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rather, because they had learned that the one entrusted with the administrations had stepped down, and it already seemed best to everyone to lay down their arms and refrain from tyranny. But the aged emperor, before the agreements were made between him and Komnenos, securing for himself the goodwill of the civic body, as he thought, having composed a certain written document, binding each man with oaths and curses neither to call Komnenos emperor nor to offer him imperial honor, persuaded some of the senators with money, others with distributions of dignities, and others with other blandishments to 664 subscribe to the document and to affirm its contents. But when they had heard that Komnenos was coming, and would enter on the following day, certain seditious members of the senatorial council came at dawn to the sanctuary of the Wisdom of God the Word, with whom the commanders of the regiments also gathered, and with shouts they summoned the patriarch to come out into their sight. But he, having barred the doors against them on all sides, sent out his nephews to them to inquire what they were saying. But the rioters, having now formed into a mob, as many had streamed to that place, seized the patriarch's nephews, and threatened to treat them badly if the high priest did not come out to them at once. And it is said that these things were pretexts and premeditated, so that the patriarch might seem to be joining the rebels unwillingly. Therefore, he came down from the upper rooms wearing his priestly vestments, feigning to reproach those present for compelling him. But the bolder of the rebels, or rather those through whom the revolt was organized, taking him into their midst, demanded that he become an envoy to the 665 emperor, so that the document which they had been forced to sign might be returned to them, since he had made a truce with Komnenos. And he agreed to fulfill their request; but it was all a pretense. For after a short time had passed, they openly proclaimed Komnenos emperor and autocrat, with the patriarch himself both consenting and cooperating, and indicating to Komnenos not to delay, but to make haste, and asking for rewards for the proclamation, while more forcefully ordering the man who had been emperor until then to come down from the palace. And when the high priests brought the patriarch's messages to the old man Michael, he said, "What will you give me in place of the empire?" And they answered, "The heavenly kingdom." Immediately, therefore, casting off the imperial insignia, he departed from the palace. And Komnenos, having honored Kekaumenos as kouropalates, sent the man with a certain force to take possession of the palace. However, the populace of the city poured out to meet the new emperor, making his entry into the reigning city most brilliant. Michael, then, having ruled as sole monarch for one year, was deposed from the empire, and not living long as a private citizen, he paid his debt to nature. But Komnenos, having been established in the empire, attributed 666 this success to himself and not to God, and this is clear from the fact that he stamped himself on the coinage holding a sword, all but shouting, "This, and nothing else, procured the empire for me." And he most generously rewarded those who had assisted him and was eager, after giving each his reward, to arrange for them to depart for home, so that they might not cause any disturbance or rise up against the people while policing the city. He held the patriarch in great reverence and, on his account, honored his nephews both with greater honors and appointed them to distinguished offices. And further gratifying the patriarch, he also assigned the administration of ecclesiastical affairs to the church—until then the great oikonomos was appointed by the reigning emperor, as well as the skeuophylax—but he placed both under the authority of the patriarch, alienating both from the state. Then he proclaimed his life's partner Augusta, and he honored his brother John as kouropalates and named him Grand Domestic. 667 But of the emperors before him, as many as after that Basil born in the purple of the

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μᾶλλον, ὅτι μεταστῆναι τῶν διοικήσεων τὸν ἐγκεχειρισμένον αὐτὰς μεμαθήκεσαν, καὶ ἤδη καταθεῖναι τὰ ὅπλα ἔδοξεν ἅπασι καὶ τῆς τυραννίδος ἀφέξεσθαι. ὁ πρεσβύτης δὲ βασιλεὺς πρὸ τοῦ τὰς συμβάσεις αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸν Κομνηνὸν γενέσθαι, τὴν τῆς πολιτικῆς μοίρας εὔνοιαν περιποιούμενος ἑαυτῷ, ὥσπερ ᾤετο, ἔγγραφόν τι συγγεγραφώς, ὅρκοις καταδεσμοῦν καὶ ἀραῖς ἕκαστον ὥστε μήτε βασιλέα καλέσαι τὸν Κομνηνὸν μήτε τιμὴν αὐτῷ προσοίσειν βασίλειον, τοὺς μὲν τῶν συγκλητικῶν χρήμασι, τοὺς δ' ἀξιωμάτων διανομαῖς, καὶ ἄλλους ἄλλοις θελκτηρίοις ἀν664 έπειθε τῷ ἐγγράφῳ ὑποσημαίνεσθαι καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ βεβαιοῦν. ἐπεὶ δ' ἥκειν τὸν Κομνηνὸν ἠκηκόεισαν, ὡς κατὰ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν εἰσελευσόμενον, στασιώδεις τινὲς τῶν τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς ἕωθεν τῷ τεμένει τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου Σοφίας προσεληλύθεσαν, οἷς καὶ οἱ τῶν ἑταιρειῶν συνῄεσαν ἄρχοντες, καὶ κραυγαῖς προεκαλοῦντο τὸν πατριάρχην εἰς θέαν σφίσιν ἐλθεῖν. ὁ δὲ τὰς θύρας αὐτοῖς ἁπανταχόθεν ἐπιζυγώσας τοὺς ἀδελφιδοὺς αὐτοῖς ἐκπέπομφε πυνθανομένους ὅ,τι φασίν. οἱ δὲ θορυβοῦντες εἰς πλῆθος ἤδη συστάντες, πολλῶν συρρευσάντων ἐκεῖ, συνέσχον τοὺς τοῦ πατριάρχου ἀδελφιδούς, καὶ εἰ μὴ αὐτίκα πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐξελεύσεται ὁ ἀρχιερεύς, διαθήσειν ἐκείνους ἠπείλουν κακῶς. λέγεται δὲ ταῦτα σκήψεις εἶναι καὶ προβουλεύματα, ἵν' ἄκων δοκοίη συνελθεῖν ὁ πατριάρχης τοῖς στασιάζουσι. κατῆλθεν οὖν ἐκ τῶν ὑπερῴων τὴν ἱερατικὴν ἐνδεδυμένος στολήν, ἐπεγκαλῶν δῆθεν τοῖς παροῦσιν ὡς βιαζόμενος. οἱ δὲ τῶν στασιαζόντων θρασύτεροι ἢ μᾶλλον δι' ὧν ἡ στάσις συνίστατο μέσον παρειληφότες αὐτὸν πρεσβευτὴν ἠξίουν γενέσθαι πρὸς τὸν βα665 σιλέα, ἵν' αὐτοῖς ἀποδοθείη τὸ ἔγγραφον, ὃ βιασθέντες ὑπογεγράφασιν, ἐπεὶ τῷ Κομνηνῷ ἐκεῖνος ἐσπείσατο. ὁ δὲ πληρώσειν αὐτῶν τὸ αἴτημα κατετίθετο· ἀλλ' ἦσαν προσποίησις ἅπαντα. βραχείας γὰρ παρελθούσης ὥρας βασιλέα καὶ αὐτοκράτορα φανερῶς ἀνεῖπον τὸν Κομνηνόν, αὐτοῦ τοῦ πατριάρχου συνευδοκοῦντός τε καὶ συμπράττοντος, καὶ τῷ μὲν Κομνηνῷ μὴ μέλλειν δηλώσαντος, ἀλλὰ σπεύδειν, καὶ ἀμοιβὰς αἰτοῦντος τῆς ἀναρρήσεως, τῷ δ' ἕως τότε βασιλεύοντι κατιέναι τῶν ἀνακτόρων ἰταμώτερον ἐπιτάττοντος. ἀρχιερέων δὲ τῷ γέροντι Μιχαὴλ τὰ τοῦ πατριάρχου κομισάντων μηνύματα, ἐκεῖνος ἔφη "τί δέ μοι ἀντὶ τῆς βασιλείας παρέξετε;" οἱ δέ "τὴν οὐράνιον βασιλείαν" ἀπεκρίθησαν. αὐτίκα τοίνυν ἀπορρίψας τὰ τῆς βασιλείας παράσημα ἀπῆλθε τῶν βασιλείων. ὁ δέ γε Κομνηνὸς κουροπαλάτην τιμήσας τὸν Κεκαυμένον στέλλει τὸν ἄνδρα μετά τινος δυνάμεως παραληψόμενον τὰ ἀνάκτορα. τὸ μέντοι πλῆθος τῆς πόλεως εἰς ὑπαντὴν τοῦ νέου βασιλέως ἐκκέχυτο λαμπρότατά οἱ ποιοῦν τὰ εἰς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν εἰσιτήρια. Ἕνα μὲν οὖν ὁ Μιχαὴλ αὐταρχήσας ἐνιαυτὸν τῆς βασιλείας ἐκπέπτωκε καὶ οὐ πολὺ ἐν ἰδιωτικῷ σχήματι βιώσας ἀπέτισε τὸ χρεών. ὁ δὲ Κομνηνὸς τῇ βασιλείᾳ ἐγκαταστὰς ἑαυτῷ 666 τὴν ταύτης ἐπιτυχίαν καὶ οὐ τῷ θεῷ ἐπεγράψατο, καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον ὅτι τῷ νομίσματι ξιφήρη ἑαυτὸν ἐνεχάραξε, μόνον οὐχὶ βοῶν ὅτι "τοῦτό μοι τὴν βασιλείαν, οὐχ ἕτερόν τι προυξένησε." τοὺς δὲ συναραμένους αὐτῷ φιλοτιμότατα ἀντημείψατο καὶ ἔσπευσεν ἑκάστῳ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς ἀποδοὺς οἴκαδε παρασκευάσαι ἀποχωρεῖν, ἵνα μή τι θορυβήσωσιν ἢ τοῦ δήμου κατεξαναστῶσιν ἀστυπολοῦντες. τὸν πατριάρχην δὲ δι' αἰδοῦς ἦγεν ὅτι πολλῆς καὶ τοὺς αὐτοῦ ἀδελφόπαιδας δι' ἐκεῖνον καὶ τιμαῖς ἐτίμησε μείζοσι καὶ ἀρχαῖς περιφανέσιν ἐπέστησε. χαριζόμενος δ' ἔτι τῷ πατριάρχῃ καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν πραγμάτων οἰκονομίαν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀπένειμε, μέχρι τότε τοῦ μεγάλου οἰκονόμου προχειριζομένου παρὰ τοῦ βασιλεύοντος, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τοῦ σκευοφύλακος, ἐκεῖνος δὲ καὶ ἄμφω ὑπὸ τὴν τοῦ πατριάρχου ἔθετο ἐξουσίαν, ἀποξενώσας ἀμφοῖν τὸ δημόσιον. εἶτα τὴν μὲν τοῦ βίου αὐτῷ κοινωνὸν Αὐγούσταν ἀνηγόρευσε, τὸν δ' ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάννην κουροπαλάτην τετίμηκε καὶ ὠνόμασε μέγαν δομέστικον. 667 Τῶν δὲ πρὸ αὐτοῦ βασιλέων, ὅσοι μετὰ τὸν πορφυρογέννητον ἐκεῖνον Βασίλειον τῆς