Certainty: 2 Psellos wrote an encomium some time after the death of Nikolaos, founder of the monastery of Horaia Pege. Nikolaos, founder and later kathegoumenos of the monastery of Horaia Pege on Mt Olympos, had died a little before Psellos arrived there as a monk. Psellos wrote a funeral encomium of Nikolaos, with several indications of performance before the monks in the church of the monastery. [Several demonstratives and first person verbs in connection with the monastery situate the writing and performance of the encomium during the time of his residence there, when he worshipped in the church and saw its icons daily]
Certainty: 2 Theodora confiscated goods of supporters of Proteuon & banished them, promoting her eunuchs. The ministers of the late Konstantinos IX who had supported Nikephoros Proteuon were tracked down, deprived of their properties and banished: they were Basileios epi tou kanikleiou, Konstantinos protonotarios of the dromos and Ioannes logothetes. Theodora promoted her own eunuchs in their place. Isaakios the future emperor was probably now replaced in the command of the army by Theodoros the domestikos of the scholai
Certainty: 2 Theodora released remaining sons of Abel from exile & imprisonment.
Certainty: 2 Theodora entrusted state affairs to the safe hands of Leon Paraspondylos. Theodora took the reins of power and did not wish to marry or to share her rule with any man. She ran the empire herself for a while through the palace eunuchs. But then she changed her mind and entrusted her government to a member of the clergy, Leon Paraspondylos, who had been prominent in previous reigns but disregarded by Konstantinos IX. Leon established good order and justice, acting fairly and according to the law, and there was peace among both the empire's subjects and its neighbours. However the majority thought him intolerable since (Psellos said) he lacked the political temperament
Certainty: 2 Konstantinos IX's Alan mistress returned to the status of hostage. Konstantinos IX's Alan mistress, wooed too by Romanos Boilas, had no good fortune after the emperor's death; she returned to her former status as hostage
Certainty: 2 Psellos became the confidant of Theodora - as far as the envy of others would permit. Even when Konstantinos IX was alive, if Theodora wished to write a secret letter or do something confidential, she would discuss it with Psellos. On becoming empress she immediately summoned Psellos, tragically articulated her sufferings under Konstantinos, confided secret plans, urged him to visit her often and to tell her everything he knew. When Psellos complied, it aroused jealousy. Rivals told tales against him, finding fault with his monastic status and solitary life. Psellos realized this and visited her less often, so that she reproached him for slowness and accused him of scorning her orders. [It is hard to reconcile this report with the fact that Psellos spent much of the relevant time in a monastery on Mt. Olympos. This evidence may been used, with much else, to suggest that Psellos exaggerated his contact with the emperors under whom he lived.]
Certainty: 2 Theodora neither looked for a husband as emperor, nor gave donations, as would a new ruler. When Konstantinos IX died, power passed to Theodora. Everyone assumed she would entrust it to some noble leader, she unexpectedly took the imperial Roman rule upon herself. The situation needed a man knowledgeable in politics and precise in imperial letters, but she knew that her choice would soon be ousted through the envy of his peers. She assumed the role of a man quite freely, needing no concealment. She chose officials, dispensed haughty justice from the throne, voted and arbitrated, and passed decrees sometimes by letter and sometimes on the spot, now quietly, now brusquely. She would preside on the tribunal, conduct business with ambassadors, elect magistrates, and even speak of legal matters. The empire prospered under her. No one raised a hand against her, her subjects did not scorn her decisions, nor did any nation attack the Romans then. Even the weather was mild and the earth bore fruits unstintingly. She broke the tradition of giving favours at her succession while persuading people she had not done so. It was said that she had received the empire from her father before, had it seized from her by outside powers, but had now again achieved her natural right
Certainty: 3 Argyros with archbishop Nikolaos reached Constantinople. Argyros left the scinuri (?) in Bari and set off with Nikolaos, archbishop of Bari, reaching Constantinople in June
Certainty: 2 Bryennios returned from his Turkish campaign & was banished by Theodora. Bryennios the ethnarches, when informed of Konstantinos IX's death, came to Chrysopolis with his Macedonian forces. The empress Theodora accused him of retreating in a disorderly fashion, and he had his properties confiscated and was banished
Certainty: 2 Theodora greatly honoured an unnamed legal expert (over office of nomophylax?). An unnamed legal expert had made great improvements in the laws and outshone all his colleagues. Now he was promoted by Theodora to control in the legal sphere (as nomophylax?)
Certainty: 2 Psellos wrote 4 short speeches in praise of Bithynian Olympos. Psellos composed four short speeches praising Mount Olympus (in Bithynia), particularly its natural beauty. They were probably written while in residence at one of its monasteries
Certainty: 2 Psellos returned from Olympos & decided to break the engagement of his adopted daughter. Psellos' worries over his adopted daughter troubled him whilst preparing for withdrawal to Olympos and during his time there. They recurred as soon as he returned, finding her fiance Elpidios depraved and showing clearly that he disliked her. Psellos finally decided not to proceed with the marriage. He petitioned Theodora that the dignities conferred on Elpidios be cancelled, apart from the greatest (the position of patrikios), which he would keep in reserve for use in another betrothal. Theodora received the petition sympathetically, knowing the story, and issued a binding decree that Elpidios be demoted: other details were to be settled in court
Certainty: 2 Death of Leo, archbishop of Bulgaria: replaced by Theodoulos. After the death of Leon of Ohrid, archbishop of Bulgaria, Theodora appointed Theodoulos to succeed him
Certainty: 2 Psellos & Anastasios Lizix sought an interview with Leon Paraspondylos to solve their problems. Psellos wrote to Leontios the patrikios over advice sent him from Leontios via Anastasios Lizix about writing to Leon Paraspondylos. Psellos did write, and Lizix was sent back to Leontios with a model follow-up letter for him to dispatch to Leon. Psellos said he had written to Leon in a middle style, which he knew would succeed, though not at first: Leon had charmed Theodora (?) and her circle, but Psellos had no time for rejoicing (?). The letter Psellos sent has also survived. It flattered Leon, claiming the same relation to him as Leon had to God; it recalled past friendship, asked Leon to decide between the earthly and the heavenly, and requested a personal interview for himself and Lizix, at which their problems would be solved
Certainty: 2 Psellos wrote to Keroularios, complaining of a lack of consistency in the patriarch's dealing with him. Psellos wrote to Michael Keroularios as his long-term supporter, but complaining of the patriarchs serious inconsistency in return. He spoke of a slanderous demon besieging him everywhere, more fiercely because he was innocent. Successful rebuttal did not stop it shamelessly attacking again in different forms, though with no success. At the last crisis, he was unable to approach Keroularios. Psellos was attacked as a slanderer and his friendly gestures rejected. Then contacts were restored, and he felt happy and victorious. Calm soon changed to another, worse storm of slander, of which Psellos said nothing to the empress Theodora, who was ready to listen. Again he storm abated, Keroularios embraced him and killed the fatted calf, in a dramatic reversal - perhaps through remorse. Keroularios' new attitudes were widely known, to the advantage of both. Psellos, naïvely attracted to all Keroularios' gifts and attributes, was badly wounded by him; he who had always addressed Psellos in Attic, suddenly lowered his language level. Suspicion was cast on Psellos rise to power, his philosophical chair, his regular imperial access. He gave up as Keroularios circled and stabbed him from the side. Psellos' writings, freely handed over, were read for unintended meanings. His philosophy was disregarded, his motives impugned, his pledges ignored; neither his declaration of faith nor anything else stopped Keroularios repeating the same charges. He wondered what Keroularios would reply; Psellos promised love and an encomium to answer any future inconsistency. Keroularios was welcome to show this letter to others, to test opposing views
Certainty: 2 A monk from St Saba in a poem suggested that Psellos had failed to stay a year on Olympos because of lack of females. A monk from St Saba wrote an epigram with 2 (or 4) lines against Psellos, suggesting that his failure to spend a year on Olympos was due to the absence of females (father Zeus needed his goddesses). Psellos would later reply at length
Certainty: 3 The Parthenon inscriptions record the death on July 26 of Theodoros, monk & skeuophylax.
Certainty: 2 Theodora investigated the heresies of the Chiot monks: they were exiled, but soon returned. As Keroularios took no action over the Chiot monks Ioannes and Niketas, the founders of Nea Mone, Theodora set up a mixed court under Leon Paraspondylos with many ecclesiatical members to investigate them. After careful consideration the court decided that their doctrines were heretical and condemned them to exile and confiscation of the monastery. Keroularios was later to be accused for not attending the court, disregarding its results and overturning the verdict as soon as he could
Certainty: 2 Diplomacy between Tughril Beg & Theodora. Tughrul Beg, the Seljuk sultan, sent an embassy to Theodora with a letter demanding either the surrender of territories seized from the Muslims earlier by her predecessors, or the payment of a large daily tribute. Theodora sent back white horses and mules, many precious gifts and purple garments, which he gladly accepted while detaining the envoy. He left with him for Babylon (Baghdad). When she later sent more gifts, he stopped his attacks on Byzantium, but started a campaign against Babylon and its region instead
Certainty: 2 Psellos gave Leon Paraspondylos inordinate praise, but received a trivial job-offer in return. Leon Paraspondylos sent Psellos a short letter with a long fish; Psellos was so thirsty for the letter that he swallowed it and its source together, complaining that Leon should not be so annoying, but provide a shorter fish, a longer letter, and help for the letter-carrier. Leon was praised in another letter as a demigod but accused of pretending to have only earthly interests to conceal this status, hiding profound sympathy by pretending to be unmoved, and suddenly dropping his language level. Psellos was not fooled. He wrote an epigram in the same vein. Psellos wrote a characterisation (rather than an encomium), picturing Leon as a heroic and inflexible ideal. He commented elsewhere that he admired the strict standard of a mind like Leon's, but considered it suited to eternities, not earthly time, to the future life, not the present one. He pointed out that Leon was more relaxed in private life. Another letter spoke of the links that bound them and their equality, and requested a respectable office [almost a job-application]. Psellos had delivered a letter to Michael Keroularios, leading to praise of Leon from them both. (The application brought only a trivial offer). Finally he wrote to complain that communication with Leon had become impossible, speculating that he now spoke some language unintelligible to mortals, since Psellos' letters and attempts to provoke a response from him had failed
Certainty: 2 Psellos wrote Oratio Panegyrica 11 & Oratoria Minora 1 for Theodora. Psellos wrote an encomium of Theodora, speaking of an unspecified great evil from which the capital had been spared by God's grace (the plague?). She was praised for promoting an unnamed legal expert to power over the laws. She was also praised for many virtues, especially her virginity. Another speech was a lenten silention in praise of fasting, written in Theodora's persona
Certainty: 1 Psellos wrote to Ioannes, notarios of the dromos, praising the Atticism of a work on the Trinity sent to him on Olympos. Psellos praised the Atticism of his old friend Ioannes, notarios of the dromos, much better than his own. The text on the Trinity Ioannes sent to Psellos on Olympos was a success, both for the monks and the author, for whom they would pray. Psellos in turn addressed Ioannes' topics clearly but orally, via the letter-carrier
Certainty: 1 Psellos wrote letters of support for three persons to Zomas, krites of Opsikion. Psellos wrote to Zomas about a notarios, accepting the need for exemplary punishment, but not of the innocent. If the man remained in disfavour, Psellos would assume that justice demanded it. The krites should use him or send him back as he wished. In a second letter Psellos spoke of another friend of his, an elderly man who had had little benefit in the capital from his friendship, since Psellos had lost favour with the palace. Zomas was asked for a sympathetic hearing of his misfortunes - which he would give freely in any case. The third letter concerned a relative, whom he had praised to Zomas orally in the capital and by letter. The man had a character like his own, though he was less lucky than Psellos, who shared with his family all his resources, including the krites and other friends. Zomas was asked to be part of a support network for him and other members of Psellos' family
Certainty: 1 Psellos wrote to Konstantinos, nephew of Keroularios, about alleged injustice to a kinsman. Psellos compared the painted image of Konstantinos, nephew of Keroularios with the reality and with a word-picture, carefully (but obscurely) defining the terms of the comparison. In another letter he praised Konstantinos as impartial - but why should Symeon, notarios of the eidikon, defeat his brother, just because of his name and office? Why should an innocent man, Psellos' kinsman, perish with the guilty, with Konstantinos' agreement? Symeon must be stopped and justice done
Certainty: 1 Psellos had been lucky enough to meet the famous Romanos, metropolitan of Kyzikos. Psellos wrote to Romanos, metropolitan of Kyzikos, relating how the two had met. Romanos had long been famous, but Psellos did not know how to make his acquaintance. Romanos, rushing one day to teach, passed the church of the Anargyroi, where Psellos spoke to him and became a good friend. The gifts Psellos sent were small but well meant
Certainty: 1 Psellos said he needed to see again an archmandrite whom he had met on Olympos. Psellos wrote to an archimandrite from Olympos about a need to visit him. Psellos no longer preferred mental to bodily contact; he often failed in mental visits to the archimandrite because he needed to enjoy him with his senses, even taking over his qualities - energy, freedom from sin and condemnation. He must see him again
Certainty: 1 Psellos complained in two letters to Psephas that his only job offer was a place in the school (?) of papa-Sabinos. Psellos asked the magistros Psephas why he sought news directly from him. He could hear it from the wonderful Theodora, or from the philosopher Leon Paraspondylos, who had dashed the hopes Psellos felt when he took over the palace. Despite the philosophical interests he shared with Leon and the humiliating requests he was forced to make, he had only been offered the 3-month (school?) of Papa-Sabinos. He would have to go to his estate at Agros, which was undeveloped. Psephas was to describe his situation to Leon and beg for something better. A second letter also spoke of the contrast between his qualifications and the post offered. Psephas would receive more texts from Psellos than he gave; how much would Psephas pay for Psellos as a slave? how many like him existed in the capital? He was favoured by Theodora: why was he only offered the petty (school?) of Sabinos?
Certainty: 0 Keroularios would be accused of destroying a church of St Andreas, deserving a charge of sacrilege. Keroularios was later accused of destroying a church of St Andreas in the centre of Constantinople for no apparent reason, allowing the area to be desecrated by animals. He left the tombstones and bodies of the dead open to view and scattered around the area. The accusation was used to support a charge of sacrilege
Certainty: 0 Cadaster of Thebes: list of those probably belonging to the generation (& assessment) before that of the document. Nearly ninety landowners are recorded in the cadaster in ways which suggest that they belonged to the generation before that of the surviving document. This suggests that they had been included in the previous version of the cadastral document, to be dated (very approximately) in 1055
Certainty: 0 Death of Michael Attaleiates' first wife, Sophia, made him plan charitable work. Michael Attaleiates on reaching adulthood lived for a time as a bachelor, then married his first wife, Sophia. After a few years of marriage, she died in her prime, bequeathing all her possessions to the poor apart from a small house for her husband, a choice he approved. She probably died in this decade. He was the co-executor (with her mother) of his wife's will, and added another estate to her charitable bequest. He purchased back some of her properties at great cost, with the price regulated by the nomophylax (on imperial authority). He no longer owned property in the town of his birth, as he had distributed it to his sisters. But at the same time, despite his distant origins, he was becoming a prominent member of society, a senator and an illustrious civic judge rewarded with public honours. However he failed to express his gratitude to God who granted him so many blessings. He began to think of his own charitable foundation
Certainty: 2 Dispute between Theodora & Michael Keroularios over female rule of Empire. Although Theodora was friendly and respectful to Keroularios before she came to power, once securely installed as empress she became hostile and turned away from him. She changed her view because he could not tolerate Roman affairs being ruled by a woman, but was filled with anger at such things and spoke the truth frankly. She would perhaps have deposed him had she lived longer. Psellos too was amazed when Theodora appointed bishops, since he knew that she was very reverent in divine affairs, but love of imperial power persuaded even her to break the law. She had no wish to seat any man at all on the imperial throne, but she herself by ruling over everything was allotted undivided power. She was strengthened in this resolve by her retinue and household. Most people probably thought it improper for a woman to rule, but there were no revolts and the empire prospered