battle and the army retreats and all strife is driven away, and they began to enslave the Romans to themselves.
Therefore, having taken these as his comrades with a noteworthy and sufficient army on specified terms, he led them along with himself, and beginning his march, he proceeded to Nicaea. And a great crowd from the great city on each occasion flocked to him; and the paradox was, that not even the Turks stood in his way, but rather sent him on his way with respect and reverence. And the queen of cities and all that was exceptional within it, both among rulers and among the city-dwellers and common people, but also the elite of the Church, coming together in common into the celebrated temple of the Wisdom of God the Word, just as the entrance rites of the Annunciation of the Mother of God were beginning, proclaim 178 Botaneiates emperor, with the patriarch of the great God-city of Antioch, named Aemilianus, and the metropolitan of Iconium leading them. And all the clergy assented to him, and the senate, and almost the entire city. And having been divided according to clans, the prominent men of the state both appoint colonels and formed distinguished companies; and they seize the palace by assault and station soldiers, having driven out those of the emperor Michael and having overcome the mercenary force in war. And they also depose the reigning Michael, who had fled to the palace in Blachernae with the augusta Maria of the Alans and his son Constantine the porphyrogenitus, and they change him to the solitary life, having sent him to the monastery of Stoudios with a humble beast of burden, after he had reigned for six years and six months, on that very Saturday on which the miracle of Lazarus is celebrated by the faithful; and they appoint authorities both on land and also of the sea, appointing a droungarios of the fleet. And so, with affairs in the city proceeding beyond all expectation and with the emperor having been deposed, Botaneiates confidently proceeded towards Byzantium, receiving, as it were, the imperial rule without bloodshed, even though he himself was preparing for battles and wars and was mustering the military force under him. But the logothete Nikephoros and David of like manner to him set out towards the west, and they find Roussel lodging in Heraclea and offering thanks to God for the victory against his adversaries. But those of the city, having preserved the palace for three days without an emperor, 179 by letters urged Botaneiates to set out and come more quickly. And having arrived in haste at Praenetus, having sent one of the noble and energetic men with him, Borilos his own servant, he secures the palace. And after a little while he himself also enters on that Great Tuesday itself and is crowned with the imperial diadem by the hands of the patriarch. And having honored all those with him with both gifts and possessions and offices, and having courteously treated the Turks encamped at Chrysopolis, he took up the other affairs of the empire. And all public debts he cut off at the root not with limitation, but collectively for all times together, so that not even the name or memory of them could be found. But since Bryennios, being outside, was stirring up and disturbing the affairs of the west, an imperial embassy is sent to him announcing that he should lay aside his irrational desire, and having received the rank of Caesar, to halt his ambition. And he also confirmed the honors for those who had revolted with him. But he was unyielding and stubborn and arrogant, and not relinquishing the empire nor conceding the primacy, of which he was not master. A second embassy is also sent to him and it came to nothing. And after this a third embassy also goes, with Romanos Straboromanos, protoproedros and great hetaireiarch, having been sent. Therefore he does not receive that one either, but rather indeed also
μάχη καὶ ὁ στρατὸς ὑποχωρεῖ καὶ πᾶσα ἡ ἔρις ἀποδιοπομπεῖται, καὶ τὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων καταδουλοῦν ἑαυτοῖς ἀπήρξαντο.
Τούτους οὖν προσεταιρισάμενος μετὰ στρατιᾶς ἀξιολόγου καὶ ἱκανῆς ἐπὶ συνθήκαις ῥηταῖς μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ συνεπήγετο, καὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ ἀρξάμενος ἐχώρει ἐπὶ τὴν Νίκαιαν. Πολὺ δὲ πλῆθος ἐκ τῆς μεγαλοπόλεως ἑκάστοτε συνέρρεον πρὸς αὐτόν· καὶ τὸ δὴ παράδοξον, ὅτι οὐδὲ οἱ Τοῦρκοι αὐτῷ ἐμποδὼν καθίσταντο, προέπεμπον δὲ μᾶλλον σὺν αἰδοῖ καὶ σεβάσματι. Καὶ ἡ βασιλὶς δὲ τῶν πόλεων καὶ πᾶν τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ ἐξαίρετον, ὅσον τε ἐν ἄρχουσι καὶ ὅσον ἐν ἀστικοῖς καὶ δημοτικοῖς, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἔκκριτον, κοινῇ συνελθόντες εἰς τὸν περίπυστον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου Σοφίας νεών, ἄρτι τῶν τοῦ Εὐαγγελισμοῦ τῆς Θεομήτορος ἐπιβατηρίων ἐφισταμένων, ἀναγορεύουσι 178 τὸν Βοτανειάτην αὐτοκράτορα, προεξάρχοντος τούτων τοῦ πατριάρχου Θεουπόλεως μεγάλης Ἀντιοχείας, τοῦ ὀνομαζομένου Αἰμιλιανοῦ, καὶ τοῦ μητροπολίτου Ἰκονίου. Συννεύει τε πᾶς ὁ κλῆρος αὐτῷ καὶ ἡ σύγκλητος καὶ ἡ πόλις σχεδὸν ἅπασα. Καὶ διαιρεθέντες κατὰ φατρίας οἱ τῆς πολιτείας ἐπώνυμοι συνταγματάρχας τε προβάλλονται καὶ λόχους ἐπιφανεῖς συνεστήσαντο· κυριεύουσι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀνακτόρων ἐξ ἐφόδου καὶ στρατιώτας ἐφιστῶσι, τοὺς τοῦ βασιλέως Μιχαὴλ ἐκδιώξαντες πολέμῳ τε τὸ μισθοφορικὸν καταγωνισάμενοι. Καθαιροῦσι δὲ καὶ τὸν βασιλεύοντα Μιχαήλ, φυγόντα εἰς τὰ ἐν Βλαχέρναις ἀνάκτορα σὺν τῇ αὐγούστῃ Μαρίᾳ τῇ ἐξ Ἀλανῶν καὶ τῷ τούτου παιδὶ Κωνσταντίνῳ τῷ πορφυρογεννήτῳ, καὶ πρὸς τὸν μονήρη μεταλλάττουσι βίον τῇ μονῇ τοῦ Στουδίου μετ' εὐτελοῦς τοῦ ὑποζυγίου παραπέμψαντες, μοναρχήσαντα χρόνους ἓξ πρὸς μησὶν ἕξ, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ Σαββάτῳ καθ' ὃ ἡ ἐπὶ Λαζάρῳ θαυματουργία παρὰ τῶν πιστῶν ἑορτάζεται· καὶ προϊστῶσιν ἀρχὰς τάς τε ἐπὶ ξηρᾶς, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, δρουγγάριον τοῦ στόλου προβαλλόμενοι. Οὕτω δὲ τῶν κατὰ τὴν πόλιν πραγμάτων φερομένων παρὰ πᾶσαν προσδοκίαν τοῦ τε βασιλέως καθαιρεθέντος ὁ Βοτανειάτης πεποιθὼς ἐχώρει πρὸς τὸ Βυζάντιον, ἀναίμακτον ὥσπερ ἀπολαμβάνων τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς αὐτοκρατορίας, εἰ καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸς μάχας καὶ πολέμους διεσκευάζετο καὶ τὸ ὑπ' αὐτὸν συνεκρότει στρατιωτικόν. Ὁ δὲ λογοθέτης Νικηφόρος καὶ ὁ τούτου ὁμοιότροπος ∆αβὶδ πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἐξώρμησαν, καὶ καταλαμβάνουσι τὸν Ῥουσέλιον ἐν Ἡρακλείᾳ αὐλιζόμενον καὶ τὰ κατὰ τῆς τῶν ἀντιπάλων νίκης τῷ Θεῷ χαριστήρια θύοντα. Οἱ δὲ τῆς πόλεως, ἐπὶ τρισὶν ἡμέραις τὰ ἀνάκτορα ἄτερ βασιλέως συντηρήσαντες, 179 γράμμασι τὸν Βοτανειάτην διαναστῆναι καὶ ἐλθεῖν ταχινώτερον ἐπέσπευδον. Σπουδῇ δὲ εἰς Πραίνετον ἀφικόμενος, ἕνα τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ ἄνδρα γενναῖον καὶ δραστήριον ἀποστείλας, Βορίλον τὸν ἑαυτοῦ δοῦλον, κρατεῖ τὰ ἀνάκτορα. Μετ' ὀλίγον δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς εἴσεισι κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν Μεγάλην Τρίτην καὶ ταῖς τοῦ πατριάρχου χερσὶ τῷ βασιλικῷ ταινιοῦται διαδήματι. Φιλοτιμησάμενος δὲ πάντας τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ ἔν τε δώροις καὶ κτήμασι καὶ ἀξιώμασι, καὶ τοὺς Τούρκους δὲ ἐσκηνωμένους κατὰ τὴν Χρυσόπολιν φιλοφρονησάμενος, τῶν ἄλλων πραγμάτων τῆς βασιλείας ἐφήψατο. Πάσας δὲ τὰς δημοσιακὰς ὀφειλὰς ῥιζόθεν ἀπέτεμεν οὐ μετὰ προσδιορισμοῦ, ἀλλὰ συλλήβδην πάντων τῶν χρόνων ὁμοῦ, ὡς μηδ' ὄνομα τούτων ἢ μνήμην εὑρίσκεσθαι. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ Βρυέννιος ἐκτὸς ὢν τὰ τῆς ἑσπέρας ἐκύκα καὶ συνεκλόνει, στέλλεται πρὸς αὐτὸν πρεσβεία βασιλικὴ ἀπαγγέλλουσα μεταθέσθαι μὲν τὴν ἄλογον ὄρεξιν, τὴν δὲ τοῦ καίσαρος λαβόντα τύχην στῆσαι τὴν ἔφεσιν. Ἐπεκύρου δὲ καὶ τὰς τιμὰς τοῖς αὐτῷ συναποστατήσασιν. Ὁ δὲ ἄτεγκτος ἦν καὶ ἀτεράμων καὶ ὑπερήφανος καὶ τῆς βασιλείας μὴ ἐξιστάμενος μηδὲ τῶν πρωτείων παραχωρῶν, ὧν οὐκ ἦν κύριος. Στέλλεται καὶ δευτέρα πρεσβεία πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ γέγονεν ἄπρακτος. Ἐπὶ ταύτῃ δὲ καὶ τρίτη πρεσβεία φοιτᾷ, σταλέντος Ῥωμανοῦ πρωτοπροέδρου καὶ μεγάλου ἑταιρειάρχου, τοῦ Στραβορωμανοῦ. Οὐδὲ κἀκείνην οὖν δέχεται, μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν καὶ