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embraces the monastery and the monastic life, with the Augusta Aikaterine also contributing much to him for this purpose, having reigned for 2 years and 3 months, but having survived for less than this in the monastic life, showing all obedience to the one leading in the monastery, so that he even accepted becoming a gatekeeper and serving in the other ministries out of great humility. And in his place, Constantine Doukas is appointed emperor. After Komnenos, Constantine Doukas takes up the scepters bloodlessly, without troubles and turmoil. When the patriarch Constantine Leichoudes died, the monk John, surnamed Xiphilinos, is appointed. A disease that befell the emperor wore him down not a little. And when he realized he was already completely overcome by the disease, his three sons by his empress Eudokia, Michael, Andronikos, and Constantine, of whom Constantine was porphyrogennetos, he proclaimed them all emperors, and his own brother John, Caesar. He also had three dau 65 ghters, Anna and Theodora and Zoe. And when he was about to die, he demanded a written pledge from everyone that they would never accept another emperor besides his sons; to which they all subscribed. And indeed also the empress Eudokia, that she herself would not enter into a second marriage. And when this was completed, they gave it to the patriarch to keep. So the emperor dies, being 60 years old and a little more, having reigned for 7 and a half years, buried in the Molyboton. Therefore, both his wife Eudokia and their sons held the scepters of the empire. So, after reigning with them for 7 months and a little more, she raises Romanos Diogenes to the palace, and is joined to him, and immediately proclaims him emperor. Therefore, Diogenes, having taken the empire, then later being conspired against by his own people, is blinded, and thus he dies, and is buried on the island of Prote, having reigned for 3 years and 8 months. The son of Doukas, Michael, called Parapinakes, succeeded to the empire. And when the patriarch John Xiphilinos fell asleep, the emperor appointed a certain other monk, Kosmas, who had arrived from the holy city, and was held in the highest honor by the emperor on account of his virtue. But the citizens, because Botaneiates had already been proclaimed from the east, having seized the palaces and set guards over them, and having deposed the reigning Michael, send him to the Stoudion monastery with a humble pack-animal, along with the Augusta Maria of the Alans and his child Constantine the por 66 phyrogennetos, and they change him to the solitary life on the Saturday of Saint Lazarus, having reigned for 7 years. Thus, therefore, Nikephoros Botaneiates, against all expectation, received the imperial rule bloodlessly on the great Tuesday itself, and by the hands of the patriarch is bound with the royal diadem, and is joined to a wife, Maria of the Alans, the consort of Michael. And he reigned for 3 years. Alexios Komnenos reigned for 37 years, 4 months, John, his son, for 24 years, Manuel, his son, for 38 years, Alexios, his son, a boy, for 1 year. Andronikos, his paternal uncle, having murdered this one, tyrannized for 3 years. Isaac Angelos, his cousin, having murdered this one, ruled for 9 years. His own brother Alexios, having blinded this one, also ruled for 9 years. His nephew Alexios, being a boy, the son of Isaac, having driven this one from the empire and Constantinople, ruled for 6 months. His cousin Alexios Doukas, also known as Mourtzouphlos, having murdered this one, ruled for 2 months. Alas, and these things Christians did to Christians. And how was justice to rest and not deliver us to captivity and utter destruction? Which also happened, and the renowned city of Constantine was handed over to the Italians on account of such unholy deeds.

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μονὴν καὶ τὸν μοναχικὸν ἀσπάζεται βίον, πολλὰ καὶ τῆς Αὐγούστης Αἰκατερίνης συμβαλλομένης αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον, βασιλεύσας μὲν ἔτη βʹ καὶ μῆνας γʹ, ἐπιζήσας δὲ τούτων ἐλάττονα τῷ μοναχικῷ, πᾶσαν ὑπακοὴν πρὸς τὸν ἐν τῇ μονῇ ἡγεμονεύοντα ἐνδεικνύμενος, ὡς καὶ θυρωρὸς γενέσθαι καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ὑπηρετῆσαι διακονίαις διὰ πολλὴν μετριοφροσύνην καταδεξάμενος. προχειρίζεται δὲ ἀντ' αὐτοῦ εἰς βασιλέα Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν ∆οῦκαν. Μετὰ δὲ τὸν Κομνηνὸν Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ ∆οῦκας ἀναιμωτὶ δίχα πραγμάτων καὶ ταραχῆς τῶν σκήπτρων ἐπιλαμβάνεται. τοῦ δὲ πατριάρχου Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ Λεικούδη θανόντος Ἰωάννης μοναχὸς ὁ ἐπίκλην Ξιφιλῖνος προχειρίζεται. τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ νόσος ἐνσκήψασα οὐ μικρῶς αὐτὸν κατέτρυχεν. ὡς δὲ ἔγνω ἤδη τέλεον τῇ νόσῳ κατεργασθείς, τοὺς ἐξ Εὐδοκίας τῆς βασιλίσσης αὐτοῦ τρεῖς παῖδας Μιχαὴλ Ἀνδρόνικον καὶ Κωνσταντῖνον, ἐξ ὧν πορφυρογέννητος ἦν ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος, πάντας βασιλεῖς ἀνηγόρευσε, Καίσαρα δὲ τὸν αὐτοῦ ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάννην. ἦσαν δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ θυ 65 γατέρες τρεῖς, Ἄννα τε καὶ Θεοδώρα καὶ Ζωή. μέλλων δὲ τελευτᾶν, ἔγγραφον ἀπῄτησεν ἐκ πάντων ὡς οὐκ ἄν ποτε παρὰ τοὺς αὐτοῦ παῖδας βασιλέα ἕτερον δέξαιντο· ἐν ᾧ καθυπέγραψαν ἅπαντες. ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ἡ βασιλὶς Εὐδοκία, ὡς οὐκ ἂν οὐδὲ αὐτὴ πρὸς δεύτερον ἐλεύσεται συνοικέσιον. ὃ καὶ ἀπαρτισθὲν τῷ πατριάρχῃ φυλάττειν δεδώκασι. τελευτᾷ οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐτῶν ὢν ξʹ καὶ μικρόν τι πρός, βασιλεύσας χρόνους ζʹ καὶ ἥμισυν, ταφεὶς εἰς τὸ Μολιβωτόν. Κατέσχον οὖν τὰ σκῆπτρα τῆς βασιλείας ἥ τε σύζυγος αὐτοῦ Εὐδοκία καὶ οἱ παῖδες. σὺν τούτοις οὖν μῆνας ζʹ καὶ μικρόν τι πρὸς βασιλεύσασα ἀνάγει τὸν Ῥωμανὸν ∆ιογένην εἰς τὰ βασίλεια, καὶ τούτῳ προσζεύγνυται, καὶ βασιλέα εὐθὺς ἀναγορεύει. Τὴν οὖν βασιλείαν ὁ ∆ιογένης λαβών, εἶθ' ὕστερον ἐπιβουλευθεὶς παρὰ τῶν οἰκείων ἐκτυφλοῦται, καὶ οὕτως θνήσκει, καὶ ἐν τῇ νήσῳ Πρώτῃ θάπτεται, βασιλεύσας ἔτη γʹ καὶ μῆνας ηʹ. ∆ιεδέξατο τὴν βασιλείαν ὁ τοῦ ∆ούκα υἱὸς Μιχαὴλ ὁ λεγόμενος Παραπινάκης. τοῦ δὲ πατριάρχου Ἰωάννου τοῦ Ξιφιλίνου κοιμηθέντος, ὁ βασιλεὺς ἕτερόν τινα προεχειρίσατο Κοσμᾶν μοναχόν, τῆς ἁγίας μὲν πόλεως ἀφικόμενον, μεγίστῃ δὲ τιμῇ διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀρετὴν παρὰ βασιλεῖ τιμώμενον. οἱ δὲ πολῖται διὰ τὸ τὸν Βοτανειάτην ἐξ ἀνατολῆς ἤδη ἀναγορευθῆναι τά τε ἀνάκτορα κατασχόντες καὶ φύλακας αὐτοῖς ἐπιστήσαντες, καὶ τὸν βασιλεύοντα Μιχαὴλ καθαιρήσαντες πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Στουδίου μονὴν παραπέμπουσιν μετ' εὐτελοῦς ὑποζυγίου σὺν τῇ Αὐγούστῃ Μαρίᾳ τῇ ἐξ Ἀλανῶν καὶ τῷ τούτου παιδὶ Κωνσταντίνῳ τῷ πορ 66 φυρογεννήτῳ, καὶ πρὸς τὸν μονήρη μεταλλάττουσι βίον κατὰ τὸ σάββατον τοῦ ἁγίου Λαζάρου, βασιλεύσαντα χρόνους ζʹ. Οὕτως οὖν ὁ Βοτανειάτης Νικηφόρος παρὰ πᾶσαν προσδοκίαν ἀναίμακτον ἀπέλαβε τὴν αὐτοκράτορα ἀρχὴν κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν μεγάλην τρίτην, καὶ ταῖς τοῦ πατριάρχου χερσὶν τῷ βασιλικῷ ταινιοῦται διαδήματι, καὶ γυναικὶ συζεύγνυται τῇ ἐξ Ἀλαμανῶν Μαρίᾳ, τῇ τοῦ Μιχαὴλ συμβίῳ. ἐβασίλευσε δὲ ἔτη γʹ. Ἀλέξιος ὁ Κομνηνὸς ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη λζʹ μῆνας δʹ, Ἰωάννης ὁ τούτου υἱὸς ἔτη κδʹ, Μανουὴλ ὁ τούτου υἱὸς ἔτη ληʹ, Ἀλέξιος ὁ τούτου υἱὸς μειράκιον ἔτος αʹ. Τοῦτον φονεύσας Ἀνδρόνικος ὁ πρὸς πατρὸς θεῖος αὐτοῦ ἐτυράννησεν ἔτη γʹ. τοῦτον φονεύσας ὁ ἀνεψιὸς αὐτοῦ Ἰσαάκιος ὁ Ἄγγελος ἐκράτησεν ἔτη θʹ. τοῦτον ἐκτυφλώσας ὁ ἴδιος ἀδελφὸς Ἀλέξιος ἐκράτησε καὶ αὐτὸς ἔτη θʹ. τοῦτον ἐκδιώξας τῆς βασιλείας καὶ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ὁ ἀνεψιὸς Ἀλέξιος μειράκιον ὤν, ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ Ἰσαακίου, ἐκράτησε μῆνας ʹ. τοῦτον φονεύσας ὁ ἐξάδελφος Ἀλέξιος ὁ ∆οῦκας, ὁ καὶ Μούρτζουφλος, ἐκράτησε μῆνας βʹ. φεῦ, καὶ ταῦτα Χριστιανοὶ Χριστιανούς. καὶ πῶς ἔμελλεν ἐφησυχάσαι ἡ δίκη καὶ μὴ παραδοῦναι ἡμᾶς εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν καὶ ἐξολόθρευσιν; ὃ καὶ γέγονε, καὶ ἡ περίβλεπτος Κωνσταντίνου διὰ τὰς τοιαύτας ἀνοσιουργίας παρεδόθη τοῖς Ἰταλοῖς.