A Pecheneg leader Kegen found that the supreme leader Tyrach planned to kill him, making several unsuccessful attempts, as he realised that Kegen's military success was more popular than his own high birth. So Kegen won the backing of two tribes (Belemarnis and Pagoumanis) and rebelled. However he was vanquished by Tyrach and his eleven tribes. Kegen wandered in the marshes, decided to defect to the emperor, reached Dristra and retreated to a river island with his 20,000 supporters. He sent messages to the local governor Michael, informing him of his wish to defect and promising to be very useful. He was received by the governor, who provided everything necessary, and reached Constantinople. He was received kindly by Konstantinos IX, he promised to accept baptism and to persuade his people to follow him; he was made patrikios, with three forts on the banks of the Danube and much land, and became an ally of the Romans. He kept his promise and was baptized along with his people by Euthymios, a monk sent to perform the rite by the Danube