Certainty: 2 Zoe brought her father's eunuchs to the palace & prepared to rule. Zoe expected that her husband the emperor Michael IV would be her servant and assistant. She brought her eunuchs (who had also been her father's) to the palace and prepared to rule
Certainty: 2 Michael IV for a time was respectful of Zoe, but he soon changed his ways. For a time he gave the appearance of retaining his respect towards the empress Zoe, of gratifying her and doing the things which were pleasing to her. But his attitude quickly changed. He began to suspect her - and he had good reasons for his suspicions - to neglect her and remove the appearance of liberty. As for Theodora, he despised her completely
Certainty: 2 Ioannes the orphanotrophos removed Zoe's eunuchs & maidservants, & shut her in her quarters. Ioannes the orphanotrophos feared that his brother Michael IV would share the fate of Romanos III. He therefore restricted his walks and baths; at the same time he removed Zoe's eunuchs and faithful maidservants, whom he replaced with women from his own family. He and Michael shut her in her quarters, forbidding her to go out or do anything without the consent of her guard. She was bitter, but adapted herself to the new situation: she did not (indeed could not) challenge these decisions
Certainty: 2 Division of duties among brothers of Michael IV. Aristakes makes the Paphlagonian brothers meet soon after Michael became emperor, to divide up their new imperial responsibilities, largely in a geographical way. [The identities of the brothers allocated to the different regions are not always clear, and the whole story reads as rather suspect]
Certainty: 2 Ioannes (orphanotrophos) took control of finance, giving out money & favours. While most sources imply that Ioannes took full control as soon as his brother was crowned, Psellos does not: he gives Michael IV responsibility for everything but finance, and declares that he was impressed by Michael's serious commitment to his office. Ioannes won over the Senate by giving many promotions and the common people by distributions of money and other favours, successfully achieving dominance. Most sources praise Ioannes' energy and intelligence, as does Psellos, but he was amazed at the effectiveness of a man who (as Psellos himself saw) was often drunk and overcome with laughter
Certainty: 2 Kiwrakos sold to Michael IV the letter on the future of the Armenian kingdom. The Armenian priest Kiwrakos, who had been given a letter by Konstantinos VIII asking the king of Armenia to bequeath his kingdom to Konstantinos' heirs, kept it secret till the accession of Michael IV. He then sold the letter to Michael at a high price
Certainty: 2 Only Konstantinos Dalassenos disputed the change of ruler: an attempt made to silence him. Konstantinos Dalassenos regarded Michael IV as vulgar and worthless, and was the only declared opponent of his accession. Ioannes the Orphanotrophos was concerned over him, and therefore sent the eunuch Ergodotes to Dalassenos in Armeniakon to have him swear to take no harmful action, and to persuade him to visit the emperor in the capital. Dalassenos was unwilling to do this
Certainty: 3 Divine displeasure shown by violent hailstorm, which destroyed both harvest & buildings. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 3 Brilliant shooting star, mistaken for the rising sun. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 1 Death of Michael Psellos' elder sister sent their mother into a convent. Psellos' elder sister, while her brother was absent, was attacked by an internal disease, which damaged her liver and caused it to swell. She developed a high fever, and soon wasted from well-nourished good health to death. She died in her mother's arms. Her mother, Theodote, seized the chance to devote herself to God in a convent, got the consent of her husband, and cut off her hair, which was carried on the edges of the funeral bier. Her daughter was buried near her mother's chosen convent. The parents realised what a shock this would be for Psellos, a devoted brother, and arranged the funeral quickly
Certainty: 1 Michael Psellos (aged 16) came home just as his sister was buried. Psellos at the age of 16 he had just (precociously) left the study of poetry and was, with pleasure, beginning that of rhetoric, while acting as assistant to a krites, with responsibilities near the capital to the west. He was thus absent when his eldest sister suddenly fell ill and died. His parents, fearful of his reactions, wrote to him, complaining of lack of letters from him, asking him to come straight back, and adding a false note from his dead sister, hoping to save him pain by this deception: they failed. He happened to enter the capital just where the mourning was taking place one week after his sister's death. He asked a relative what was happening, and was bluntly told the truth. He was dumbfounded, fainted and fell off his horse, causing more commotion, so that his parents broke off the ceremony and rushed to him. They revived him: in the encomium he wrote to his mother much later the emotions which followed became formal laments
Certainty: 1 Michael IV badly stricken with epilepsy. Michael IV was stricken with frequent attacks of epilepsy which would continue to the end of his life. The illness grew painfully worse, restrained neither by medical treatment, by visits to churches and the tombs of saints, nor by sorcery. Was this divine vengeance for the murder of Romanos III? Though at first he was able to restrain his brothers, as he grew sick, their crimes became more open. They feared for his (and their) future, and came to dominate the whole empire
Certainty: 2 Konstantinos Dalassenos lured to Constantinople by promises & false (?) oaths. Dalassenos sent a trusted servant asking for sworn assurances that he would be safe: the response was to send to him the Paphlagonian Konstantinos Phagitzes with a piece of the True Cross, the Mandylion, Christ's letter to Abgar and an icon of the Virgin, and with these he willingly went back to Constantinople. The emperor (Michael IV) honoured him with the dignity of anthypatos, offered him great gifts and assured him he could live in comfort and without fear in his dwelling at ta Kyrou
Certainty: 2 Woman in Thrakesion compensated for attempted rape by Varangian (whom she killed). A Varangian, wintering in the theme of Thrakesion, attempted to rape a local woman at a deserted spot. But she drew his sword and struck him in the heart, killing him instantly. His fellow Varangians heard of the event and crowned her, offering her the dead man's possessions. They threw out the guilty man's body, as happens to violent criminals
Certainty: 2 Locust plague in Thrakesion, revealed (in a vision) as punishment for murder of Romanos. A locust plague in Thrakesion was revealed (in a waking vision to a servant of the bishop of Pergamon) as punishment for the murder of Romanos III and the defilement of his marriage. In the dream a eunuch clad in white opened three sacks releasing snakes and scorpions from the first, venomous animals from the second, and animals with a sting on the tail from the third. After this the locusts ravaging Pergamon disappeared
Certainty: 2 Michael IV's brother Niketas, doux of Antioch, behaved cruelly at Antioch. When Michael IV and Ioannes the orphanotrophos appointed their brother Niketas to be doux of Antioch, the gates of the city were barred against him by the inhabitants, who feared punishment for their killing of Salibas the tax-collector. Niketas gave them an oath of amnesty and was let in. Having taken over Antioch he showed little or no respect for his oath, killing around 100 men by beheading or impalement. Niketas denounced eleven rich Antiochenes, including the patrikios Elpidios (Brachamios?)
Certainty: 2 Niketas doux of Antioch accused Konstantinos Dalassenos of sedition there. Ioannes the Orphanotrophos' strong suspicions of Konstantinos Dalassenos were confirmed by a letter from his brother, Niketas doux of Antioch. Niketas reported that he had been denied entry by the Antiochenes because of their support for Dalassenos [whereas other reports suggest the reason was their killing of a tax-collector]
Certainty: 2 Archbishop Bisantius of Bari began to build a new cathedral. Archbishop Bisantius of Bari destroyed the city's old episcopal church, and began work on a new cathedral to replace it
Certainty: 2 Konstantinos Dalassenos exiled & his supporters also punished. Konstantinos Dalassenos, who had popular support in the capital, was exiled to the island of Plate. Several of his noble supporters from Asia Minor also suffered: Konstantinos (X) Doukas, his son-in-law, protested and was imprisoned; Goudeles, Baianos and Probatas had their possessions confiscated and given to Michael IV's brother Konstantinos; while Symeon the protovestiarios protested at the breaking of the emperor's oaths but was driven to Olympos and tonsured in the monastery he had restored
Certainty: 2 Earthquake in Jerusalem lasted 40 days with heavy casualties. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 2 Confirmation of a considerable number of estates of Iveron monastery.
Certainty: 3 Column of fire appeared in East. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 3 African pirates captured Myra. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 1 Massacre of Byzantines occupying fort of Berkri. After Aleim betrayed Berkri (near Van) to the Byzantines, his son went to Constantinople to claim his reward, but was ignored. He returned furious to Berkri and persuaded his father to take the fort back. The attack was made easier by the fact that the Byzantine commander, Nikolaos Chryselios the Bulgarian, neglected the defences. Aleim came to an agreement with neighbouring Turks, and recaptured the fort by a night attack, killing 6,000 Byzantine troops. Aleim was reinstated in his position. [This Byzantine-Arab narrative is paralleled by a rather less convincing Byzantine-Armenian story in Aristakes:] Aleim's role is played by Xtrik, but he lost control of the fort when it was captured by Kabasilas the governor of Vaspurakan. Xtric was held captive in the fort, but he conspired with the Turks to recapture the place, helped by the replacement of Kabasilas by another Byzantine who neglected the defences. Xtric massacred 24,000 (!) Byzantines, and arranged to bathe in their blood
Certainty: 1 People of Aleppo drove out their Byzantine governor (harmostes). Romanos IV had sent a Byzantine governor to take charge of Aleppo. The governor was now driven out by the people of Aleppo
Certainty: 2 Bagrat IV recaptured forts surrendered earlier, as if to avenge his wife's uncle Romanos III. Bagrat IV's wife was the niece of Romanos III. As if to avenge Romanos' murder, he broke the peace and began to take back the forts and strongholds he had earlier handed over to the Byzantines
Certainty: 2 Pechenegs crossed Danube & ravaged Mysia up to Thessalonike. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 2 Arab pirates from Africa raided Cyclades. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 2 Konstantinos Dalassenos moved to new gaol for greater safety. Konstantinos Dalassenos remained an obsession of Ioannes the Orphanotrophos, who moved him from Plate to a secure tower on suspicion of plotting against him. Ioannes neglected more pressing problems like the conquests of Bagrat, the Pechneg raids and naval attacks in the Aegean
Certainty: 2 Death of Argyros of Bari the elder. Argyros of Bari the elder died in Constantinople
Certainty: 2 Military commanders (Georgios Maniakes & Leon Lependrenos) sent to new posts. Georgios Maniakes was summoned from Edessa by Ioannes the orphanotrophos and sent to govern Upper Media (Vaspurakan). Around this time, Georgios had a fierce quarrel with Romanos Skleros. Leon Lependrenos was sent as doux of Edessa to replace Maniakes
Certainty: 2 Ioannes orphanotrophos went to Myra to have mouth-ulcer healed; strong walls built & church repaired. Ioannes orphanotrophos suffered from an incurable ulcer in his mouth, and he was urged by St Nicholas in a vision to visit Myra. He went there and offered perfumes and other costly gifts to the shrine, built very strong walls around the city, was cured and returned in good health
Certainty: 1 Developments in careers of Michael IV's brothers.
Certainty: 1 Michael IV freed Antiochenes from their long imprisonment. Michael IV freed Antiochenes from their long imprisonment (presumably those imprisoned by his brother Niketas)
Certainty: 1 Michael IV tried to atone for his crime against Romanos by good works using public money. Feeling a bad conscience over the murder of Romanos III, he began good works which would last the rest of his life, particularly building monasteries and helping monks. As works of atonement however, his deeds were of dubious value, as he retained the throne and Romanos' queen, and the money he spent was not his own
Certainty: 1 Embassy to Nasr ad-Dawla ibn Marwan of Miepherkeim over Byzantine takeover of Edessa.
Certainty: 1 Konstantinos (IX) Monomachos fell under suspicion of aiming at the throne. Konstantinos (IX) Monomachos was a most handsome and charming man who frequented the palace because of his family link to Romanos III. However the latter (like Basileios II and Konstantinos VIII before him) had shown Monomachos no particular preference, maybe because of his family tradition of revolt. He captivated Zoe and tried to please her, while she gave him gifts and enjoyed his company. This caused intense public gossip and raised the suspicions of Michael IV that Konstantinos might be aiming at the throne. Michael IV naturally treated him with jealous mistrust
Certainty: 1 Konstantinos Monomachos exiled to Mitylene: Maria Skleraina followed him & supported him. Konstantinos Monomachos was exiled to Mitylene (Lesbos). Maria Skleraina accompanied him out of affection and ambition, supporting him financially to overcome much of the hardship of exile
Certainty: 1 Sale of property on Athos by Christodoulos of Katzare to Euthymios of Hagios Tryphon. The hegoumenos of Katzare Christodoulos and his disciple Ioannes sold to the hegoumenos of Hagios Tryphon Euthymios an abandoned property for 20 nomismata, provided that the geron Petros who occupied part of the property would be allowed to remain there until his death. Similarly, Ephraim who also occupied a part called Zelianou would also be allowed to stay. Euthymios offered an additional 2 nomismata for the purchase and the sale document was signed by 6 witnesses
Certainty: 1 Ioannes Mauropous wrote a dedicatory epigram for Georgios protovestiarios, brother of Michael IV.
Certainty: 0 Eustathios Romaios reassessed a case because of difference in wealth between the parties & indirect harm to others. Symbatikios the krites judged a dispute over the price of some farms used to settle a debt, by himself seizing the plaintiff and the farms, and paying cash to those on whose behalf the prosecution was made. The settlement was later changed by Eustathios Romaios, who made a new judgement on the case. He said that Symbatikios had not taken into account the difference in wealth of the two sides, nor the indirect harm done to others involved
Certainty: 0 Eustathios Romaios wrote a decision cancelling an agreement between Konstantinos krites of Mesopotamia & a local bishop. Konstantinos krites of Mesopotamia made a settlement with a local bishop Gregorios, brother of the patrikios Chaldos. But the arrangement did not please judges in the capital, who overturned it, with Eustathios Romaios' report banning such actions by provincial kritai like Konstantinos and cancelling what he did before and after the settlement
Certainty: 0 Eustathios Romaios insisted that the son of Komnenos pay a fine for breach of promise. The successor of the emperor involved in his trial also called his action a serious wrong and doubted his claim to be under age. He was 20 years of age when he wished to annul his engagement. For issues of marriage he was not regarded as under age - 14 (or 18?) was enough. He put (through his lawyer) a number of objections to paying the fines, which were all answered by Eustathios Romaios. Eventually he paid the second fine only, giving rise to legal argumentation on several subjects by Eustathios. The redactor of the Peira asked Eustathios to whom the son of Komnenos should pay his fine for breaking his engagement. Eustathios said that he should pay the father, Elias, not his daughter, since at this stage the risk was the father's
Certainty: 3 Death of Bisantius, archbishop of Bari, at Constantinople; Romuald elected in his place. At Epiphany, Bisantius, (arch)bishop of Bari, died, a devoted churchman and fierce opponent of Greeks. In his place, Romuald protospatharios was elected, and by the whole people, as the Annales Barenses stress
Certainty: 3 Romuald archbishop of Bari summoned to exile in Constantinople, where he died . A few months after his popular election, Romuald archbishop of Bari was summoned by Michael IV to Constantinople with his brother, Petros. He died there, in exile from his see
Certainty: 3 Easter synaxis appointed Basileios as head of Hagios Nikolaos of Roudaba. At the Easter gathering of Athos hegoumenoi in 1035, Basileios was chosen to head for his lifetime the monastery of Hagios Nikolaos of Roudaba, to be succeeded by Gerasimos, nephew of the founder Nikolaos Larditzes, if he proved worthy. Basileios was requested to show paternal love to Gerasimos. Iakobos, monk and presbyter, drew up the document, and it was signed by 24 leaders of the Athos community in at least three languages, and with one cross certified by Iakobos as a true signature
Certainty: 3 Brutal massacre against pirates from Sicily & Africa attacking Kyklades & Thrakesion. No individuals mentioned (unless this is a doublet of the victory of Konstantinos Chage from later in the year)
Certainty: 2 Iveron properties confiscated in 1029 returned to monastery by Michael IV. Michael IV issued a chrysobull granting to Iveron the monastery of Genesios and the estates of Leontaria, Erissos, Dobrobikeia, Meltzina and Styliarion.These had been confiscated six years previously when the hegoumenos Georgios had been accused of rebellion
Certainty: 2 Kyrillos Phileotes married at the age of 20. Kyrillos Phileotes married at the age of 20 in order to have a child. But as soon as the child was born, he began speaking to his wife of abstinence and chastity. He began to eat in moderation and by strict dietary rules, gave up wine, led an ascetic lifestyle and sang the psalms seven times a day. She accepted this asceticism and tried to help and imitate him
Certainty: 2 Embassy of Georgios Probatas to the amir of Sicily to discuss peace. Georgios Probatas was sent to Sicily by Ioannes the Orphanotrophos to discuss peace, following the defeat of the Africans and Sicilians who raided the Cyclades and the coastal regions of Thrakesion. He negotiated skilfully and returned to Constantinople with the son of the amir Apolaphar Mouchoumet
Certainty: 2 Earthquake in Boukellarion: 5 villages destroyed, court eunuch escaped. There was an earthquake in Boukellarion, in which five villages were destroyed. Nikephoros the protovestiarios, who was staying in the area, unexpectedly survived and fled to the Stoudios monastery, where he was tonsured
Certainty: 2 Fortress of Berkri attacked & stormed by Byzantines. Michael IV sent troops once more to Berkri (which had been captured by the Romans the previous year but then lost again to the Persians). The army, under the command of Niketas Pegonites, besieged the fortress with siege engines; the inhabitants, seeing no hope of escape, negotiated a surrender with the generals which allowed them to give up their property without damage to it. Aleim, the Arab commander of the enemy forces, was killed, together with his son
Certainty: 3 Nikolaos elected by whole people as archbishop of Bari to replace Romuald, & enthroned. After the departure of archbishop Romuald for Constantinople, Nikolaos was elected as archbishop of Bari to replace him. [Had Romuald's death in exile intervened?] The Anonymus Barensis stresses that Nikolaos was elected by the whole people [perhaps in dialogue with the Annales Barenses, who had made the same claim for Romuald?]
Certainty: 2 Alliance between Michael IV & the amir Apolaphar Mouchoumet of Sicily. As a result of the successful mission of Georgios Probatas to Sicily, the amir Apolaphar Mouchoumet concluded an alliance with Michael IV and was made magistros
Certainty: 2 Civil war in Sicily between amir Apolaphar Mouchoumet & his brother Apochaps. Apochaps, brother of the amir of Sicily Abulafar Muhammad (?), rose in rebellion against his brother and overpowered him. Abulafar Muhammad sought Byzantine help in the terms of their recent alliance.
Certainty: 2 Georgios Maniakes sent to Southern Italy as supreme commander. He was sent as supreme commander to Southern Italy, probably by Michael IV. He held the position of strategos autokrator in Longibardia, probably with Stephanos, brother of Michael IV, at the head of the fleet. He was to support Apolaphar Mouchoumet, who was involved in a civil war against his brother Apochaps, but Georgios' forces proved inadequate and were annihilated by Apochaps' ally Oumer, ruler of Africa
Certainty: 2 Another raid by African & Sicilian Arabs defeated by Konstantinos Chage with heavy losses.
Certainty: 2 Another locust plague in Thrakesion destroyed crops. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 2 The Danube froze over, permitting a Pecheneg invasion over a broad area. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 0 Two letters of patriarch Alexios I, banning the metropolitan of Caria from episcopal functions. The metropolitan of Caria had evicted the bishop of Tabae, but this was overturned by a synodal decision. Alexios Stoudites, patriarch of Constantinople, sent several letters to the metropolitan of Caria over this, but he refused to read them and threw them away. Alexios then sent Ioannes his sekretikos to discuss the reinstatement of the bishop of Tabae, but Ioannes was abused and driven off wihout success. Following this refusal, Alexios banned the metropolitan from performing episcopal duties until he mended his ways. The clergy of his metropolis were urged in a letter from the patriarch not to obey him until he abided by the synodal decision
Certainty: 0 Report of Eustathios Romaios on the marriage of Brahamios' daughter to his second cousin. Brahamios married his daughter to his second cousin. When she made a will over her maternal inheritance, objections were raised because of incest. However Eustathios Romaios showed with elaborate arguments that her marriage was legal. Marriages between a man and the daughter of his second cousin did not fall under any canonical ban
Certainty: 0 Maria Skleraina received the Hagios Mamas monastery as settlement of a debt of 62 litrai. Paniberios the patrikios was asked to pay a debt of 62 litrai by Maria Skleraina. As he had no visible wealth, she asked for and received the Hagios Mamas monastery, with all its possessions, not to sell any of it but to run it according to its typikon
Certainty: 1 Michael Psellos made his first visit to Philadelphia, on the direct route through to Mesopotamia. Michael Psellos paid his first visit to Philadelphia serving Kataphloron when he passed through on the direct route to Mesopotamia. He was then a teenager without a beard
Certainty: 1 First real encounters of Michael Psellos, Ioannes Xiphilinos & Ioannes Mauropous. Michael Psellos met Ioannes Xiphilinos for the first time: Psellos was starting facial hair, but Ioannes already had a full beard. Each recognised something of himself in the other
Certainty: 0 The elder brother of Keroularios lived luxuriously married a fine wife & became the father of two sons. The elder brother of Michael Keroularios lived in quite a luxurious way in food and dress, was as generous in giving alms as his brother, and married a fine wife and produced two good sons, Nikephoros and Konstantinos
Certainty: 0 Land at Karyes granted to monk Dionysios by hegoumenos Bartholomaios of Hagios Nikolaos Raches. Bartholomaios, hegoumenos of Hagios Nikolaos Raches on Athos, granted to the monk Dionysios an additional piece of land (next to the one at Karyes given earlier by his predecessor Andreas)
Certainty: 0 Epitropoi appointed for Hagios Nikolaos of Roudaba by its hegoumenos Nikolaos Larditzes. Nikolaos Larditzes, hegoumenos of Hagios Nikolaos of Roudaba (Chalkidike), at the Easter gathering of Athos hegoumenoi in 1035 (?), appointed two epitropoi of his monastery of Hagios Nikolaos of Roudaba. They were Theoktistos, hegoumenos of Esphigmenou and protos of Athos and Niphon, hegoumenos of Zygos on Athos. They were requested to provide for the monastery
Certainty: 3 Three destructive Pecheneg invasions took many prisoners, including five generals. In a series of raids on Roman territory, the Pechenegs captured generals Bardas Pitzes, Ioannes Dermokaites, Konstantinos Pterotos, Leon Chalkoutzes and Michael Strabotrichares
Certainty: 2 Change in rulers of Rus'. Jaroslav and Nesithlabos, rulers of the Rus', died and were succeeded by their relative Zinisthlabos
Certainty: 2 End of Serbian revolt which had begun at death of Romanos III. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 2 Death of amir of Egypt: 30-year peace treaty agreed with his Christian widow. When the Fatimid Caliph Al Zahir of Egypt died, his Christian widow (along with their son) took the initiative in a 30-year peace-treaty with Michael IV
Certainty: 2 Burning of houses of Ioannes Hikanatos. The houses of Ioannes Hikanatos at Bari were burned
Certainty: 3 Loukas of Galeagra in his testament bequeathed his monastery to his spiritual son Symeon. Loukas of Galeagra asked the monk Iakobos to write down his formal will. He bequeathed the monastery to his spiritual son Symeon, still a young man, reinforcing his authority by naming Zacharias the Iberian as epitropos. Loukas began with a little of the monastery's history, and stipulated the memorials to be made to previous hegoumenoi, Ioannes, Nikon, Eustratios and Kallinikos, as well as to himself. These were to take place at Galeagra and Protaton. After a life of hard work, he left the monastery free of debt, and with provisions for a year, besides four boats and a large ship. Other clauses were designed to support the authority of Symeon and maintain the monastery's independence. At Loukas' request, Nikodemos, hegoumenos of Hagios Nikolaos on Athos, added his signature and seal to the will: other seals recorded were those of Basileios, hegoumenos of an unknown monastery; Georgios, hegoumenos of Hagios Andreas; Kyriakos, hegoumenos of Hagios Nikolaos; Leontios, hegoumenos of Hagios Demetrios; Michael, hegoumenos of Hagios Petros; and Theodoros, hegoumenos of an unknown monastery. Several of the seals are transcribed in full
Certainty: 3 Three earthquakes. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 1 Byzantine expedition to Melitene, led by Konstantinos, brother of Michael IV.
Certainty: 1 Zoe (probably) adopted Michael (V) as kaisar, son & heir: ceremony at Blachernai church. Ioannes the Orphanotrophos proposed to Michael IV that Zoe be persuaded make their nephew Michael (V) kaisar, and adopt him as her son. Zoe, he said, was a pliant person who could easily be convinced, but she was the real heir, and could influence the population in some other direction. The other surviving brothers of Ioannes and the young Michael also supported the plan. The emperor and then Zoe did indeed readily agree. In a ceremony which filled the Blachernai church, Michael (V) was appointed as kaisar, and Zoe probably adopted him. This seemingly profitable plan was to end in disaster for the Paphlagonian family and dynasty. [It is uncertain whether the adoption occurred as early as this, since some sources postpone it to the end of Michael IV's life.]
Certainty: 1 Exchange of letters between Ioannes Mauropous as teacher & Michael Psellos as pupil. Ioannes Mauropous wrote to Psellos, referring to a letter of his as a "nightingale in spring". Psellos replied, quoting these words and referring to Mauropous' heavenly detachment (which seems to annoy him), and maybe to Mauropous' becoming a monk
Certainty: 1 Psellos wrote to his fellow-student Georgios, about the return of a writing-tablet & Georgios' new epistolary style. Georgios asked Psellos to return his uncle's writing-tablet, with elaborate praise of his correspondent, once his fellow-student. Psellos replied, with no attempt to impress, that he had refused to send it as he had not got back his own. Now he sent the one, in order to receive the other. In another letter he praised the new style of Georgios' letters. Having been shy, Georgios had now become bold, fighting him in full epistolary combat with preliminary skirmishing leading to the use of a variety of weapons. Psellos praised his overwhelming force very strongly (not without irony?)
Certainty: 0 Psellos' father reacted to his wife's departure to a monastery by going himself to live in another monastery. Psellos' father was in practice sacrificed to God by his wife, Theodote, when she entered a monastery. He accepted this and himself entered another monastery, seeming to be free and to enjoy release from some tie and to be approaching God, a situation he would often discuss with his son
Certainty: 0 Lazaros protected his visitors & himself from the dangers of Mt Galesion (c. 1036). Lazaros saved himself from the devil in the form of a snake or an angel by making the sign of the cross. When his rest was disturbed by the devil as a woodsman chopping a log, he removed the log. He had a small apse built so that Menas, a priest from Samakios, could give him the sacraments; when Menas sent him honeycombs via his son Konstantinos, he forgave the child when he admitted eating a piece on the way. Menas once met two bears fighting on the path, but passed them boldly invoking Lazaros' blessing. A sailor who visited Lazaros was given to kiss a lead seal with the image of the Theotokos, which saved him from the perils of the sea, and made him vow half his yearly profit to Lazaros (information given by the sailor to Gregorios the cellarer, author of the vita, on a journey to Ephesos). A nun from Chios visited Lazaros every year for holy oil produced at the monastery, which she used to cure many illnesses. On a cold and wet day a shepherd wondered how Lazaros kept alive on his column, and dreamed of the Panagia covering him with her mantle. Lazaros modestly told him not to trust dreams. Ioannes Kouphalides from Attaleia was possessed by a demon, but was cured by Gospel readings and the laying on of the cross. The monk Meletios Mauros on his way to Lazaros met a filthy old man who replied to him abruptly and left the path. A shepherd was later reported to have fallen to his death over the cliffs. Meletios heard men and horses approaching, but they disappeared when he invoked Lazaros' name. The monks Sabas and Methodios met a flock of wild goats which ran away. Against Methodios' advice Sabas bound them with the name of Lazaros as a spell and made them follow up the mountain, before releasing them. The monk Nikolaos Paxamades was lured away by demons, but returned to steal the brothers' clothes from their unlocked cells. Hearing them singing, he burst into tears and confessed his plan to Lazaros, who forgave him, gave him two nomismata and a letter for the brothers to grant him food, and sent him away
Certainty: 0 Lazaros of Galesion, Laurentios Halmyrenos & the demon. Laurentios Halmyrenos, while still a layman, was sent by his mother to fetch their horse from the fields. He mounted it, but on the way he was thrown to the ground when a black ox charged at him and he lay there, possessed by a demon, as if dead. He was taken to the church of Hagios Prokopios by his mother and the other villagers, and had a cross placed on him, but remained unconscious until the third night. Then he recovered, and saw the church doors opening and an old monk entering. The old monk asked him to follow him, which he did, and when they were some way from the church the monk disappeared, after telling him to go home and then go to the monastery of Lazaros on Galesion with his mother the next day, as they did. Lazaros sent his mother home, but kept Laurentios with a cross on him and the gospels read to him for three days, when the demon left. After spending a time at the monastery, he asked permission from Lazaros to go home to settle his affairs before being tonsured. But after some time at home he changed his mind and decided to take a wife, no longer being troubled by the demon. As soon as the marriage contract was signed he was suddenly seized again by the demon. His mother realised what had happened and took him to Lazaros to be tonsured; he joined his flock, and was saved from the demon. His mother too was tonsured by Lazaros and joined the women's monastery
Certainty: 0 Lazaros of Galesion & the miracle of Leon's hand. A certain Leon, while sleeping with his wife one night at his house in Attaleia, heard people shouting and chasing a burglar. He got up and saw no one, but followed the cries as they became more distant, until he was struck down and fell to the ground as if dead. He was taken to the church of the Theotokos Aigyptia (in Attaleia) where he stayed for a few days, was anointed with oil from the lamps and started speaking and moving again, though his right hand remained paralysed, with its fingers dug into his palm. He went to Lazaros of Galesion, who sent him home to Attaleia; a few days later he dreamt of the saint, who asked him to stretch out his (paralysed) hand, which was immediately cured. A churchwarden at Attaleia heard of the miracle, but advised Leon not to advertise it, saying that public praise would distress Lazaros, who, had he desired advertisement, would have cured him at the monastery, not in Attaleia. The news reached the metropolitan of Ephesos, who summoned Leo and heard a brief account of events. The next year Leon went to Galesion with a letter from Leon Basilitzes, a protospatharios in Attaleia. One of the monks named Kerykos examined the whole affair, and presented Leon to Lazaros and the brothers. Lazaros retorted that it was God who had cured him, not he
Certainty: 0 Lazaros battled a series of demons afflicting their victims in different ways. The monk Philippikos from Saviour when attacked by demons fell to the ground while singing in church. He spun round making the brothers laugh, and was sent to Lazaros at Theotokos. The latter saw him coming from his column, but he was being dragged by demons to the edge of a cliff. Lazaros sent Meletios Mauros, who happened to be there, and Meletios saved his life. Later Philippikos made a cross with his own hands, which was used to cure him. On other occasions he was pelted by demons with stones, but was saved by Lazaros' prayers. Sabas from his cell thought he saw thieves entering the monastery, but as he summond the brothers the thieves disappeared, showing they were demons. Nikolaos kyr Eulogesos thought his demonic visions were revelations, despite Lazaros' warnings. Nikolaos was terrified when one night he saw outside his cell an old man in a goat-hair tunic carrying a bundle of wood. He was cured by Lazaros' prayers. Gregorios, like the rest, was tricked by his demons. While celebrating the liturgy in the cave, he saw it on fire, became arrogant and went to Lazaros, who warned him against such illusions. But Gregorios insisted his visions came from the Holy Spirit, instructing him to go to Ephesos to tell the local clergy not to use water in communion wine and to baptize the Jews. He fled in secret when Lazaros reprimanded him, but Lazaros sent brothers to fetch him back from Ephesos. He still insisted that he had a message entrusted by God to preach, but Lazaros had his feet bound in iron fetters and gave him a basket to collect stones and carry them outside the monastery
Certainty: 2 Unsuccessful siege of Edessa by Arabs of Mesopotamia. The emperor's brother Konstantinos sent troops to Edessa, thus saving the city from Mesopotamian Arabs. He was rewarded with the title of domestikos of the scholai of the east.
Certainty: 3 Easter synaxis settles disagreement between hegoumenos Bartholomaios of Hagios Nikolaos Raches & monk Dionysios. Bartholomaios, hegoumenos of Hagios Nikolaos of Raches on Athos, complained to the Easter gathering of Athos hegoumenoi that the mill of the monk Dionysios, which his monastery was allowed to use in exchange for some land granted to Dionysios at Karyes, had been neglected and fallen into disrepair. Several hegoumenoi went to the disputed land, measured it and decided that four nomismata should be paid to Bartholomaios. Iakobos, monk and presbyter, was asked to draft the document setting out the decision, and it was signed by the hegoumenoi concerned: Antonios, hegoumenos of Hagios Georgios; Euthymios, hegoumenos of Hagios Sabas; Ioannes, hegoumenos of Saviour; Leontios, hegoumenos of Hagios Demetrios; Nikephoros, hegoumenos of Christ; Theodoulos, hegoumenos of Kalamitzion; Theoktistos, hegoumenos of Esphigmenou and protos of Athos
Certainty: 2 Good & bad ecclesiastical appointments of Paphlagonians. Antonios Paches was appointed bishop of Nikomedeia because he was related to Michael IV. However he possessed none of the qualities of a bishop, being a completely inept speaker. On the other hand Leon of Ohrid, appointed archbishop of Bulgaria by Michael IV to replace the late Ioannes, was well versed in both secular and ecclesiastical learning. He had resigned from the position of chartophylax of Hagia Sophia to lead a more contemplative life, having been accused poor management, and wishing to avoid a clash with the patriarch Alexios I
Certainty: 2 Litanies over drought of 6 months were followed by destructive hailstorm at Constantinople. After a half year of drought, the emperor Michael IV and his brothers Georgios, Ioannes, Konstantinos and Niketas, each bearing a holy relic, took part in a procession organized by the patriarch Alexios. But not only did it not rain, a hailstorm came and destroyed roof-tiles and trees in the capital
Certainty: 2 Purchase of food for the capital from Hellas & Peloponnesos. Ioannes the orphanotrophos bought 100,000 units of wheat from mainland Greece to relieve the Constantinopolitans from a drought-induced famine
Certainty: 2 Chrysobull for the Athos monastery of Kastamonitou.
Certainty: 2 Reconciliation & African intervention in Sicilian civil war put Byzantines on defensive. On Sicily, the Saracen Apochaps and his brother Apolaphar Mouchoumet strove for mastery. The former made an alliance with the African Oumer and the latter with the Roman Leon Opos, whose Longobard troops defeated Oumer. When Maniakes approached Sicily, the two brothers put their differences aside to oppose him. Upon this, Leon retreated, leaving Oumer free to ravage the island. Maniakes later defeated the brothers' armies
Certainty: 2 Failed conspiracy of bishops to replace patriarch Alexios Stoudites with Ioannes orphanotrophos. Ioannes orphanotrophos wished to become patriarch of Constantinople and befriended a number of important churchmen, persuading them to support him. These included the metropolitans of Ankara, Kyzikos, Nikomedia and Side. They attacked the current patriarch, Alexios I, because he had been appointed by Basileios II rather than elected canonically. Alexios replied that if he were to step down because of his alleged irregular appointment, then those metropolitans he ordained during his eleven and a half years at the helm of the Church should be deposed, and the three emperors he crowned should be anathematised. This retort shamed his attackers and encouraged their opponents and the orphanotrophos' plan failed.
Certainty: 2 Docheiariou was confirmed in possession of its property of Perigardikeia. Konstantinos Kamateros, krites of Boleron, Strymon and Thessalonike, confirmed to Docheiariou free possession of its property at Perigardikeia in the petiton of Arabenikeia, and signed and appended his seal to the relevant delimitation
Certainty: 3 Earthquakes lasting into January 1038. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 2 Famine in Thrace, Macedonia, Strymon & Thessalonike down to Thessaly. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 2 Church of Thessalonike freed from avaricious metropolitan by presence of Michael IV. Michael IV was at Thessalonike during a famine which followed an earthquake. Theophanes, the city's metropolitan, was accused of depriving the clergy of their just allowances. The emperor advised him to change his behaviour, but he denied the charge. The emperor decided to punish him for his avarice. He tricked him by sending an attendant to borrow one kentenarion till more should arrive from the capital: when Theophanes swore he only had 30 litrai, Michael had him removed and found 33 kentenaria of gold in his coffers. With this he paid the local clergy for arrears since Theophanes' appointment, distributed the rest to the poor and banished him to an estate, replacing him by Prometheus, who was to pay his salary
Certainty: 3 Nikephoros returned to Esphigmenou from Charsianon & was granted the estate of Selinon. Nikephoros, a monk of Esphigmenou, had departed to Charsianon and founded a monastic community there. He now left that community and moved back to his old monastery of Esphigmenou, to spend the rest of his days and be buried in the cemetery there among his spiritual brothers and fathers. He was accepted back into Esphigmenou by Theoktistos, its hegoumenos and protos of Athos. Theoktistos also granted him the estate of Selinon with its church, buildings and vineyards, the grant coming into effect only after the death of Theoktistos and applying to himself and two subsequent beneficiaries before reverting to Esphigmenou. He signed with his own hand the document drafted by Bartholomaios, monk and scribe at Esphigmenou, setting out the terms of the grant of the estate. As witnesses to the document there signed three monks of Esphigmenou: Demetrios, Ioannes Petroses and Theodoros
Certainty: 1 Flight of Peter Getadarj, the Armenian katholikos, to Vaspurakan; his imprisonment & replacement by Dioskoros.
Certainty: 1 Michael (V) denied full status as kaisar. After the appointment, Michael IV seemed to repent of it and deny the kaisar his proper status. He only ate with him at public banquets, restricted his entry to the palace, gave him a residence outside the city (a kind of distinguished exile), and a tent no larger than those of his uncles. Pellos saw him standing apart among the imperial officials in order to have something about him reported to the emperor
Certainty: 1 Appeal to the whole empire over struggle with Arabs in Sicily.
Certainty: 0 Arrest & imprisonment of Dobronas, ruler of Zadar & Split. Dobronas of Zadar and Split wished to pay his respects to the emperor Romanos III. He had gone to see him, had been granted gifts and honours, and been sent back with many presents. However he returned for more, only to be granted fewer gifts. He went to Constantinople after the accession of Michael IV Paphlagon but was ignored, was not allowed to leave, started grumbling, and then was imprisoned in the Praitorion together with his wife and son, while his lands were seized. His wife spent the rest of her life in prison.
Certainty: 0 Eustathios Romaios condemned the metropolitan of Ankyra, who burned his opponent's title to land in dispute . Eustathios Romaios (with the emperor) passed judgement against the metropolitan of Ankyra. The latter received land after the death of a life tenant of Heuretos, who, though he did not own the land, tried to transfer it to the metropolitan. When harassed by Heuretos to give it up, the metropolitan came to a settlement, but burned Heuretos' title to the land: judgement was based on two technicalities and the flagrant act of burning
Certainty: 0 Eustathios Romaios judged that the charistikarios Niketas raiktor was not protected by monastic legislation. As charistikarios of Hagios Phokas, he appropriated after 15 years an estate given to Zographos by a man who had rented it (undocumented) for 29 years from Hagios Phokas; Zographos' men appealed to the emperor. At the trial before Eustathios Romaios in the court of the hippodrome, he admitted possession of the estate. As the original lease had not been officially sanctioned by the epi te sakelle or other bureau, or even reported, he was judged not to be protected by monastic legislation. Niketas was judged liable for several taxes and interest, and could find no compensation from the monastery, but only from the monks responsible for organising the lease
Certainty: 0 Eustathios Romaios judged an accusation that Skleros the magistros had illegally held a monastic estate. When Skleros the magistros was prosecuted by some monks for illegally holding one of the monastery's estates, he replied that he had rented it and made a preliminary payment. He could not prove this and so he lost the case. The monks insisted that he not only held the estate, but also took revenue from it. Eustathios Romaios said that if he did not show he had rented it from the monks, his profit, rent and preliminary payment should be totalled, minus one-sixth (the legal limit for revenue retained by the lessee). He added that if Skleros had a valid lease, the sum to be returned to the monks would be calculated from the reduced total, while if there was no lease, he should give the whole sum. A scenario was suggested by other judges including a valid contract which could justify his conduct. Eustathios agreed, but stipulated that his contract must be within the law or it would be cancelled
Certainty: 0 Eustathios Romaios judged a case between Ophrydas & his nephew. Ophrydas lent money to his nephew, who used it for general expenditure. He then sued him for repayment plus diaphoron, but his nephew offered to return only what remained unspent. Eustathios Romaios pronounced that diaphoron was inappropriate. This arose when a loan was not used for its stated purpose, failing to make an expected profit. In this case no purpose was stipulated for the loan
Certainty: 0 Eustathios Romaios granted land in Gordion to the villagers, not to monks who had long occupied it. He heard a dispute between Phagitzes who had given land in Gordion to the villagers, and the monks of Neaston who had occupied it for 122 years; they brought into court a bill of sale for the land, but it conflicted a little with their testimony. The monks could only resolve this conflict by oral testimony, inadmissible on behalf of a powerful litigant against the poor, so the bill of sale was useless. Eustathios had the village remeasured, leaving to the monks what fell outside its borders
Certainty: 0 Eustathios Romaios said that the presumption was often that Skleros the magistros was guilty. Eustathios Romaios said of Skleros the magistros, who was often accused of theft, kidnap and violence, that one proof created a presumption over others. He who had beaten and imprisoned had probably stolen. But till the first proof, the burden was on the plaintiff
Certainty: 0 Eustathios Romaios saved a priest from defrocking, because he made a previous agreement to pay a fine if he erred. A metropolitan made an agreement stipulating a fine if he broke it, and then tried to overturn it. Many judges suggested he should be defrocked, but Eustathios Romaios said that he had saved himself by instituting the fine, and payment of it was enough
Certainty: 0 Eustathios Romaios decided that a signed agreement should prevail over a will. Mororeon made an agreement with one of his grandchildren, that after his death his wealth be divided in three: for the repose of his soul, for his second wife, and for his daughter and her seven children. This agreement was signed by Mororeon's daughter. As droungarios, Eustathios Romaios determined that this agreement should prevail over Mororoeon's final will. But Mororeon's son-in-law had no role in the agreement between Mororeon and his granddaughter, while he received a bequest in the will. Eustathios determined that something should be paid him out of the increase in Mororoeon's wealth between the two documents. Eustathios also defeated Xeros over distribution of the bequests: Xeros proposed division by categories of legatee, Eustathios by a simple headcount
Certainty: 0 Eustathios Romaios decided that the wishes of the deceased were always preferable, even if recommending an unconventional process. Hexamilites left a third of his fortune to his son and the rest to epitropoi for debts and legacies; it was objected that the son should have a third of what remained after debts, but Eustathios Romaios insisted on following the deceased's wishes, which were always preferable
Certainty: 0 Eustathios Romaios did not annul a questionable marriage which had already occurred. Eustathios Romaios did not annul the marriage of the son of Arotras, who was taken to court by his father for marriage without permission. Eustathios and the emperor thought parents should encourage sons to marry, and did not annul the marriage, which had already occurred. But he had the bride's father flogged for promoting it, and checked the groom's father Arotras in case he was too harsh with his children, since he had his wife warn them that they should submit to his wishes if they wished to inherit
Certainty: 0 Eustathios Romaios enquired about the seriousness of insults in a hippodrome quarrel which led to violence. In the hippodrome Leon, protonotarios of the genikon, was abused by a kandidatos in words which were insulting but not severe, but spoke harsher insults in reply [quoted verbatim], and received a response in kind. He lost his temper, struck the kandidatos and injured him. An asekretis burst into the room occupied by Eustathios Romaios (as droungarios), shouting for help and narrating what had happened in the hippodrome. Eustathios sent out the thesmophylax to take eyewitness statements, which confirmed the rise in intensity of the insults
Certainty: 0 Psellos addressed different messages to different groups of his students. Psellos from time to time addressed groups of his students, chastising them for different failings. Doubtless the group addressed fluctuated in membership. Two students competing against each other in verbal contests were derided because of their lack of intensity. Others were criticised for absence from classes when it rained, for laziness, and for neglecting or abandoning their studies
Certainty: 2 Attack against Iberia by Bagrat IV opposed unsuccessfully by Byzantines. The lord of Abasgia, Bagrat IV of Georgia, attacked Michael Iasites, the katepano of Iberia. Ioannes the ophanotrophos sent his brother Konstantinos to the katepano's aid. He promised to send Konstantinos Dalassenos as well, but failed to do so, and Konstantinos his brother achieved nothing
Certainty: 3 Synod examines validity of marriage among persons related to the seventh degree. A certain Basileios and a certain Theodote were married, despite being related to the seventh degree. Leon, the metropolitan of Athens, wrote to the patriarch Alexios asking if such were valid. A synod was convened with Leon and the metropolitans of Patras, Chonai and Dyrrachion and a kouboukleisios from Epiros. Alexios responded that, since the marriage had already taken place, it was to be deemed valid. Later, Petros Bombylas wrote, hoping to have his daughter Mitze's marriage to (a different) Leon annulled. While Bombylas had been away, Niketas Chalkoutzes took Mitze & Leon, along with Bombylas' wife Kale, to his own house and married the couple. To this case Alexios answered that the marriage would be invalid without Bombylas' consent, unless the latter had been gone for more than three years or the woman were over 25 years old
Certainty: 2 Failed attempt by Zoe to poison Ioannes orphanotrophos. Zoe used her eunuch Sgouritzes to bribe the doctor of Ioannes the orphanotrophos to poison his patient, offering gifts and promises. When Ioannes was prescribed a purgative, the doctor acquired poison from Konstantinos Moukoupeles and gave it to him. However the doctor's young assistant betrayed the plan and saved Ioannes. The doctor was exiled to Antioch, Konstantinos Moukoupeles was expelled from Constantinople, and Zoe herself was viewed with great suspicion
Certainty: 2 Michael Sp(hr)ondeles & Georgios Maniakes arrived in Sicily. Michael Sp(hr)ondyles and Georgios Maniakes arrived in Italy and crossed together to Sicily
Certainty: 2 Georgios Maniakes won much of Sicily, defeating Arabs at Remata with Norman aid. George Maniakes had to fight an alliance of the warring brothers in Sicily, and had with him a range of troops, especially a group of 500 Normans under the command of Arduin, probably including Herve Phrangopoulos. The rival Saracen brothers ruling Sicily made a truce with one another against Maniakes. Maniakes however won a great battle at Remata, captured thirteen cities, and gradually brought all of Sicily under Byzantine rule
Certainty: 2 Murder & arson at the court of the katepano in Bari. Capozzati and his son and Giuda (?) Proto (?) were murdered at the court of the katepano in Bari. The houses of Maraldi the tourmarches, Adralestos and his cousin Leon were burned
Certainty: 2 Arab ploy to capture Edessa foiled by bilingual Armenian beggar. A group of twelve Arabs en route to Constantinople stopped at Edessa in Mesopotamia and were kindly received by the city's general, Barasbatze. They had five hundred camels with them, each bearing two chests, wherein they claimed were gifts for the Byzantine emperor. In actuality there was a soldier in each chest and the Saracens planned, when received in the city, to take it by force at night. An Armenian beggar, who knew their tongue, approached them in hopes of receiving their kindness. While among them he heard a soldier inside one of the chests ask where they were. He reported this to the general (also an Iberian), who left the Arabs feasting and took his soldiers outside the city. There they opened the chests up and slaughtered the soldiers. When Barasbatze returned, he killed the leaders, all save one. This one he mutilated and sent to his home to announce the plot's foiling to his people
Certainty: 2 Fatimid takeover of Aleppo.
Certainty: 2 Deposition of Dioskoros, reinstatement of Petros Getadarj as katholikos.
Certainty: 2 Ioannes the orphanotrophos defended his other brothers against Michael IV. Even Michael IV was angry with his brothers for their greed and exactions and rebuked them, but he was not permitted by Ioannes the Orphanotrophos to check their wickedness. Ioannes sometimes excused them, sometimes made Michael curb his anger, and sometimes hid their activities and even increased their freedom, not allowing their misdeeds to come to Michael's knowledge. This was not because he approved of them, but out of family solidarity. All the brothers were jealous of Ioannes for his reputation, but they were powerless to do anything against him
Certainty: 1 Athanasios, hegoumenos of Vatopedi, bought a property for his monastery on Athos which would later be contested. Athanasios, hegoumenos of Vatopedi, bought for his monastery a property on Athos whose ownership was to be contested some 25 years later by the monastery of Hagios Hypatios. (It was finally settled in favour of Vatopedi in 1066.)
Certainty: 0 Lazaros of Galesion & the false Damianos Dalassenos. An imposter, claiming to be Damianos, nephew of the famous Konstantinos Dalassenos, asked Lazaros to tonsure him, to save him from those who wanted to arrest him and take him to the emperor (probably Michael IV). He found people in Ephesos willing to play the roles of persecutors. After first refusing, Lazaros was now convinced of his need for tonsure, had the act performed in a secret place, and helped the new monk escape his "pursuers". Then after the false Damianos lived for a time at the monastery, Lazaros allowed him to travel home with some brothers (including Philippikos) to settle his affairs and bring back a financial donation to the monastery. However he gave his companions the slip near Amorion; Philippikos returned to Galesion and blamed Lazaros for the poor result. "Damianos" abandoned monastic clothing and went to Chonai, and Lazaros learned of his whereabouts. He sent him a letter carried by two intermediaries, the monks Barnabas and Nikolaos Paximadas. Nikolaos, after adventures with demons, had returned to Galesion and now praised Lazaros' humility. The two brothers brought back a message that "Damianos" would return after Easter. When he did not return with the brothers, Lazaros predicted his death. In fact he was murdered by one of his servants in the second week of Lent
Certainty: 0 Death of Psellos' father; Psellos' mother censured his grief, & was herself rebuked for excessive asceticism. Psellos' father invited his son to his monastery and told him that his soul was being covered in darkness. Then father and son had a satisfying philosophical discussion. Michael, however, felt depressed and decided to visit Theodote, his mother. She welcomed him like a visitor from a distance, and invited him to stay. But they were woken at midnight by the doorkeeper, who reported a message from his father's monastery, that he was seriously ill. He rushed to his father, followed by Theodote, and found he had a high temperature, breathing quickly. He took his pulse (a skill learned long before), and it was irregular. He did not know whether to tend father, mother or himself. His father told him he was dying, that he should not grieve, but console his mother. As his father died, cradled in his arms, Michael wept and lamented, but was stopped by his mother, who pulled him away, conquering her own grief. She complained that all his pagan learning had not taught him self-control and the meaning of Christian death. He acknowledged the lesson. After the funeral of his father, he prayed for him and then fell asleep and saw a dream of his father, handsome and happy, who embraced him and told him of his joyous reception in heaven. After his death, Theodote increased her ascetic practices, provoking protests from her spiritual adviser that she was far overstepping the mark. Once he persuaded her to order a fish to eat, but she was morally unable to eat this luxury, totally at variance with the life she had chosen. So she told her maid (her confidant) to go out and give it to the first person she saw. This was a poor old woman, who was extremely grateful
Certainty: 0 Psellos seriously ill: he wrote to Esaias asking him to take over Theophanes' disobedient son as a pupil. The virtuous Esaias proximos did not love his enemies or even his friends. Psellos was very ill, but his friend did not visit him, though recovery depended on his prayers. The letter-carrier (he told Esaias) was the son of their friend Theophanes and Psellos' pupil, who stopped work and started amusements when Psellos fell ill. Esaias should punish him and take him over as a student, since illness prevented Psellos from keeping the boy under control
Certainty: 0 Psellos seriously ill: he wrote three letters to Ioannes Mauropous, complaining he had only visited him once, briefly. Psellos told Ioannes Mauropous he had left a noisy wedding to visit him for teaching, but changed plans and set off to the festival of the Holy Fathers. On the way a rainstorm forced him to land at Agros, from where he later embarked for home. But another storm had driven him to another harbour. After walking a distance he went home by sea. Since then he had been ill and in pain, not eating or drinking, so Mauropous should visit him before he died. In another letter, he told Mauropous that love would never catch on unless lovers showed it. Psellos had vainly expected an immediate visit from him, and now pictured him in an Elysian setting while Psellos was very ill. The letter was sent to provoke a visit. In the third letter he complained that he had had only one brief visit from Mauropous, and needed more. He was frustrated in his desire for contact. Illness kept him indoors, and going out in the street within 40 days would mean death. What excuse did Mauropous have?
Certainty: 1 Epilepsy of Michael IV grew much worse. Michael IV's epilepsy grew much worse, and began to restrict his public appearances. At the same time elaborate precautions were taken when he was outside the palace to surround him with curtains and prevent the public seeing the extent of his illness or the pitiful state to which he was reduced. These precautions were not always successful, as he was seen thrown from his horse. The worsening situation forced his officials to make plans to avoid disaster in the future, leaving Michael IV the imperial name, but preparing for the succession. Even so, in the intervals of his disease, he devoted himself to good government within the empire and to good relations with foreign powers
Certainty: 0 First victory of Tughrul Beg over previous Persian ruler enabled him to consolidate in settled areas. The ruler of the Turks sent the sultan Tughrul Beg to aid Mahmud of Ghazni, prince of Khurasan (in Persia), at the latter's request. A certain number of Tughrul Begh's men defected from Mahmud's army, whereafter the former encamped deep in the desert of Karbonitis. Mahmud sent a 20,000-strong army against him in the night, which Tughrul Begh anticipated and marched against, defeating them and taking much money and booty
Certainty: 0 Poems of Christophoros Mitylenaios celebrating (a) Michael IV & 3 brothers, (b) Michael in procession. The four brothers formed a cross: Michael was the eastern arm, connected with the brilliance of the dawn; Ioannes the western, with blackness of garb linked to the setting sun, despite his pure white character; Konstantinos the southern, brilliant as the sun shining richly at midday; Georgios the northern, with a face like the star Arktouros. Michael IV in procession, leaving the palace and showing himself to the people, filled them with delight, as he was complete sweetness and grace, seen from near or far
Certainty: 0 Romanos III's rebuilding of Church of Holy Sepulchre completed by Michael IV. Romanos III had wanted to rebuild the famous Jerusalem shrine but died too soon and thus left the work to his successor
Certainty: 2 At Bari, the houses of Maraldus & Adralistus were destroyed. At Bari, the houses of Maraldi the tourmarches and Adralestos, which had been burned the year before, were now completely destroyed
Certainty: 3 Agreement between the monasteries of Xylourgou & Phalakrou. Theodoulos of Xylourgou built a warehouse and secured from the monks of Phalakrou rights of passage through their monastery's territory. They were set out in a document written by the monk Leon of Phalakrou and signed by four witnesses
Certainty: 3 Nikephoros Dokeianos arrived as katpano in Bari. Nikephoros Dokeianos arrived in Italy to serve as katepano at Bari
Certainty: 2 Whole family of Konstantinos Dalassenos maliciously banished. The hatred of Ioannes the orphanotrophos for Konstantinos Dalassenos was growing stronger so that he banished the latter's brothers Theophylaktos and Romanos, their nephew Adrianos, and all who were related to him. Ioannes seemed to be striving to destroy his family completely
Certainty: 2 Aerikon tax (& others) increased by Ioannes the orphanotrophos. The aerikon tax (and others) were increased by Ioannes the orphanotrophos and greedily levied upon villagers
Certainty: 1 Michael IV devoted himself to good works, without improving his epilepsy. Michael IV continued to be tormented with epilepsy, a condition which his guards hid as well as they could from the public (lest revolution break out). When his sickness failed to abate, the emperor concluded that this was punishment for his previous sin (of usurping Romanos III). He gave himself wholeheartedly to the doing of good works, to appease God and prepare his own soul for death. He gave to monasteries & monks and to children being christened, sought out wise and holy men to remould his soul (giving them his bed and himself sleeping on stone), built houses of charity (including one to feed poor ascetics and another to wean wayward women from prostitution), and with his own hands tended on and bathed the sick and leprous. Some monks did not accept his demands but his eagerness was clear to be seen. In all this though, Michael Psellos, because of his position, had a unique vantage-point to observe many things not seen by others
Certainty: 3 Synod document stating that heretics could not legally marry, inherit or testify (especially in Melitene). The patriarch Alexios Stoudites received an appeal from Ioannes, metropolitan of Melitene, where orthodox married heretics, and heretics made bequests to their fellow heretics. He decided to act to stop this by publishing the relevant synodal decisions preventing heretics from legal marriage and inheritance. He added a reminder that heretics could not testify against the orthodox in court, another infringement reported from Melitene. Twelve metropolitans were recorded as being present at the reading of the decision
Certainty: 2 Frequent earthquakes, heavy rains, deadly epidemic. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 1 Michael IV completed expansion & rebuilding of the Kosmidion. As part of his programme of good works aimed at propitiating God for his sin (whose punishment was the emperor's epilepsy), Michael IV built a sumptuous and beautiful church at the Anargyroi shrine outside the City, mking it part of a delightful monastic complex with water and greenery. But the healers did not respond to his splendid dedication, and his illness grew worse
Certainty: 1 Psellos defended himself against accusations of using philosophy to further political ambitions.
Certainty: 1 Michael Psellos served at different times as krites of Thrakesion, of Boukellarion & of Anatolikon. Psellos paid his second visit to Philadelphia as krites of Thrakesion. He was asked to solve a problem caused by the overturning of one of his own judgements as krites of Boukellarion. He had also visited Basilaon (in Galatia, probably as krites of Boukellarion?). In a difficult passage, he also seems to claim to a metropolitan of Amaseia to have been krites of Armeniakon
Certainty: 3 Nikephoros Dokeianos, katepano of Italy, died at Ascoli. Nikephoros Dokeianos, katepano of Italy, had driven the rebellious conterati (discharged local light troops) out of Apulia. However he died in the city of Ascoli
Certainty: 3 Terrible earthquake, causing particular destruction in Smyrna. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 2 African Arab ruler again crushed by Maniakes in Sicily, but escaped home (through fault of Stephanos?). Umar of Africa, who had previously been routed by Georgios Maniakes, returned to Sicily with a much larger army than before. But Maniakes again defeated him and killed this time more than 50,000 of his troops. The Roman general appointed the emperor's brother-in-law Stephanos (father of Michael (V)) to guard the coast and block Umar's line of retreat. But Umar managed after his defeat to escape Sicily in a small boat, and Stephanos was blamed for this (receiving insults & blows from Maniakes) and Michael Psellos witnessed him playing Fortune's fool. However, when Maniakes was later taken in chains to Constantinople, the entire command of Sicily came under Stephanos
Certainty: 2 Disputes with Stephanos led to conviction & recall of Maniakes for treachery. After Stephanos (Michael (V)'s father) failed to prevent Oumer's escape from Sicily, the general Georgios Maniakes berated him for his cowardice and incompetence. When an annoyed Stephanos relied upon his imperial connections, Maniakes dealt him blows. Stephanos immediately wrote to his brother[-in-law] Ioannes the Ophranotrophos and accused Maniakes of planning treachery against the state. The latter, a tall and rugged man whom Psellos admired for his impressive bearing and whom the barbarians feared, was apprehended and taken in chains to Constantinople (along with the Armenian Basileios Theodorokanos). Imperial rule on Sicily then devolved upon Stephanos and all the cities that Maniakes had won back for the empire were, save Messina, again lost to the Saracens
Certainty: 2 Worsening sickness of Michael IV all but ended his sexual relations with Zoe. Michael IV suffered from a combination of his increasingly frequent attacks of illness and the embarassment they caused, shame for how he had exploited his wife Zoe, and guilt over the murder of Romanos III. As a result, he stopped almost completely from sexual relations with the empress
Certainty: 2 Pilgrimage of Michael IV for healing by St Demetrios at Thessalonike. He was motivated by his disease to devote a great deal of money to churches, monasteries and individual priests and monks. In the hope of a cure from St Demetrios, he made a pilgrimage and spent a good deal of time praying at the martyr's tomb in Thessalonike, but found no relief
Certainty: 2 Savage tyranny of Ioannes orphanotrophos marked by bad natural omens. When his brother Michael IV was away, Ioannes the orphanotrophos, a most resourceful man when it came to making mischief, devised every kind of injustice, selling offices, allowing unlawful acts and burdening the people with unheard-of taxes. This last offence caused the Bulgarians to rebel from the empire
Certainty: 3 Ioannes orphanotrophos refused to curb excesses seen by his sister Maria en route to Ephesos. En route to Ephesos to fulfil a vow, the emperor's siter Maria (mother of Michael (V)) heard of her brother Ioannes the ophanotrophos' excesses. She returned to Constantinople and urged him to desist from such evil doing, saying specifically that he should remit the subjects' dues. But he scorned her with laughter and said that such talk was the womanish folly of one who did not know the pressing needs of state
Certainty: 3 The conterati killed Michael Choirosphaktes & Romanos (of Matera ?) near Mottola. The conterati, after being driven from Apulia, on May 5 killed Michael Choirosphaktes krites and Romanos (of Matera?) near Mottola
Certainty: 3 Argyros son of Melus captured chief conteratus Musandus, besieging & entering Bari with him & Ioannes of Ostouni. Argyros son of Melus fought the conterati outside Bari and wounded Musandus their leader. Later he besieged and entered the city, imprisoning Musandus and Ioannes of Ostouni. The conterati were scattered
Certainty: 2 Annihilation of Byzantine army sent against Voisthlav of Serbia to recover shipwrecked gold. The Serbian ruler Voislav Stefan escaped from Constantinople and reached home, expelling from there the Roman governor of Diokleia, Theophilos Erotikos. When a ship was wrecked on the Ilyrian coast carrying ten kentenaria of gold (supposedly sent by Ioannes the orphanotrophos to his brother Michael IV), Voislav kept the gold. Michael wrote to him demanding the gold back, and when he received no answer he sent his Sicilian emissary Georgios Probatas against him. Voislav refused to return the gold and in the clash Probotas lost all his troops, barely escaping himself
Certainty: 2 Stephanos & Basileios Pediadites, by negligent defence of castles, lost all Sicilian cities but Messina. The eunuch praipositos and katepano of Sicily, Basileios Pediadites, having served under Georgios Maniakes, was transferred to the new general Stephanos when Maniakes was imprisoned. Having a few days free, he played backgammon. This information was reported to Michael IV, who mentioned it to him in a letter, thus remembering this minor flaw above more important deeds. And when the Saracens re-invaded, he and Stephanos, through their idleness, inexperience, cowardness and above all their avarice, lost every imperial city on Sicily save Messina
Certainty: 2 Peter Deljan, moving south from Hungarian border, was acclaimed tsar of Bulgaria. The resourceful and shifty Peter Deljan (whose name Psellos takes as Dolianos ["treacherous"]) escaped his master in Constantinople and wandered through Bulgaria (or Serbia and Croatia according to Skylitzes Continuatus). Knowing that an illustrious family background was considered a prerequisite to rule, he claimed in Morabos & Belgrade a kinship with the former Bulgarian king Samuel (either as his nephew by Tsar Aaron, according to Zonaras, or as his grandson by Radomir and the daughter of the Hungarian kral, according to Skylitzes). He was successful in this, and the Bulgarians, discontented by the tyrannical taxation of Ioannes the orphanotrophos, hailed him as tsar and sole ruler of their nation, following him in revolt against Byzantium. They marched through Naissus and Skopje, acclaiming him and killing any Roman they happened to meet
Certainty: 2 Basileios Synadenos, strategos of Dyrrachion, accused of plotting & imprisoned. Basileios Synadenos, strategos and doux of Dyrrachion, hearing of Peter Deljan's march from Serbia towards Byzantine lands, took his local troops out against him to nip the rebellion in the bud. At Debris he had a dispute with one of his commanders, Michael Dermokaites, and was accused of plotting revolt. He was removed from office, replaced by Dermokaites, and taken to Thessalonica, where he was imprisoned
Certainty: 2 Michael Dermokaïtes, Synadenos' accuser & successor, plundered the army, then fled. Dermokaïtes, after first accusing and then replacing his commander Synadenos, managed the affairs of office so poorly and so mistreated his soldiers, that the latter rose up against him. He, anticipating their revolt, fled away by night
Certainty: 2 Army of Dyrrachion, having lost two generals & equipment, joined Bulgarian revolt under Tichomir. When Michael Dermokaites' army from Dyrrachion, which he had led out against the rebel Peter Deljan, mutinied against Dermokaites' unfair command, a certain soldier from among them, a Bulgarian named Tichomir, was made the rebel army's head and proclaimed tsar of Bulgaria. When Deljan heard of this, he wrote to Tichomir and persuaded him to join him by offering joint-tsarship and battle against the Romans
Certainty: 2 Both Bulgarian rebel armies united behind Deljan, killing Tichomir. Peter Deljan sent friendly letters to his fellow Bulgarian rebel, Tichomir, inviting him to joint rule. But when the two men's armies were united, Deljan assembled them all and made a speech, saying that the country could never prosper with dual rule and they must choose between himself (a kinsman of tsar Samuel) and Tichomir. They proclaimed Deljan and Tichomir they stoned to death. Peter sent troops to capture the fort of Basilis and advanced on Thessalonike to face Michael IV
Certainty: 2 Michael IV fled quickly from Thessalonike; his men & treasure passed to Bulgarians. Michael IV was at Thessalonike, accompanied only by his court guards, at the outbreak of the Bulgarian revolt. He quickly withdrew to Constantinople to prepare to put down the revolt. Manuel Ibatzes and a koitonites were asked to collect the imperial tent, money and precious objects, but they took them and defected to Deljan, the Bulgarian leader. Basileios Theodorokanos had visited Michael at Thessalonica: in his retinue was the disguised Alousianos of the Bulgarian royal house, who would join the rebels and play a decisive role in the outcome of the revolt
Certainty: 2 Severe drought resulted in drying up (almost) of springs & perennial rivers. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 3 Fire at Exartesis (Arsenal) destroyed anchored warships & their equipment. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 2 Deljan sent troops who took Dyrrachion & caused casualties at Thebes. Peter Deljan was joined by Manuel Ibatzes and a koitonites, who defected from Michael IV. He sent an army under Theodoros Kaukanos, which captured Dyrrachion, and also sent another force under Anthimos to Hellas, where he defeated Alakasseus, who opposed him at Thebes
Certainty: 2 Capture of Demetrias by Deljan; inhabitants revolt & return it to doux of Thessalonike. Lytoboes of Diabolis, an experienced Bulgarian general, was sent with an army by Deljan to occupy Demetrias. He rebuilt its walls, built siege-engines and then relaxed, feeling safe from external attack.He thought the inhabitants, who had sworn allegiance, were simple and inexperienced. But the inhabitants of Demetrias appealed for help to the doux of Thessalonike. He sent his general Zepe pantheotes with a fleet and an army to recapture the kastron. As soon as his fleet arrived and the people of Demetrias were notified, they captured Lytoboes and handed him over to the Romans
Certainty: 2 Theme of Nikopolis joined Bulgarian revolt, resenting strict taxation in cash, not kind. It was the greediness of Ioannes orphanotrophos and his encroachment upon their properties that caused the inhabitants of the theme of Nikopolis to rise against Roman rule and defect to the Bulgarians, rather than any affection for Deljan. He ordered that Bulgarians owning a pair of oxen should pay in coins rather than in kind (as had been customary under Basileios II and Tsar Samuel).Ioannes Koutzomytes, his local tax-collector, was particularly demanding. He brought disaster upon himself and caused the Nikopolitans, who could no longer bear his greediness, to rise in rebellion and cut him to pieces
Certainty: 2 Michael IV rose above sickness & raised a large army. When Michael IV heard of the Bulgarian revolt, he immediately decided to wage war on them and himself lead the whole army, despite his illness and his failing body. He had added nothing to the Roman empire and now part of it had been removed: he thought he had a terrible responsibility before men and God if he willingly conceded to the Bulgarians defection from Rome. The senate was absolutely opposed to his plans and the exhortations of his family demanded that he stay in the City, but he was despondent and obsessed with war against the Bulgarians. He set his objective, followed through his plan and raised a large army
Certainty: 2 Failed plot of Ioannes Makrembolites & Michael Keroularios against Michael IV. Michael Keroularios and Ioannes Makrembolites led a revolt against Michael IV, but failed. They were to arrest the emperor during a procession and replace him with Keroularios, but some plotters got cold feet and reported it to the emperor. He increased his personal guard and put the city under police control, arresting the plotters. Interrogating them, he discovered that it was planned for Keroularios to replace him - but that he had not been told of it because his colleagues feared his reaction. Instead of punishing the conspirators and freeing the innocent Keroularios, he despised the former and feared the latter as a dangerous focus of future revolts, reserving the heaviest punishment for him. At first he put Keroularios and his brother under rigorous house arrest. Later he separated them, imprisoning the former in harsh conditions on the Bosporos under sentence of death and the latter in a mountain prison, where the pain of separation made him seriously ill and soon killed him. The plotters' estates were confiscated, they were banished by Ioannes orphanotrophos while Keroularios, though resisting tonsure as a punishment, became a monk. Keroularios became guardian of his brother's two sons during their early puberty, was inspired by them and inspired them in return, and, since they hardly remembered their father, his personality and ambition was imprinted on them. The conspiracy of 1040 and its results were reported later somehow to illustrate Keroularios' desire for power, together with dark references to women's quarters, unholy meetings, crying babies and ceremonies of marriage. Psellos later claimed to have supported Keroularios before the latter's tonsure
Certainty: 2 Eustathios Romaios pronounced on Michael Keroularios, his deceased brother & his wife, all of whom fell foul of the law. Michael Keroularios had stood surety for his brother over the dowry of the latter's wife, receiving one of his estates. When Michael became a criminal, she sued for her dowry and recovered the estate. But then she and her husband too fell foul of the law and they stopped the suit. Michael tried to have an inventory made of his brother's property. Eustathios Romaios, in judging the case, balanced the dowry rights of the wife against those of Michael, the guarantor (whose later actions were designed to support her more than himself)
Certainty: 2 Rebellion at Mesanakta against Konstantinos (brother of Michael IV) brutally suppressed. Gregorios Taronites led a rebellion at Mesanakta against Konstantinos, brother of Michael IV and megas domestikos. The rebellion was supported by Michael Gabras and Theodosios Mesanyktes. Konstantinos put down the revolt brutally, blinded Gabras and Mesanyktes, and sent Taronites to Ioannes orphanotrophos covered with a coarse ox hide save for his eyes and nose
Certainty: 1 Tughrul Beg defeated previous ruler (at Dandankan) near Isfahan, becoming all-powerful sultan of Persia. Mahmud of Ghazna, prince of Khurasan, armed Saracens, Persians, Kabeiroi and Arabs, gathering an army of around 500,000 with 100 tower-carrying elephants, and marched to Dandankan near Isfahan, where he engaged in a terrible battle against the Turkish leader Tughrul Beg. There were many casualties, and Mahmud himself was killed while encouraging his men, having broken his neck in a fall. Tughrul Beg took away all offices from Persians and Saracens and transferred them to the Turks, subjugating the whole of Persia to them [the defeated ruler was, in fact, Mahmud's son, Masud]
Certainty: 2 Death of Ashot IV of Armenia.
Certainty: 2 Denunciation of Atom & Abusahl Arcruni to Michael IV.
Certainty: 2 Alousianos, provoked by injustice, fled & reached Deljan in Bulgaria. While strategos of Theodosioupolis, Alousianos was accused of some wrong-doing. Without an investigation, Ioannes the orphanotrophos demanded fifty pounds of gold from him and seized his village in Charsianon. After fruitlessly petitioning Michael IV, he left for Thessalonica disguised as Theodorokanos' Armenian servant, scorning his wife and children and travelling with a few attendants from the empire's extreme east unto its west. Although forbidden entrance to the capital, he visited an acquaintance of Psellos there and remained undetected by the orphanotrophos' all-seeing power. Alousianos had heard from his homeland Bulgaria of the bastard Deljan's ascent and with youthful daring went and joined him at Ostrobos
Certainty: 2 Recognition scene: identity of Alousianos confirmed as Bulgarian prince. Alousianos at Ostrobos did not at first make himself known, but went among the people in disguise, feeling out their opinion, whether they would rather be led by Tsar Aaron's son [as he is known in the sources, though he was in fact Aaron's brother] or by Deljan. When he saw that majority opinion was in his favour, he made himself known to one who knew his family well. This man, after scrutinizing Alousianos' face carefully, demanded to see a certain mark on his skin. When this token was revealed, the man went among his countrymen declaring that Alousianos had returned. Deljan received him gladly, but feared the Bulgarians would rally round Alousianos, who was of royal blood. Alousianos and Deljan [half-cousins according to the sources] made common cause for the sake of stability and shared power, though each suspected the other
Certainty: 3 Michael Dokeianos came from Sicily to Italy as katepano: went to Ascoli, then Bari. Michael Dokeianos was sent from Sicily to succeed [his relation?] Nikephoros Dokeianos as katepano in Italy. He reached Bari in November, and had four men hanged: one at Ascoli and three at Bitonto, where he also blinded four others
Certainty: 2 The estate of Christ Saviour was returned to Symeon, protos of Galeagra, by the monk Theodoros on his return to the monastery. Lonely and suffering from ill-health the monk Theodoros decided to move back to his monastery of Galeagra on Athos, and returned to its hegoumenos Symeon the estate of Christ Saviour. He requested that Iakobos, another monk of Galeagra, draft the relevant act which he signed with a cross. The act was also signed by nine other monks from Athos
Certainty: 1 Bad treatment of Norman mercenaries by Byzantine commander. Michael Dokeianos, katepano of Italy, refused to pay the Franks (Norman mercenaries) their monthly salaries and when their leader Arduin went to see him, asking for his soldiers to be treated fairly and the situation to be remedied, he insulted him and had him flogged. This provoked his men to revolt [Skylitzes and Attaleiates, who follow a pro-Maniakes line, ascribe this behaviour to Michael Dokeianos, but Italian sources are divided, some claiming that Maniakes himself was largely responsible]
Certainty: 2 Alousianos sent on unsuccessful siege of Thessalonike. Alousianos, son of John Vladislav of Bulgaria, was given 40,000 troops and ordered by Deljan to besiege Thessalonike. He did so for six days using siege engines, but his efforts were thwarted by the defence of Konstantinos, nephew of Michael IV, who had surrounded the city with a ditch. Alousianos thus decided to capture the city by blockade. But he was suddenly attacked by the troops of Thessalonike, who made a sortie after a night vigil at the shrine of Saint Demetrios and, led by the martyr himself, put him to flight back to Deljan. The narrative of Kekaumenos has Alousianos advancing towards the walls immediately on arrival. He says that he barely managed to escape by throwing away his armour when his men, weary after the march, were attacked
Certainty: 1 Michael Psellos wrote poem XVI to Michael IV asking for employment as notarios. Michael IV received a request in iambics from Psellos, asking for a position among the imperial notarioi. It speaks of the clearing of a great and dangerous cloud which had threatened to quench the emperor's light (the Bulgarian revolt?)
Certainty: 1 Attack of Abul-Uswar against Albania.
Certainty: 1 Properties of Iveron metochion at Ezoba confirmed to local bishop (reclaimed in 1062). The bishop of Ezoba, perhaps the same man attested in c. 1029 and in 1062, received further confirmation by documents of his possession of Iveron lands at Ezoba. It was given, probably at different dates in the period 1029-1062, by Kyritzes, krites of Strymon and Niketas, krites of Boleron, Strymon & Thessalonike. They still did not convince the court in 1062 of the bishop's ownership of the lands
Certainty: 0 Demetrias captured by ruse & without bloodshed by Arabs. Five Arab ships arrived at Demetrias, promising to trade rather than take any hostile action. Their plans were aided by Noah, a greedy Constantinopolitan resident of the city, who happened to be a magistrate at the time. Noah insisted that the trade should go on immediately under the walls, so that he could see what was happening and seek to avoid payment. At the end of the day's trade the Arabs easily captured the city with all its wealth [Probably dated in the 1030s or 1040s, perhaps connected with the confusion of the Bulgarian revolt of 1040?]
Certainty: 0 Nikolaos, founder of the monastery of Horaia Pege, attracted many monks to the monastery, leading to miracles. Nikolaos, founder of the monastery of Horaia Pege, attracted by his generosity large numbers of monks to the monastery. Several miracles ensued: diversion of the water of the sacred spring was stopped, the poor were fed and a prisoner freed from pagan captivity
Certainty: 1 Konstantinos Monomachos sentenced to blinding: saved by good luck & bad weather. In a summary of recent history published by Psellos in 1043: Konstantinos (IX) Monomachos in Mitylene was the subject of more imperial omens. When he was sentenced to be blinded, the ship carrying the executioner sank in a sudden storm on an otherwise fine day
Certainty: 0 Michael Psellos suggested a system of post-horses to the krites who shared the adminstration of his theme. The krites of Psellos' theme received a suggestion from his good friend Psellos that he should order the establishment of a system of post-horses for the theme, in view of coming changes. The emperor's prosperity was encouraging
Certainty: 0 Marriage of Ioannes Doukas (later kaisar) & Eirene Pegonitissa. Ioannes Doukas (the later kaisar) was joined in an equal match with Eirene Pegonitissa. She was the eldest of her family, and completely outshone her siblings in beauty and character
Certainty: 1 Beginning of the careers of Konstantinos Leichoudes & Leon Paraspondylos. Leichoudes was employed by Michael V, and his career may have started a little earlier. Psellos claims eyewitness status for the whole of his encomium of Leichoudes. Paraspondylos was prominent under Michael IV
Certainty: 0 Ioannes Italos as a child was forced to leave Sicily for Italy with his father. Ioannes Italos' father had been an Italian ally of the Sicilians in their attempts to become independent from Byzantium, taking the infant Ioannes with him. However they were forced to leave Sicily by the conquests of Georgios Maniakes and went back to their native Italy as refugees
Certainty: 0 Lazaros of Galesion & the returned soldier who slept with his own daughter. Some years earlier, a girl's father went off to the war and her mother died. She and her two brothers were robbed of their possessions and driven from their village, taking refuge in a small cell. Her father meanwhile was captured by the barbarian enemy, and vowed that if released he would not go home, but take the monastic habit and visit the Holy Land. He succeeded in escaping and became a monk, then went to Lazaros of Galesion and confessed he wanted to go home. Lazaros urged him not to go home, but to fulfil his vow to visit the Holy Land. The man disregarded this advice, set off home, and in the village next to his own was invited in by a poor woman. The Devil tempted him to have sex with her. In later conversation he discovered that this was the daughter he had left behind, who had been driven out of her village. He did not reveal his identity but returned in tears to Lazaros and told him what had happened. Lazaros offered him support, but ordered him to go to the Holy Land and remain there for the rest of his life
Certainty: 1 Lazaros of Galesion & Makrembolites. While Lazaros was still on the pillar of the Theotokos, he was visited by Makrembolites, who asked him to pray for him to return to Constantinople in good health. Lazaros told him to try instead to enter the heavenly city in good health. As soon as he left the theme (of Thrakesion?) he died
Certainty: 0 Dionysios, hegoumenos of Xenophontos on Athos, transferred a property to Docheiariou.
Certainty: 3 Arduin, topoteretes of the katepano, gathered Normans at Melfi in rebellion against katepano. Arduin, leader of the Norman mercenaries, had been insulted by the Byzantine command. Though he was now the katepano's topoteretes, he gathered the Normans in rebellion at Melfi
Certainty: 3 The Parthenon inscriptions record the death on March 24 of Ioannes the protopapas. Ioannes the protopapas is reported in the Parthenon inscriptions as having died on March 24
Certainty: 3 Katepano Michael Dokeianos defeated at he river Olivento with only Rus' & Opsikion troops. Michael Dokeianos refused to come out in full force against the rebellious Normans, mobilising only troops from two themes. He was badly defeated, with heavy losses in Russian troops and those from Opsikion. Michael and the survivors fled to Montepeloso
Certainty: 2 Dokeianos again defeated at Canne, with varied casualty list including two bishops: he fled to Bari. While Michael Dokeianos still did not take all his forces against the Normans, he had a large numerical superiority: the Normans brought reinforcements from northern Italy. Dokeianos was routed at Monte Maggiore (Horai), with heavy losses in men from Anatolikon, Opsikion, Russia, Thrace, Longobardia, and the Capitanate. Even two bishops were killed, Angelos of Troia and Stephanos of Acerenza. Dokeianos and his men were left shattered and barely alive: they fled to Bari
Certainty: 2 Katakalon Kekaumenos defended Messina, winning a crushing victory. Kekaumenos with but few men withstood a siege of Messina, the only imperial city left on Sicily, by North African Saracens. He pretended to be frightened but kept up morale. On the fourth day of the siege they made a sortie and attacked the drunken enemy, who were slow to awake and were routed. Their leader Apolaphar Mouchoumet was killed
Certainty: 3 Earthquake. No persons mentioned
Certainty: 2 Deljan & Alousianos plotted against each other; Alousianos won, blinding Deljan. The supposed kinsmen Deljan and Alousianos, despite mutual suspicions, set up a system of double rule. However they continued to plot against each other, but Alousianos proved the shrewder player. After his embarrassing defeat at Thessalonike, he conspired with his companions and invited Deljan to dinner. When the latter was drunk, he attacked him with a cook's knife, gouged his eyes out and cut off his nose. He did this without his countrymen's intervention, so that the mutilated Deljan was arrested by Michael IV and sent to Thessalonike. Bulgaria's dyarchy then ended and the country returned to single rule. A small role in the rebellion was played by a monk from Galesion, who encouraged Deljan, then advised a loyal general to make a disatrous attack on the Bulgarians on a Sunday
Certainty: 2 Petros Deljan, before blinding by Alousianos, was encouraged by a monk from Galesion. A monk tonsured by Lazaros at Galesion left as if to go to Crete, falsely pretending to come from there. But at Phygela he vanished, and the monk sent with him returned, baffled. The fraudulent monk returned with a tall tale of being captured by pirates, and was dressed in full monastic habit, though Lazaros had only tonsured him as a novice. Lazaros realised the deception, but welcomed him. After much pressure, Lazaros was persuaded to let him go again on monastery business, this time with Meletios. He was told to obey orders and not embezzle money. As soon as he left, he pretended to be a prophet sent by Lazaros. He reached Bulgaria during the revolt of Deljan, and encouraged him with false words, till he was blinded. He was then welcomed by an imperial strategos, whom he advised to attack the Bulgarians on a Sunday. The strategos was killed, his army was annihilated and the monk had to flee. After wandering for some time, he returned to the monastery at Galesion, where he was again welcomed by Lazaros, although he had heard of his deceitful actions
Certainty: 2 Alousianos went over to Michael IV, then on to Constantinople, where he was promoted. Michael IV was marching against the rebellious Bulgarians when their leader Alousianos (who by his plotting had blinded his fellow-ruler Peter Deljan) went back over to the imperial side. Zonaras says he did so right away, Psellos that he attacked Michael and was defeated and that, seeing the difficulty of engaging with the emperor's forces and having his wife and children in mind, he then sent secret word unto the emperor that he would rejoin him if appropriately rewarded. Michael at any rate accepted this offer and honoured him with the office of magistros, sending Alousianos to his (Michael's) brother Ioannes the orphonotrophos at Constantinople [whose tyrannical behaviour had originally led Alousianos to mutiny]. It was this changing of sides by Alousianos that gave the empire victory over the now leaderless Bulgarians
Certainty: 2 XachÂik & his son Ishxan killed in battle against Muslims near Her.
Certainty: 2 Campaign of Michael IV in Bulgaria; capture of Boianos & Triaditza. Michael IV, despite his illness, skilfully invaded Bulgaria via Serdica, advanced to Triaditza and captured Boianos from Boktos, its overconfident defender. Boktos made a sortie against the troops of Michael IV but was defeated. Michael's epilepsy dominated him at night, thought by superhuman efforts he was amazingly active on horseback during the day. The poorly-led Bulgarians were completely defeated
Certainty: 2 Aggression of David Anholin against Armenia.
Certainty: 2 Another attempt by Michael IV to claim Ani; it was defended by Vahram Pahlawuni.
Certainty: 2 Michael IV captured Deljan & Manuel Ibatzes, crushed resistance & settled Bulgarian administration. Michael IV defeated the Bulgarians under Manuel Ibatzes, the final supporter of the blinded Peter Deljan. Michael breached Ibatzes' wooden defences at Prilep, dispersed the Bulgarian army, arrestred Ibatzes along with Deljan, and set the Bulgarian affairs in order
Certainty: 2 Michael returned unharmed to Constantinople, celebrating triumph over the blinded Deljan. Michael IV re-established order in Bulgaria and returned safely to Constantinople, showing the power of his determination to conquer sickness. He celebrated a splendid triumph in the hippodrome, with horse-races and running-races, and paraded many prestigious captives, including Manuel Ibatzes and the blinded Deljan. Michael Psellos saw the emperor in a state more appropriate for his funeral. Michael would not long after be tonsured by the monk Kosmas Tzintziloukios at Kosmidion and soon afterwards die
Certainty: 2 Death of kings of Armenia Yovhannes Smbat & Ashot IV. When the kings of Armenia, Yovhannes Smbat & Ashot IV, died within a year of each other, this could be seen as signalling the end for Armenia. Sargis Haykazn, the leader of the pro-Byzantine party, was appointed regent after the death of Yovhannes, appropriated all the treasures from the latter's palace and proclaimed himself king of Shirak. Michael IV considered that the document (purchased from Kiwrakos) gave him the right to inherit the lands of the deceased, and prepared an attack on Ani
Certainty: 2 Accession of Gagik II in Armenia, after failed bid of Sargis Haykazn. When Sargis Haykazn made a bid for power, proclaiming himself king of Shirak, he was not supported by Vahram Pahlavuni. Pahlavuni, together with his sons and nephews, summoned Gagik II, proclaimed him king, and brought him to Ani. There an ingenious ruse was needed to get Gagik into the city. Sargis Haykazn took the royal treasures and sought refuge in the citadel of Ani, but was then persuaded by Gagik to leave and went to Surmarhi, although he still refused to surrender Ani and the other strongholds in his power, planning to hand them to the Byzantines and gain their favour. Gagik therefore went to Sargis' camp at Surmarhi and arrested him, then brought him to Ani: but instead of putting the rebel to death he pardoned him, and made him sit next to him in his carriage (?)
Certainty: 2 Normans conquer South Italy except for Brindisi, Otranto, Taranto & Bari.
Certainty: 2 Dokeianos asked for help. Michael IV sent troops & a new katepano from Sicily; Dokeianos returned there. Michael Dokeianos wrote to Sicily for help, and was sent troops from Macedonia and Calabria, with Paulicians. They gathered at Montepeloso with the shattered survivors of Monte Maggiore. Dokeianos was replaced as katepano of Italy by the son of Basileios Boioannes, and returned, by imperial command, to Sicily, whence he had come
Certainty: 3 Boioannes ("Exaugustus") arriving in Italy, was defeated & captured by Normans. Boioannes (why is he called Exaugoustos?) fought a battle with the Normans (under the command of Atenulf of Benevento) near Montepeloso. The Byzantines again had great numerical superiority, but were defeated, with the massacre of the troops from Macedonia. Boioannes was taken prisoner
Certainty: 2 Boioannes, captured at Montepeloso, was taken as prisoner to Melfi (or Benevento). After his defeat he was captured alive and taken in chains from Montepeloso right across Apulia to Benevento (the city of Atenulf), or perhaps Melfi
Certainty: 2 After Monopoli people of Bari & Matera made a treaty with the Normans, as nobody remained to defend them.
Certainty: 3 Proclamation of Michael V. Ioannes the orphanotrophos continued to run the affairs of state, while the ascent of his nephew Michael V was to bring disasters upon him and his entire family. Zoe bore her adoptive nephew's misuse with equanimity and patience
Certainty: 3 Burial of Michael IV at Kosmidion. Michael IV was tonsured immediately after his triumph and died as a monk. He was buried at Kosmidion, in a rounded white-marble tomb, to be replaced by Michael V