he had claimed the inheritance, at the same time also securing his own safety, so that he might not suffer any of the terrible things such as the many that had been plotted against him, departing from the great city he goes away to Adrianople; and finding the military assembly there for the most part hostile to the reign of Botaneiates, but siding with him and choosing him as emperor, since they had accomplished many deeds of valor under him as general, and together compelling him, even unwilling, to the proclamation, he accepts their counsel and claims the inheritance of his uncle to which he had been entitled. And ostensibly he brings the scepters to himself, but not so as to deprive the porphyrogennetos of them, who had now reached a sufficient and worthy state. For how could it be, he who had not previously ceased moving every rope to install this one on his brother's throne? For this reason he immediately brings his own daughter and joins her to the porphyrogennetos and approves of his co-reigning with him and co-managing the affairs of the empire and moreover he shares with him the customary acclamation and proclamation and the red signature in documents, thereby betrothing the scepters to him and planning completely, when the time called for it, to raise him to the throne of the empire, whenever he might be able to attract the good inclination of the multitude toward him and to remove the former wrath. And what was being planned would perhaps have come to pass, had not a severe illness first befallen the porphyrogennetos, not permitting him to embark on such a rule, and after not long snatched him away from things here. p.9 But also when the emperor Alexios Komnenos, having recently come to be, was entering the great city, he did not find Botaneiates opposing him in the matter and arrayed against him, but he too, yielding to the right which on account of kinship was fitting for Komnenos in regard to the empire, without a fight lays aside the rule, not wishing to take up arms for it and to fight back, when his conscience from within was warring against him and striking him from both sides, both from his own estrangement from the empire and from the legitimacy of Alexios Komnenos in regard to it. For thus and in no other way does Komnenos claim the imperial rule, that is, by the right of legitimacy by blood to the Komnenian family and of closeness by marriage to the Doukas family; for having taken his life's partner from the Doukai, he joined both families into one harmony and grafted them into one plant, at the same time making it more venerable for excelling in antiquity, as they say. For this reason also all, revering both the Komnenian and the Doukian ancient lineage and the one who was thereby more entitled to the empire than any other, namely Alexios Komnenos, gladly chose to be ruled by him. For if someone should wish to go back up the stream, as it were, he will find the family of the Doukai springing forth as if from the very tribe of Constantine the Great, inasmuch as that first Doukas, being one of those who departed from the elder Rome with Constantine the Great and moved to the newer one, was most legitimately related by blood to Constantine the Great; for he was his cousin and was entrusted by him with the dignity of the doux of Constantinople, and from this all those named Doukas were named after him. p.10 Thus, then, the emperor Alexios, having claimed the empire and been honored by it, and no less having honored it himself, with the many and great deeds he wrought, filling the eastern and western domains with trophies, as the facts themselves declare, at the very departure from life passes on the scepters to his own son John, as the one rightfully preferred for rule on both accounts, from the Komnenian tribe, that is, which was thus allotted the empire as has been previously stated, and from the Doukian royal root, from which his mother also sprang as a noble fruit. For who after the

ἀντεισῆκται κληρονομίαν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἑαυτῷ τὸ ἀσφαλὲς περιποιούμενος, ἵνα μή τι δεινῶν πάθῃ ὁποῖα πολλὰ κατ' αὐτοῦ προβεβούλευτο, τῆς μεγαλοπόλεως ἀπάρας εἰς Ἀδριανούπολιν ἄπεισι· καὶ τὸ ἐκεῖσε στρα τιωτικὸν ἄθροισμα εὑρὼν τῇ μὲν τοῦ Βοτανειάτου βασιλείᾳ ὡς τὰ πολλὰ ἀπεχθανόμενον, αὐτῷ δὲ προστιθέμενον καὶ εἰς βασιλέα τοῦτον αἱρούμενον, ἅτε καὶ ὑπ' αὐτῷ στρατάρχῃ πολλὰς ἀνδραγαθίας διαπραξάμενον, καὶ ὁμοῦ καὶ ἄκοντα τοῦτον πρὸς ἀνάρρησιν βιαζόμενον, δέχεται τὴν τούτων βουλὴν καὶ ἀνακαλεῖται τὴν κληρονομίαν τοῦ θείου αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ᾗ δεδικαίωτο. Καὶ δῆθεν μὲν εἰς ἑαυτὸν περιάγει τὰ σκῆπτρα, πλὴν οὐχ ὥστε τὸν πορφυρογέννητον ἀποστερῆσαι τούτων ἱκανῆς ἤδη καὶ ἀξιόχρεω γενόμενον καταστάσεως. Πῶς γάρ, ὃς καὶ πρότερον οὐκ ἀνῆκε πάντα κάλων κινῶν ὥστε τῷ ἀδελφοῦ θρόνῳ τοῦτον ἐγκαθιδρῦσαι; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ εὐθὺς τὴν ἰδίαν θυγατέρα τῷ πορφυρογεννήτῳ φέρων συνάπτει καὶ συμβασιλεύειν αὐτῷ καὶ συνοικονομεῖν τὰ τῆς βασιλείας ἐπευδοκεῖ καὶ μὴν καὶ τῆς συνήθους εὐφημίας καὶ ἀναρρήσεως αὐτῷ κοινωνεῖ καὶ τῆς ἐν γράμμασιν ἐρυθρᾶς ὑποσημασίας, προμνηστευόμενος ἐντεῦθεν αὐτῷ τὰ σκῆπτρα καὶ σκοπῶν τέλεον, καιροῦ καλοῦντος, ἀναγαγεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν τῆς βασιλείας θρόνον, ὁπηνίκα καὶ τὴν τοῦ πολλοῦ πλήθους δυνηθείη περὶ αὐτὸν ἀγαθὴν ῥοπὴν ἐπισπάσασθαι καὶ τὴν προτέραν μῆνιν περιελεῖν. Καὶ τάχ' ἂν εἰς ἔργον ἐκβέβηκε τὸ οἰκονομούμενον, εἰ μὴ βαρεῖα νόσος πρότερον τῷ πορφυρογεννήτῳ εἰσφρήσασα, μὴ συγχωροῦσα τούτῳ τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπιβῆναι ἀρχῆς, μετ' οὐ πολὺ τῶν ἐνταῦθα προήρπασεν. p.9 Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁπηνίκα ὁ Κομνηνὸς Ἀλέξιος βασιλεὺς ἄρτι γεγονὼς ἐπέβαινε τῆς μεγαλοπόλεως, οὐδὲ τὸν Βοτανειάτην εὕρισκεν ἐπὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα αὐτῷ ἀντιπίπτοντα καὶ ἀντιπαραταττόμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος τῷ δικαίῳ ὑπεξιστάμενος ὅπερ ἐκ συγγενείας εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ Κομνηνῷ προσαρμόττον ἦν, ἀφιλονείκως τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀποτίθεται, οὐχ ὅπλα αἴρειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ἐθέλων καὶ ἀντιπολεμεῖν, ὅπου τὸ συνειδὸς ἀφ' ἑστίας εἶχεν αὐτὸν καταπολεμοῦν καὶ ἀμφοτέρωθεν πλῆττον, ἔκ τε τῆς περὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἀλλοτριότητος ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῆς τοῦ Κομνηνοῦ Ἀλεξίου περὶ ταύτην γνησιότητος. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ Κομνηνὸς καὶ οὐχ ἕτερον τρόπον τὴν βασίλειον ἀνακαλεῖται ἀρχήν, δικαίῳ τε δηλαδὴ τῆς πρὸς τὸ Κομνηνικὸν γένος ἐξ αἵματος γνησιότητος καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὸ ∆ουκικὸν ἐξ ἀγχιστείας ἐγγύτητος· ἐκ ∆ουκῶν γὰρ ἁρμοσάμενος τοῦ βίου τὴν κοινωνόν, εἰς μίαν συμφωνίαν ἄμφω τὰ γένη συνῆψε καὶ εἰς ἓν φυτὸν συνεδένδρωσεν, ἅμα δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ ἀρχαιότητι διαφέρειν αἰδεσιμώτερον, ὥς φασι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πάντες τήν τε Κομνηνικὴν ἀρχαιογονίαν καὶ ∆ουκικὴν αἰδούμενοι καὶ τὸν ἐντεῦθεν ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν μᾶλλον ἑτέρου τινὸς δικαιούμενον, τὸν Κομνηνὸν δηλονότι Ἀλέξιον, ἀσμένως ὑπ' ἐκείνου βασιλεύεσθαι εἵλοντο. Εἰ γάρ τις ἀνὰ ῥοῦν ὥσπερ ἀναδραμεῖν βούλοιτο, εὑρήσει τὸ τῶν ∆ουκῶν γένος ὥσπερ ἐκ πρώτης ἀναβλύσαν τῆς τοῦ μεγάλου Κωνσταντίνου φυλῆς, καθότι καὶ ὁ πρῶτος ∆ούκας ἐκεῖνος, εἷς ὢν τῶν μετὰ τοῦ μεγάλου Κωνσταντίνου τῆς πρεσβυτέρας Ῥώμης ἀπαναστάντων καὶ πρὸς τὴν νεωτέραν μετοι κησάντων, καθ' αἷμα τῷ μεγάλῳ Κωνσταντίνῳ καὶ γνησιώτατα προσωκείωτο· ἐκείνου τε γὰρ ἐξάδελφος ἦν καὶ τὴν τοῦ δουκὸς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἀξίαν παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐγκεχείριστο, κἀντεῦθεν καὶ πάντες ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατωνομάσθησαν οἱ ∆ουκώνυμοι. p.10 Οὕτως οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀλέξιος τὴν βασιλείαν ἀνακαλεσάμενος καὶ ὑπ' αὐτῆς τιμηθείς, οὐχ ἧττον δὲ καὶ ταύτην τιμήσας, οἷς ἄρα πολλοῖς καὶ μεγάλοις ἔργοις εἰργάσατο τροπαίων πληρώσας ἑῴαν λῆξιν καὶ ἑσπερίαν, καθὼς αὐτὰ δηλοῦσι τὰ πράγματα, πρὸς αὐτῇ τῆς ζωῆς ἐκδημίᾳ παραπέμπει τὰ σκῆπτρα πρὸς τὸν οἰκεῖον υἱὸν Ἰωάννην, ὡς ἐξ ἀμφοῖν δίκαιον πρὸς τὸ κρατεῖν προτιμώμενον, ἀπό τε τῆς Κομνηνικῆς φυλῆς δηλονότι οὕτω πρὸς τὴν βασιλείαν κληρωθείσης ὡς προδιείληπται καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ∆ουκικοῦ βασιλείου ῥιζώματος, οὗ καὶ ἡ τούτου μήτηρ ἐξέφυ καρπὸς εὐγενής. Καὶ τίς γὰρ μετὰ τὸν