Since iconoclasm was a heresy born of dynastic politics, the changes on the throne dramatically changed the fate of the question of icons. Two contending parties were formed: the so-called "conservatives" (icon-worshippers) and the "liberals" (iconoclasts). The slightest struggle for the throne immediately turned into a game of ecclesiastical questions for the sake of political tasks. Representatives of the ruling dynasty staked on one or the other party. The cruelties of Constantine V Copronymus, of course, did not destroy the moral strength of the icon-worshippers who went "into the catacombs".

On this basis, the large and complex family of Constantine V Copronymus quarreled among themselves. He was married three times. His first wife was the Khazar Irina, the daughter of the kagan. She was baptized for marriage (in 732). From Irene the Khazarka was born in 750 a son, the heir to the throne Leo IV, nicknamed Khazar. This Leo IV at the age of 20 (770) was married to a beautiful and intelligent Athenian woman named Irene.

This Irene in 771 gave birth to Leo IV the Khazar son Constantine, also the future emperor. But the dynastic succession of Constantine Copronymus was complicated by the fact that after the imminent death of his second childless wife, he married for the third time. She gave birth to five sons, the eldest of whom was Nicephorus. The children of the first and third wives of Copronymus were divided among themselves into parties. Irene the Athenian led her husband Leo IV the Khazar after the "conservatives". In spite of them, Nikifor and his brothers leaned on the "liberals". "Conservatism" meant the acceptance of icons, "liberalism" meant their rejection. The cruel iconoclast Constantine V Copronymus, before the marriage of his son Leo the Khazar to the Athenian Irene, took an oath from her that she would not worship icons, to which she was accustomed in Athens. Irina took an oath, but did not change her heart. As soon as her husband, Leo IV the Khazar, became basileus (775), she persuaded him to correct the mistakes of the government of his father, Constantine V. The tactic was that, without breaking with the iconoclasts, from whom Leo IV had received power, he would nevertheless allow the iconoclastic worshippers to exist freely without openly changing the existing iconoclastic laws. In order to gain authority independent of the party among the people (here Irene's advice is clearly visible), Leo IV, using the savings of the state treasury made by his father, reduced taxes and distributed many monetary grants. The tacit permission of monks to return to their places and the veneration of icons to advance to the episcopal cathedras won Leo IV new sympathies of the persecuted. Thus an explosion of gratitude accumulated, which resulted in a popular demonstration at the hippodrome (776), when the crowd demanded that Leo IV proclaim in advance his only son from Irene, five-year-old Constantine (his beloved name), basileus. Leo did not believe in the stability of the sympathies of the crowd and especially did not believe in the stability of hereditary rights to the throne. He frankly said to the crowd: "When I die, you will find yourself another ruler, and you will kill my son, precisely because he is a pretender." Leo preferred that his first-born son live, even if he was a private person, than lose his head for the name of the heir. But in the end he decided to do so and crowned his son, Constantine VI. Although they received the titles of Caesars, the eldest of them, Nicephorus, nevertheless soon became involved in the conspiracy of the iconoclastic party against Leo the Khazar, was convicted of this and exiled to Chersonesos. Perhaps this conspiracy nevertheless frightened Leo and pushed him to please the Iconoclastic party a little. And this, in turn, upset his relationship with his wife Irina, who, just the opposite, was getting closer and closer to the opposing party. A very indicative symptom of the unstable equilibrium of these two divergent aspirations of husband and wife was their choice of a new patriarch to replace the iconoclastic Patriarch Nicetas, who died in 780. Irene was pleased with Paul. But Leo also agreed to it, for Paul, after some hesitation, gave Leo a written oath that he would not venerate icons. The chronicler Theophanes writes: "Paul, an honest reader, a Cypriot by birth, shining in word and deed, after many refusals, in view of the rule of heresy, is forcibly ordained Patriarch of Constantinople." He signed at the consecration "not to worship icons – μη προσκυνειν εικονας".

Everything was ambiguous and unreliable. The iconoclastic party conducted its own investigation and suggested to Lev that his wife was betraying him, that a party of icon-worshippers was being organized around her. A search was carried out, and two icons were found in Irina's bed, of which six high-ranking officials of the court were accused. Irene was accused of breaking the oath to her late father-in-law Constantine Copronymus and removed from the court, and six dignitaries were shaved, imprisoned and then tonsured into monasticism (a kind of mocking punishment). In the autumn of the same year, Leo IV died suddenly of malignant tumors (ανθρακες, κarbuncles?). Theophanes relates: "Being a great lover of precious stones, Leo burned with a desire to have the crown of Maurice, took it from the St. Sophia church and put it on himself at the royal exit. But on the way back his head turned terribly black. Being seized and stricken with a severe inflammation, he vomited out his soul, paying for the sacrilege." There is an assumption that the crown lay on the head of the dead Emperor Heraclius (Dorotheus of Monemvasia calls it the crown of Heraclius) and was removed from the head of the deceased many weeks after the funeral, during the opening of the coffin, with part of the skin of the decomposed corpse. That's where the cadaver poison comes from.

New historians, depicting Irina's character in the darkest tones, make an assumption, however, not documented by anything, that Irina deliberately poisoned her husband by this.

The reign of Irene together with her son Constantine VI (780-790)

Irene was proclaimed regent for her son Constantine VI. This was a challenge to the iconoclastic party, and the party decided to re-enthrone Nicephorus by means of a coup. But Irene discovered the conspiracy, exiled the conspirators, and tonsured Nicephorus and the brothers into monasticism, ordained deacons and priests, and forced them to serve in the Holy Monastery on the next Christmas of the same year. Sophia for show to the people, so that henceforth they would part with the idea of nominating these sons of Constantine Copronymus from his third wife as emperor.

But never in Byzantium did the unceasing series of palace and army conspiracies henceforth give rest to the tonsured persons. In 792, a new conspiracy put forward Hieromonk Prince Nicephorus as a pretender. For this, Constantine VI blinded his uncle and cut out the tongues of two of his other brothers, the Black-robed Caesars. "Unless an ecumenical council is convened and the prevailing error is not eradicated, then do not hope to receive salvation." When the messengers remarked to him: "Why did you give a written oath that you would never venerate icons?" – to this the patriarch answered: "This is the real cause of my tears, it is this that prompted me to impose repentance on myself and pray to God for forgiveness." Paul died soon after. From that time on, says the chronicler, everyone began to openly discuss the question of the veneration of holy icons.

Ирина, одержав эту победу, начала смелее выявлять свое расположение к "древнему благочестию". Было устроено торжественное возвращение из скрытого места на острове Лемносе "изгнанных" Константином Копронимом мощей святой мученицы Евфимии на их прежнее место в Халкидон. Монахи стали возвращаться из ссылок. Частные люди стали открыто почитать иконы. Этот ощутимый поворот к ликвидации иконоборчества Ирина вела пока осторожно, ибо шли войны с арабами и славянами. Опасно было раздражать большинство военных "копронимовского" духа. Ирина ускорила очень неславный мир с арабами, правда, уравновесив его победой над славянами. В эти же годы Ирина своего еще несовершеннолетнего (13 лет) сына Константина VI обручила с еще более малолетней (8 лет) дочерью Карла Великого Ротрудой. По-гречески созвучно называли ее Еритро. Ирине нужен был ввиду этого религиозный мир и со всем Западом.

Патриарх Константинопольский Павел не мог быть вождем нового течения. Его прежнее компромиссное поведение мешало ему не только внешне, но мучило его и внутренне. В 784 г. он удалился в монастырь св. Флора и заявил о своем отречении от патриаршего трона. Ирина с сыном отправились к нему в монастырь. Но Павел заявил им: "О, если бы я никогда не восходил на Константинопольский трон, ибо церковь Божия была насилуема, оторвана от других церквей и анафематствована ими". Присланным Ириной сановникам Павел вновь повторил свои мотивы и прибавил пожелание созыва собора и отмены иконоборчества.

Подготовка к VII Вселенскому собору

Для выбора нового патриарха было организовано Ириной большое общественное собрание в Мангаврском дворце. Нужна была предварительная проверка общественного настроения для нахождение твердой почвы. Невольно создается впечатление, что все роли на этом собрании были заранее распределены. На вопрос императрицы о кандидате в патриархи раздались дружные крики: асикрит Тарасий! Παντες αμοφρονως ειπον: μη είναι αλλον, ει μη Ταρασιον τον ασηκρητην