Certainty: 3 Romanos (III) married Zoe. Zoe was married to Romanos III by the patriarch Alexios I. In this way Konstantinos made Romanos his heir
Certainty: 3 Konstantinos VIII, suddenly ill, chose Konstantinos Dalassenos as son-in-law & successor. The Emperor Konstantinos VIII fell suddenly ill and at last pondered on the succession. He sent the eunuch Ergodotes to summon Konstantinos Dalassenos, the eparchos and prominent senator, from his residence in Armeniakon, in order to marry one of his daughters (probably Zoe) and be proclaimed emperor. However, Dalassenos had already married while still a boy, and this meant that he was not entirely suitable for Konstantinos' scheme. Symeon the droungarios had other ideas
Certainty: 3 Konstantinos VIII turned to Romanos Argyros as successor: his wife became a nun. Symeon the droungarios, ignoring the dying emperor Konstantinos VIII's wishes, arranged to have a messenger sent supposedly on the emperor's behalf to ask Konstantinos Dalassenos to wait in Armeniakon, and had Romanos III brought to the palace instead. He was of noble blood and had risen to the office of eparchos. The emperor's mind was changed, and he planned how to deal with the fact that Romanos too already had a wife. He gained the agreement of the patriarch Alexios for his plan to compel a divorce. Konstantinos summoned Helena, Romanos' wife, feigned violent anger, and announced that he would have her husband blinded unless she took the monastic habit in a nunnery whose annual revenue he would grant her. She agreed to this, and he ordered it to be carried out. She was tonsured and withdrew to a nunnery, thus saving her husband's eyes and procuring him the throne.
Certainty: 2 Theodora (I) refused to marry Romanos (III), because he was related to her or because he already had a wife. Theodora, Konstantinos VIII's youngest daughter, was said to have refused to marry Romanos Argyros to give him the succession, either because they were related or because his wife Helena was still alive, divorced and tonsured against her will
Certainty: 2 Konstantinos VIII as he died handed to Kyriakos a document for Bagratids on heritability of their rule. As he fell sick from the illness which would kill him, Konstantinos VIII asked for an envoy from Armenia to be brought to him. Kyriakos came when the emperor was on his death-bed. He was given a letter to take to the king of Armenia, together with a message. This diplomatic initiative was to play a major role in the Byzantine conquest of Armenia, by limiting the heritability of Bagratid rule
Certainty: 3 Death of Konstantinos VIII; promotion to kaisar & accession of Romanos III. As Konstantinos VIII was dying, Romanos III was taken to the palace for promotion to kaisar and an imperial marriage-alliance. Some sources date the succession to November 11-12
Certainty: 3 Romanos (III) married Zoe. Romanos (III) was married to Zoe (I) just before the death of her father Konstantinos VIII, once ecclesiastical objections had been overcome. In this way, Konstantinos made Romanos the heir to his throne. The marriage has usually been dated to November 12
Certainty: 1 Romanos III before accession was promoted eparchos of the city & oikonomos of Hagia Sophia.
Certainty: 3 Konstantinos VIII buried in the tomb in the Church of the Holy Apostles made for Basileios II.
Certainty: 3 Death of Konstantinos VIII; accession of Romanos III. Konstantinos VIII died, and his son-in-law Romanos III became emperor in his place. Romanos and Zoe reigned for five years and six months. The succession is usually dated to the period November 14-15