon, p. 15</ref> This divided the Empire as Greek speakers were in favour of icons while Christians in the East supported iconoclasm. Those who defied the decree on icons were persecuted, often brutally. It also led to the destruction of many priceless works of art, especially icons and statues and Byzantine culture was much impoverished by Leo’s religious intolerance. Iconoclasm was to destabilize the Empire until the mid-9th century, when iconoclasm was finally defeated.
====Conclusion====
The failure of Umar II to capture the Christian metropolis of Constantinople was of immense historical significance. Because the Christian Emperor was able to withstand the Muslim army the future of the Byzantine Empire was secure, and it even expanded and was to survive until the 15th century. The defeat of the Umayyad’s also prevented the expansion of Islam into Eastern Europe at a time when the Slavs and other peoples could have been susceptible to the influence of Islam. Because Leo III had defeated the Muslims he kept them out of Eastern Europe for several hundred years and this allowed the region to become Orthodox Christian in faith and culture. The siege weakened the Umayyad dynasty in Damascus and contributed to their demise. Finally, Leo III interpreted his victory as divine approval for the doctrine of Iconoclasm, which convulsed the Empire for over a century.
