19

Euthymios the syncellus is ordained patriarch in his place, whom they say accepted this through a divine revelation as the emperor was planning a heresy and to establish a law for marriage to occur up to three times for men, and four for women. So the emperor [Leo] crowns his son Constantine. And having fallen ill with a stomach disease, he dies, having appointed Alexander his brother, having begged him many times to protect his son Constantine. Alexander therefore reigned for 1 year and 29 days with Constantine, son of Leo; who, struck by a god-sent sword, with much blood pouring out of both his nostrils and his genitals, died miserably after two days, leaving the empire to Constantine son of Leo, and leaving regents for him. And Constantine, the first Porphyrogennetos, when his father Leo died was still a boy (for it was the seventh year of his life), was left in the 57 empire under his uncle Alexander, being under regents. He therefore reigned with his mother Zoe Karbonopsina for 7 years, and with Romanos his father-in-law, being in subjection, for 25 years, as sole ruler for 40 years, so that the total of his reign was 65 years. Who, having caught his own mother plotting against Romanos with poisoned foods, brings her down from the palace, and honors Romanos Lekapenos, also called Abastaktos, with the dignity of Caesar, then also crowns him with the diadem of the empire; who, after not long, having learned that the emperor Constantine was preparing a plot against him through certain people, and seizing the pretext, he demotes him and makes him second, and brings himself to the forefront, and after this he also installs his son Theophylaktos on the patriarchal throne. During his reign the holy image of Christ was also brought from Edessa to Constantinople. But later the sons of this emperor Romanos brought him down from the palace and exiled him to the island of Prote, where he also dies. Whom in turn Constantine his son-in-law, considering that they might also do the same things against him, had them seized and brought down from the palace and, confining them to the nearby islands, tonsured them as clerics, having reigned with them for 43 days. Constantine, the son of Leo, the first Porphyrogennetos, having removed the treacherous plots from their midst, and alone girding himself with the imperial power for a second time, at the divine Easter also places the diadem on his son Romanos, with Theophylaktos the patriarch performing the prayers. And he also castrated Romanos 58 son of Stephen, and also Basil who was born to the elder Romanos from a Bulgarian slave-woman, and he tonsured Michael the son of emperor Christopher as a cleric. And Theophylaktos the patriarch, being 13 years old when he was ordained a deacon, and 10 when he was elevated to the patriarchal throne, having served as high priest badly and unworthily for 23 years and 25 days, departed this life; and in his place the monk Polyeuktos is put forward. During his reign the precious hand of the Forerunner and the relic of Saint Gregory the Theologian were brought from Antioch. Therefore this emperor Constantine, having ruled as sole monarch, as we said, for 15 years, fell ill and died. And after Constantine, Romanos his son reigned, the one called "the boy," who fell ill and died being 24 years old, having reigned for 3 years, 4 months, and 5 days. And after Romanos, Basil and Constantine his sons succeeded to the empire with Theophano their mother, reigning for 5 months with Joseph Bringas who was then chief minister. And after them Nikephoros Phokas reigns, having been crowned by Polyeuktos the patriarch. Then he also takes Theophano as his lawful wife. Who also brought into the city a certain part of the garment of John the Baptist, which he found in Beroia. And he brought also the tile having the impression not made by hands of the form of Christ our God, which he found in

19

χειροτονεῖται ἀντ' αὐτοῦ πατριάρχης Εὐθύμιος σύγκελλος, ὅν φασιν ἐκ θείας ἀποκαλύψεως τοῦτο δέξασθαι ὡς τοῦ βασιλέως βουλευομένου αἵρεσιν καὶ νόμον θεῖναι τοῦ μέχρι τριῶν μὲν ἀνδρῶν τεσσάρων δὲ γυναικῶν τὸν γάμον γίνεσθαι. στέφει οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς [Λέοντα] τὸν υἱὸν αὑτοῦ Κωνσταντῖνον. κοιλιακῷ δὲ νοσήματι περιπεσὼν τελευτᾷ προχειρισάμενος Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν αὑτοῦ ἀδελφόν, πολλὰ δεηθεὶς αὐτοῦ φυλάττειν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Κωνσταντῖνον. Ἀλέξανδρος οὖν ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτος αʹ καὶ ἡμέρας κθʹ σὺν Κωνσταντίνῳ υἱῷ Λέοντος· ὃς ῥομφαίᾳ θεηλάτῳ πληγεὶς αἵματος πολλοῦ ἔκ τε τῶν ῥινῶν καὶ τῶν αἰδοίων ἐκφερομένου μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας κακῶς ἐτελεύτησεν, ἐάσας τὴν βασιλείαν Κωνσταντίνῳ υἱῷ Λέοντος, καὶ ἐπιτρόπους αὐτῷ καταλιπών. Κωνσταντῖνος δὲ ὁ πρῶτος πορφυρογέννητος, τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ τελευτήσαντος Λέοντος παῖς ἔτι τυγχάνων (ἕβδομον γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ τῆς ἡλικίας ἔτος) ὑπὸ Ἀλέξανδρον θεῖον αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ 57 βασιλείᾳ καταλέλειπτο, ὑπὸ ἐπιτρόπους τελῶν. ἐβασίλευσεν οὖν σὺν τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ Ζωῇ τῇ Καρβωνοψίνᾳ ἔτη ζʹ, ἅμα δὲ Ῥωμανῷ πενθερῷ αὐτοῦ, ὢν ἐν ὑποταγῇ, ἔτη κεʹ, μονοκράτωρ ἔτη μʹ, ὡς εἶναι τὰ πάντα τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ ἔτη ξεʹ. ὃς τὴν οἰκείαν μητέρα ὡς ἐπιβουλεύουσαν Ῥωμανῷ διὰ πεφαρμαγμένων βρωμάτων φωράσας, ταύτην μὲν τοῦ παλατίου καταβιβάζει, Ῥωμανὸν δὲ τὸν Λεκαπηνὸν τὸν καὶ Ἀβάστακτον τῇ τοῦ Καίσαρος ἀξίᾳ τιμᾷ, εἶτα καὶ τῷ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτὸν στέφει διαδήματι· ὃς μετ' οὐ πολὺ τὸν βασιλέα Κωνσταντῖνον διά τινων ἐπιβουλὴν αὐτῷ κατασκευάζοντα μαθὼν καὶ προφάσεως λαβόμενος αὐτὸν μὲν ὑποβιβάζει καὶ δεύτερον καθιστᾷ, ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἄγει εἰς τὸ ἔμπροσθεν, μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὑτοῦ Θεοφύλακτον τῷ πατριαρχικῷ θρόνῳ ἐγκαθιδρύει. ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας καὶ τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἅγιον ἐκμαγεῖον ἐξ Ἐδέσης ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει ἀνεκομίσθη. ἀλλ' ὕστερον τὸν βασιλέα Ῥωμανὸν οἱ τούτου παῖδες τοῦ παλατίου καταγαγόντες ἐν τῇ Πρώτῃ νήσῳ ἐξώρισαν, ἔνθα καὶ τελευτᾷ. οὓς πάλιν ὁ τούτου γαμβρὸς Κωνσταντῖνος, μήπως καὶ κατ' αὐτοῦ τὰ ὅμοια διαπράξωνται λογισάμενος, ἀναρπάστους τοῦ παλατίου καταγαγὼν καὶ ἐν ταῖς πλησιαζούσαις νήσοις περιορίσας κληρικοὺς ἀπέκειρεν, σὺν αὐτοῖς βασιλεύσας ἡμέρας μγʹ. Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ τοῦ Λέοντος υἱὸς ὁ πρῶτος πορφυρογέννητος τὰ ὕπουλα ἐκ μέσου περιελών, καὶ μόνος τὴν αὐτοκράτορα περιζωσάμενος ἀρχὴν τὸ δεύτερον, κατὰ τὸ θεῖον πάσχα καὶ τῷ υἱῷ Ῥωμανῷ περιτίθησι διάδημα, Θεοφυλάκτου τοῦ πατριάρχου τὰς εὐχὰς τελέσαντος. εὐνούχισε δὲ καὶ Ῥωμανὸν 58 τὸν τοῦ Στεφάνου υἱόν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ Βασίλειον τὸν ἐκ δούλης Βουλγάρας ἀποτεχθέντα Ῥωμανῷ τῷ γέροντι, Μιχαὴλ δὲ τὸν υἱὸν Χριστοφόρου τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπέκειρε κληρικόν. Θεοφύλακτος δὲ ὁ πατριάρχης ιγʹ μὲν ἐτῶν ὢν ὅτε διάκονος ἐχειροτονήθη, ιʹ δὲ ὅτε εἰς τὸν πατριαρχικὸν ἀνεβιβάσθη θρόνον, ἐπ' ἔτη κγʹ καὶ ἡμέρας κεʹ κακῶς καὶ ἀναξίως ἀρχιερατεύσας τὸν βίον κατέλιπεν· ἀντ' αὐτοῦ δὲ προβάλλεται ὁ μοναχὸς Πολύευκτος. ἐπὶ τῆς τούτου βασιλείας ἤχθη ἐξ Ἀντιοχείας καὶ ἡ τιμία χεὶρ τοῦ προδρόμου καὶ τὸ λείψανον τοῦ ἁγίου Γρηγορίου τοῦ θεολόγου. οὗτος οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς Κωνσταντῖνος μονοκρατήσας, ὡς ἔφημεν, ἔτη ιεʹ νόσῳ περιπεσὼν τελευτᾷ. Μετὰ δὲ τὸν Κωνσταντῖνον ἐβασίλευσε Ῥωμανὸς ὁ τούτου υἱός, ὁ λεγόμενος παιδίον, ὃς νόσῳ περιπεσὼν ἐτελεύτησεν ἐτῶν ὑπάρχων κδʹ, βασιλεύσας ἔτη γʹ μῆνας δʹ ἡμέρας εʹ. Μετὰ δὲ τὸν Ῥωμανὸν διαδέχονται τὴν βασιλείαν Βασίλειος καὶ Κωνσταντῖνος οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ σὺν Θεοφανοῖ τῇ μητρί, βασιλεύσαντες μῆνας εʹ σὺν Ἰωσὴφ τῷ Βρίγγα τότε παραδυναστεύοντι. Μετὰ δὲ τούτους Νικηφόρος ὁ Φωκᾶς βασιλεύει, στεφθεὶς παρὰ Πολυεύκτου τοῦ πατριάρχου. εἶτα καὶ τὴν Θεοφανὼ νόμιμον γαμετὴν ἄγεται. ὃς καὶ μέρος τι τοῦ ἱματίου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ Ἰωάννου εἰσήγαγεν ἐν τῇ πόλει, ὅπερ εὗρεν ἐν Βερροίᾳ. ἤγαγε δὲ καὶ τὸν κέραμον τὸν ἔχοντα τὸ ἀχειρότευκτον ἐκτύπωμα τῆς μορφῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ θεοῦ ἡμῶν, ὃν εὗρεν ἐν