he dressed it and made an illumination for the animals. For this reason the hand of God was lifted from him, as one who attached the honor of God to idols. 5. When Himerios the logothete returned from the defeat by the Agarenes, Alexander sent and confined him in the monastery of the palace called Kalypta, threatening him as his enemy during the time of his brother Leo. And he, having fallen ill from great distress, being confined for six months, died. 6. And Symeon, the archon of Bulgaria, sent messengers to Alexander concerning peace, and that he be treated with friendship and honored just as in the time of Leo. But he, overcome by folly and senselessness, sent the ambassadors away dishonorably, terrifying Symeon with threats. The peace having thus been broken from that time, Symeon prepared to take up arms against the Christians. 7. And Alexander, after dining and having been struck by a god-sent sword as he went up, with much blood flowing from his nostrils and genitals, died after two days, leaving as regents Nicholas the patriarch, Stephen the magistros and John Eladas 874 and John the raiktor and Euthymios and Basilitses and Gabrielopoulos, leaving the empire to Constantine his nephew, son of Leo the emperor. And they laid Alexander in the tombs with his father.

{REIGN OF CONSTANTINE SON OF LEO.} When his father died, Constantine, being still a child for he was in the seventh year of his age was left in the empire by his uncle Alexander, being under regents. He reigned therefore under his regents with his mother for another seven years, and together with Romanos his father-in-law, being in subjection, for another twenty-six years, and as sole ruler for fifteen years, so that the entire duration of his reign was 55 years. Therefore Nicholas the patriarch, taking power in the palace, being himself a regent along with Stephen the magistros and John Eladas, who was also a magistros, undertook the public administration and had daily charge of the affairs pertaining to the empire. 2. While the empire was in this state, it was revealed to Constantine Doukas, being domestic of the schools, by certain of the magnates in the city who favored him as a brave and intelligent man and well able to govern the empire, to enter 875 and take control of it without a struggle. And he, since he had previously dreamed of it and was always aspiring to the crown, as quickly as he could, reached the imperial city together with the sufficient number of distinguished men who were with him. And having entered by night through a side-gate of Michael the protovestiarios, which was near the acropolis, he remained sleepless in the house of his father-in-law Gregoras with those who were with him. And Niketas the asekretis, who afterwards became protonotarios, reported the arrival of Constantine to the patrikios Constantine and monk Eladikos; and both came to Constantine Doukas that same night; and having made a plan, before daybreak while it was still dark, with torches and a large crowd and arms they took the gate of the hippodrome, acclaiming Constantine as emperor. There his groom was speared and killed by those inside the gates of the hippodrome. 3 Constantine therefore, not being received but driven away, as if frenzied by some demon and not having his wits about him from his desire for the empire, withdrew into the hippodrome, sullen and downcast, judging the slaughter of his groom a bad omen. From there, being acclaimed, he came as far as the so-called Chalke, and having entered through the Iron Gate of the same Chalke he came as far as the Exkoubitoi. So the magistros John Eladas, having made a selection of men from the Hetaireia 876 and the rowers, sent them with arms against Doukas. They having come as far as the Chalke and a battle having begun, many from both sides

ἐστό λισεν καὶ τοῖς ζῴδοις φωταγωγίαν γὰρ ἐποίησεν. διὰ τοῦτο ᾔρθη ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ χεὶρ ὡς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ τιμὴν τοῖς εἰδώλοις προσάψαντος. 5. Ἱμερίου δὲ λογοθέτου ἐκ τῆς τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ἥττης ὑποστρέψαντος, ἀποστείλας Ἀλέξανδρος περιώρισεν ἐν τῇ μονῇ τοῦ παλατίου τῇ λεγομένῃ Καλυπτᾷ, ἐπαπειλήσας ὡς ἐχθρὸν αὐ τοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ Λέοντος. ὁ δὲ ἐκ θλίψεως πολλῆς ἀρρωστήσας, περιωρισμένος ὢν ἐπὶ μῆνας ἕξ, ἐτελεύτησεν. 6. Ἀπέστειλε δὲ Συμεὼν ὁ ἄρχων Βουλγαρίας μηνύων Ἀλεξάνδρῳ τὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην, καὶ τοῦ φιλοφρονεῖσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ τιμᾶσθαι καθώσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Λέοντος. ὁ δὲ ἀνοίᾳ καὶ ἀφροσύνῃ κρατηθεὶς τοὺς πρέσβεις ἀτίμως ἐξέπεμψεν, ἀπειλαῖς τὸν Συμεὼν καταπλήξας. λυθείσης οὖν ἔκτοτε τῆς εἰρήνης Συμεὼν παρεσκευά ζετο κινῆσαι κατὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ὅπλα. 7. Ἀλέξανδρος δὲ ἀριστήσας καὶ ῥομφαίᾳ θεηλάτῳ πλη γεὶς ἀνελθών, αἵματος πολλοῦ ἐκ τῶν ῥινῶν καὶ τῶν αἰδοίων ἐκ φερομένου μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας ἐτελεύτησε, καταλιπὼν ἐπιτρόπους Νικόλαον πατριάρχην, Στέφανον μάγιστρον καὶ Ἰωάννην Ἐλαδᾶ 874 καὶ Ἰωάννην ῥαίκτορα καὶ Εὐθύμιον καὶ τὸν Βασιλίτζην καὶ τὸν Γαβριηλόπουλον, ἐάσας τὴν βασιλείαν Κωνσταντίνῳ ἀνεψιῷ αὐ τοῦ, υἱῷ Λέοντος τοῦ βασιλέως. ἀπέθεντο δὲ Ἀλέξανδρον ἐν τοῖς τάφοις μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ.

{ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΥ ΥΙΟΥ ΛΕΟΝΤΟΣ.} Κωνσταντῖνος δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ τελευτήσαντος παῖς ἔτι τυγχά νων ἕβδομον γὰρ εἶχε τῆς ἡλικίας ἔτος ὑπ' Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ θείου αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ καταλέλειπτο, ὑπὸ ἐπιτρόπων τελῶν. ἐβασί λευσεν οὖν ἐπὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπιτρόπων σὺν τῇ μητρὶ ἕτερα ἔτη ἑπτά, ἅμα δὲ Ῥωμανῷ πενθερῷ αὐτοῦ ἐν ὑποταγῇ ὢν ἕτερα ἔτη εἴκοσι ἕξ, μονοκράτωρ δὲ ἔτη δεκαπέντε, ὡς εἶναι τὸν πάντα χρόνον τῆς βα σιλείας αὐτοῦ ἔτη νεʹ. λαβόμενος οὖν τῆς τοῦ παλατίου ἐξουσίας ὁ πατριάρχης Νικόλαος, ἅτε ἐπίτροπος καὶ αὐτὸς ὢν σὺν τῷ μα γίστρῳ Στεφάνῳ καὶ τῷ Ἐλαδᾷ Ἰωάννῃ, καὶ αὐτῷ μαγίστρῳ, τὴν τοῦ κοινοῦ πρόνοιαν ἐποιεῖτο καὶ τὴν φροντίδα εἶχεν τῶν τῇ βασι λείᾳ ἀνηκόντων πραγμάτων ὁσημέραι. 2. Ἐν τούτοις οὖν τῆς βασιλείας οὔσης δηλοῦται Κωνσταν τίνῳ τῷ ∆ουκί, δομεστίκῳ ὑπάρχοντι τῶν σχολῶν, παρά τινων τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει μεγιστάνων, φιλούντων αὐτὸν ὡς ἀνδρεῖον καὶ νουνεχῆ καὶ καλῶς δυνάμενον τὴν βασιλείαν διακυβερνᾶν, εἰσελ 875 θεῖν καὶ ταύτης ἐγκρατῆ γενέσθαι ἀπονητί. ὁ δὲ ἅτε καὶ πρότερον αὐτὴν ὀνειροπολῶν καὶ τοῦ στέφους ἀεὶ ἐφιέμενος, ὡς εἶχε τάχους, τὴν βασιλεύουσαν κατέλαβεν ἅμα τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ ἐγκρίτοις ἱκανοῖς οὖσι. καὶ νυκτὸς διὰ παραπυλίδος εἰσελθὼν τοῦ πρωτοβεστιαρίου Μιχαήλ, οὔσης πλησίον ἀκροπόλεως, ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ πενθεροῦ αὐτοῦ Γρηγορᾶ ἄϋπνος μετὰ τῶν συνόντων αὐτῷ διετέλεσεν. Νι κήτας δὲ ἀσηκρῆτις, ὁ μετὰ ταῦτα πρωτονοτάριος γεγονώς, τὴν Κωνσταντίνου ἄφιξιν τῷ πατρικίῳ Κωνσταντίνῳ καὶ μοναχῷ τῷ Ἐλαδικῷ κατεμήνυσεν· καὶ ἄμφω τῇ αὐτῇ νυκτὶ πρὸς τὸν ∆οῦκα Κωνσταντῖνον παρεγένοντο· καὶ βουλὴν ποιησάμενοι, οὔπω τῆς ἡμέρας καταλαβούσης ἀλλ' ἔτι σκοτίας οὔσης, μετὰ λαμπάδων καὶ λαοῦ πολλοῦ καὶ ὅπλων τὴν τοῦ ἱπποδρόμου πύλην καταλαμ βάνουσι, Κωνσταντῖνον εὐφημοῦντες ὡς βασιλέα. ἔνθα δὴ ὁ τούτου ἱπποκόμος λογχευθεὶς παρὰ τῶν ἐντὸς τῶν τοῦ ἱπποδρό μου πυλῶν ἀνῃρέθη. 3 μὴ δεχθεὶς οὖν Κωνσταντῖνος ἀλλ' ἀποσοβηθείς, ὥσπερ ὑπό τινος ἐκβακχευόμενος δαίμονος καὶ μὴ ἐφεστηκότα ἔχων τὸν λογισμὸν τῷ τῆς βασιλείας ἔρωτι, ἐν τῷ ἱπποδρόμῳ ὑπεχώρησεν στυγνός τε καὶ κατηφής, κακὸν οἰωνὸν τὴν τοῦ ἱπποκόμου κρίνας σφαγήν. ἐκεῖθεν οὖν εὐφημούμενος ἦλθε μέχρι τῆς λεγομένης Χαλκῆς, καὶ διὰ τῆς Σιδηρᾶς πόρτης τῆς αὐτῆς Χαλκῆς εἰσεληλυθὼς μέχρι τῶν ἐξκουβίτων παρεγένετο. ὁ οὖν μάγιστρος Ἰωάννης ὁ Ἐλαδᾶς ἐκλογὴν τῶν τε τῆς ἑταιρείας 876 καὶ τῶν ἐλατῶν ποιησάμενος μεθ' ὅπλων τούτους ἀπέστειλε κατὰ τοῦ ∆ουκός. ἐλθόντων οὖν μέχρι τῆς Χαλκῆς καὶ πολέμου συστάν τος πολλοὶ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων