174

had fallen into a terrible illness, which is called ileus by the Asclepiads, and those around her had despaired of her. Gathering together, they deliberated whom they might introduce to the rule, who would preserve for them their prosperity and good fortune. Therefore, 653 it seemed to them that Michael Stratioticus was suitable for this, a man from Byzantium, but ill-suited for the management of affairs and of so great a command, both because of a natural sluggishness and simplicity, and because of the length of time which had been added to his life. For he was not already an old man, as he was called by the common multitude, but an elder. They therefore persuaded this man to succeed Theodora in the empire. And she immediately crowned Michael with the imperial diadem, after he had first been bound by dreadful oaths not to arrange the administrations of the empire without their consent. Upon this, the breath left the empress, after she had reigned as sole monarch for one year and nine months. liber dῃoɖeῃixesimῃs. In the way that has been said, therefore, the elder Michael, having been proclaimed emperor, appeared exceedingly generous to the members of the senate and to the common multitude, even beyond what was proper, 654 promoting each of these to ranks of dignity and bestowing honors unsuitable for the majority. But toward the military registers, and especially their commanders, to whom it had long been granted to command armies and squadrons, he behaved in a manner quite contrary to the others. For he neither showed any generosity toward them when they had just arrived at the queen of cities, nor did he welcome them with gentle words. The leaders among them were two men, both of whom were magistroi, of illustrious family, and no less distinguished for their strategic understanding, strength of hands, and courage of soul. One of these was Isaac Comnenus, and the other was Catacalon Cecaumenus, whose homeland was Coloneia, whom, being doux of Antioch, he removed from his office at the same time as his own proclamation, appointing his own nephew Michael as magistros and doux of Antioch and giving him the surname Ouranos, so that he might seem to trace his lineage back to the ancient Ouranos. This Cecaumenus, therefore, on the pretext that he had not managed his command well, but had disbanded his forces and become burdensome to those under his hand, he rebuked rather rashly and assailed with reproaches and did not even spare him insults; but also when the other most illustrious men and commanders 655 rushed to speak in the man's defense, he did not spare his tongue against them either, nor indeed did he show respect for Comnenus himself. These things cast the soldiers into despondency, seeing Michael to be most generous to the others, but showing not even verbal goodwill to them; nevertheless, they refrained from starting any revolt, but decided to make a second attempt. But let the account now relate another rebellion against the emperor that preceded these events. For Theodosius the proedros, a cousin of the emperor Constantine Monomachus, as soon as Michael was proclaimed, taking his proclamation as a terrible thing, taking along his own servants and some others who, like him, suffered from a lightness of mind, went through the forum late in the afternoon, escorted by these men, saying that the power belonged to him on account of his kinship with Monomachus and crying out that he was being wronged. And having arrived at the public prison, which is called the Praetorium, he broke the locks and granted an unimpeded exit to those confined within it. 656 And he did the same thing at the Chalke prison, hoping through these men to achieve his purpose. But when he learned that a military force was being gathered around the palace and was already being dispatched against him, he turned toward the Great Church and being left alone with his son, as his followers had been scattered, he took refuge in the church; from where he was taken and condemned to exile. And when his undertaking came to this end, the common crowd, mocking him with words

174

περιεπεπτώκει δεινῇ, ἣ τοῖς Ἀσκληπιάδαις ὠνόμασται εἰλεός, καὶ τοῖς περὶ αὐτὴν αἱ ἐλπίδες αἱ περὶ αὐτῆς ἀπεγνώσθησαν, συλλεγέντες βουλεύονται τίνα ἂν εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀντεισάξωσιν, ὃς αὐτοῖς τὴν εὐετηρίαν τηρήσει καὶ τὸ εὐτύχημα. ἔδοξεν οὖν 653 πρὸς τοῦτο σφίσι κατάλληλος ὁ Στρατιωτικὸς Μιχαήλ, ἀνὴρ ἐκ Βυζαντίου μὲν γεγονώς, πρὸς πραγμάτων δὲ καὶ τοσαύτης ἡγεμονίας μεταχείρισιν ἀποπεφυκὼς ἔκ τε φυσικῆς νωθείας καὶ ἀφελείας καὶ διὰ χρόνου μῆκος, ὃ τῇ ἐκείνου παρεξετάθη ζωῇ. ἤδη γὰρ οὐ γέρων ἦν, ὡς παρὰ τοῦ δημώδους πλήθους ὠνόμαστο, ἀλλὰ πρεσβύτης. τοῦτον οὖν πείθουσι τὴν Θεοδώραν ἀντικαταστῆσαι τῇ βασιλείᾳ. ἡ δὲ αὐτίκα ταινιοῖ τῷ βασιλείῳ τὸν Μιχαὴλ διαδήματι, πρότερον ὁρκίοις προκαταληφθέντα φρικώδεσι μήτι τῆς ἐκείνων γνώμης χωρὶς ἐπὶ ταῖς τῆς βασιλείας οἰκονομήσασθαι διοικήσεσιν. ἐπὶ τούτοις τὴν βασιλίδα τὸ πνεῦμα ἐπέλιπε, μοναρχήσασαν ἔτος ἓν ἐπὶ ἐννέα μησίν. λιβερ δῃοδεῃιξεσιμῃς. Ὃν οὖν εἴρηται τρόπον ὁ πρεσβύτης Μιχαὴλ αὐτοκράτωρ ἀναρρηθεὶς τοῖς μὲν τῆς γερουσίας καὶ τῷ δημώδει πλήθει καὶ παρὰ τὸ προσῆκον ὦπτο φιλοτιμότατος, ἕκαστον τούτων 654 εἰς βαθμοὺς προβιβάζων ἀξιωμάτων καὶ τιμὰς προσνέμων ἀκαταλλήλους τοῖς πλείοσι. τοῖς δὲ στρατιωτικοῖς καταλόγοις καὶ μάλιστα τοῖς τούτων ἐξόχοις, οἷς στραταρχεῖν τε καὶ ἰλαρχεῖν ἀπονενέμητο πρὸ πολλοῦ, καὶ λίαν ἀντιρρόπως τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐκέχρητο. οὔτε γὰρ φιλότιμόν τι πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐνεδείξατο ἄρτι καταλαβόντας τὴν βασιλίδα τῶν πόλεων, οὔτε μὴν πραέσιν αὐτοὺς ἐδεξιώσατο ῥήμασιν. ἤστην δὲ τούτων πρωτεύοντε ἄνδρε διττώ, μαγίστρω μὲν ὄντε καὶ ἄμφω, λαμπρὼ δὲ τὰ γένη, καὶ οὐχ ἧττον στρατηγικῇ συνέσει καὶ κράτει χειρῶν καὶ θάρσει ψυχῶν εἰχέτην τὴν περιφάνειαν. τούτων ἅτερος ἦν ὁ Κομνηνὸς Ἰσαάκιος, ὁ δὲ λοιπὸς ὁ Κεκαυμένος Κατακαλών, ᾧ Κολώνεια ἡ πατρίς, ὃν καὶ δοῦκα Ἀντιοχείας τυγχάνοντα ἅμα τῇ ἀναρρήσει παρέλυσε τῆς ἀρχῆς, τὸν οἰκεῖον ἀνεψιὸν Μιχαὴλ μάγιστρόν τε καὶ δοῦκα τῆς Ἀντιοχείας προχειρισάμενος καὶ Οὐρανὸν ἐκείνῳ θέμενος τὸ ἐπώνυμον, ἵνα πρὸς τὸν ἀρχαῖον Οὐρανὸν ἀναφέρειν τὸ γένος δοκῇ. τοῦτον τοίνυν τὸν Κεκαυμένον, ὡς δῆθεν μὴ καλῶς χρησάμενον τῇ ἀρχῇ, ἀλλὰ τάς τε δυνάμεις καταλελυκότα καὶ φορτικὸν τοῖς ὑπὸ χεῖρα γενόμενον, καὶ ἐπέπληξεν ἰταμώτερον καὶ ὀνείδεσιν ἔβαλε καὶ οὐδ' ἐφείσατο ὕβρεων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων λαμπροτάτων ἀνδρῶν καὶ συνταγματαρχούντων 655 ἐκείνῳ ὑπεραπολογήσασθαι τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ὡρμηκότων, οὐδ' ἐπ' ἐκείνους τῆς γλώττης ἐφείσατο οὔτε μὴν αὐτὸν ᾐδέσθη τὸν Κομνηνόν. ταῦτα τοὺς στρατιώτας εἰς ἀθυμίαν ἐνέβαλε, τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις φιλοτιμότατον ὁρῶντας τὸν Μιχαήλ, αὐτοῖς δὲ μηδ' ἐν λόγοις τὸ εὐμενὲς ἐνδεικνύμενον, ὅμως μέντοι ἐπέσχον μηδέν τι νεωτερίσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ δευτέραν πεῖραν ἐπαγαγεῖν ἐβουλεύσαντο. Ἀλλ' ἑτέραν κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως προτέραν τούτων ὁ λόγος διηγησάσθω νῦν ἐπανάστασιν. ὁ γὰρ τοῦ βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ Μονομάχου ἐξάδελφος ὁ πρόεδρος Θεοδόσιος, ἄρτι τοῦ Μιχαὴλ ἀναρρηθέντος, ἐν δεινῷ ποιησάμενος τὴν ἐκείνου ἀνάρρησιν, τοὺς οἰκείους θεράποντας προσλαβόμενος καί τινας ἄλλους ὅσοι κατ' ἐκεῖνον ἐλαφρίαν ἐνόσουν φρενῶν, περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν διὰ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἀπῄει, τούτοις δορυφορούμενος, ἑαυτῷ προσήκειν τὸ κράτος λέγων διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Μονομάχον συγγένειαν καὶ ἀδικεῖσθαι ἐπιβοώμενος. γενόμενος δὲ κατὰ τὴν δημοσίαν εἱρκτήν, ἣ πραιτώριον κέκληται, τὰ κλεῖθρα διαρρήξας τοῖς ἐν αὐτῇ καθειργμένοις ἄνετον παρέσχε τὴν ἔξοδον. 656 τὸ δ' αὐτὸ καὶ ἐν τῇ τῆς Χαλκῆς εἰργάσατο φυλακῇ, ἐλπίσας διὰ τούτων τοῦ κατὰ σκοπὸν ἐπιτεύξεσθαι. ὡς δ' ἔμαθε στρατιωτικὴν ἀθροίζεσθαι περὶ τὰ βασίλεια δύναμιν καὶ ἤδη στέλλεσθαι κατ' αὐτοῦ, πρὸς τὴν μεγάλην τρέπεται ἐκκλησίαν καὶ μόνος σὺν τῷ υἱῷ περιλειφθείς, τῶν ἑπομένων αὐτῷ διασκεδασθέντων, τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ προσπέφευγεν· ὅθεν ληφθεὶς ὑπερορίαν κατεδικάσθη. εἰς τοῦτο δὲ τέλους τοῦ ἐπιχειρήματος αὐτῷ καταντήσαντος, ὁ δημώδης ὄχλος ἐπεγγελῶντες αὐτῷ ῥήματά