191

obedient. And with matters standing thus, the leading men of the eastern rulers, having come together, went into the throes of revolt, and chose the curopalates Nikephoros Botaneiates as emperor and proclaimed him autocrator. This filled the emperor with turmoil and fear; for it was known that the letter Nu would one day overcome the letter Mu. Botaneiates was one of the nobles, believed to trace the line of his family from Phokas. The emperor therefore sent a message to the Turks, promising them lavish gifts if they would seize the rebels and hand them over to him. Botaneiates, therefore, having put on the appearance and name of emperor from the east, as has been said, was proceeding toward Byzantium. From the west, however, another surge of rebellion broke out; for the proedros Nikephoros Bryennios, being douk of Dyrrachion, when he learned that he had been stripped of his 716 office, also revolted and put on the imperial insignia and, escorted by the regiments present there, went to Adrianople, from where he had also set out, and there, having joined his brother John, he persuaded a multitude of soldiers from there, both foreign and Macedonian, to support his tyranny and began it. And Theodorokanos, having engaged with some of Bryennios' men, was defeated and captured. And the men of Rhaidestos also flocked to Bryennios, as well as the inhabitants of Panion. Bryennios therefore held fast to the revolt, having honored his brother as curopalates and sent him with a force to Byzantium, as if to take it immediately. For he was buoyed up by hopes that, with open arms, as the saying goes, the members of the senatorial council would receive him on account of their enmity toward the logothete Nikephoros and the emperor's simplicity; but events did not turn out for him according to his purpose. For those who were sent, having come to the wall of Blachernae, did engage in skirmishes, but accomplished nothing. From where, crossing the bridge to the mainland opposite the city, they set fire to the buildings that happened to be there and from there returned to Athyras. 717 Thus the emperor, being beset on all sides, releases Rousselios from his bonds and, having won the man over with words and money, persuades him to attack the brother of Bryennios, along with the proedros Alexios Komnenos, who was commanding the force available to the emperor at Byzantium. Learning this, the brother of Bryennios managed to escape. Of the Macedonians, however, many were caught; some fell, and others were captured. Meanwhile, a multitude of Patzinaks also came against Adrianople and, encamping around it, they plundered the surrounding country, whom Bryennios received and persuaded with money to move away from the city. And at Cyzicus, when his brother went there and tried to win over the people, Rousselios met him and utterly routed him. Just when the patriarch John Xiphilinos passed away to the eternal abodes, having shepherded the church for ten years and seven months, the monk Kosmas was appointed patriarch, a man not versed in words, but adorned with all kinds of virtues and for this reason also exceptionally honored by the emperor. 718 Botaneiates, however, having acquired for himself regiments from various peoples, also made allies of the Turks, who were led by Kutlumush, one of the notable men among the Persians, who, being related by family to the sultan, was disputing the rule with him, and they were already preparing to go to war. When this was announced to the caliph (who is exceedingly honored among them, as he is believed to be descended from the family of Muhammad), it threw him into distress, lest a civil war should break out among them. Immediately, therefore, even though it is customary for the caliph not to leave his own abode nor to appear in public, he, despising the custom, goes out and goes away to those contending for the rule and persuades them to abstain from battle, and for the sultan to keep his own rule unimpaired, but to support his kinsman

191

ὑπήκοον. Οὕτω δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐχόντων, οἱ τῶν ἑῴων ἀρχόντων προέχοντες συνελθόντες ἀποστασίαν ὠδίνησαν, καὶ τὸν κουροπαλάτην Νικηφόρον τὸν Βοτανειάτην εἰς βασιλέα προείλοντο καὶ ἀνηγόρευσαν αὐτοκράτορα. τοῦτο τὸν βασιλέα θορύβου καὶ δέους ἐνέπλησεν· ᾔδετο γὰρ ὡς ὑπερτερήσει ποτὲ τοῦ ΜΥ στοιχείου τὸ ΝΥ. ἦν δὲ τῶν εὐπατριδῶν ὁ Βοτανειάτης, ἐκ τοῦ Φωκᾶ τὴν τοῦ γένους ἕλκων σειρὰν νομιζόμενος. διακηρυκεύεται τοίνυν πρὸς τοὺς Τούρκους ὁ βασιλεύς, ἁδρὰς αὐτοῖς ἐπαγγελλόμενος δωρεάς, εἰ τοὺς ἀποστατήσαντας συσχόντες παραδοῖεν αὐτῷ. ὁ μὲν οὖν Βοτανειάτης ἐξ ἑῴας, ὡς εἴρηται, βασιλείας ἑαυτῷ περιθέμενος σχῆμα καὶ ὄνομα ἐφοίτα πρὸς τὸ Βυζάντιον. ἐξ ἑσπέρας δ' αὖθις ἑτέρας ἀποστασίας ἐπεκυμάνθη κλυδώνιον· ὁ γὰρ πρόεδρος Νικηφόρος ὁ Βρυέννιος δοὺξ ∆υρραχίου τυγχάνων, ἐπεὶ μεμαθήκει ἀφαιρεθεὶς τὴν 716 ἀρχήν, ἀφίσταται καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ περιβάλλεται τὰ τῆς βασιλείας παράσημα καὶ τοῖς ἐκεῖ παροῦσι δορυφορούμενος τάγμασιν εἰς τὴν Ἀδριανούπολιν ἀπῄει, ἀφ' ἧσπερ καὶ ὥρμητο, καὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ Ἰωάννῃ ἐκεῖ ἑνωθεὶς πλῆθός τε στρατιωτῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἐθνικῶν τε καὶ Μακεδόνων πείσας συνάρασθαί οἱ τῆς τυραννίδος ἀπήρξατο. τισὶ δὲ τῶν τοῦ Βρυεννίου ὁ Θεοδωροκάνος συμμίξας ἡττᾶταί τε καὶ ἁλίσκεται. προσερρύησαν δὲ τῷ Βρυεννίῳ καὶ οἱ Ῥαιδεστηνοί, ἀλλὰ μέντοι καὶ οἱ οἰκοῦντες τὸ Πάνιον. εἴχετο τοίνυν τῆς ἀποστασίας ὁ Βρυέννιος κραταιῶς, τὸν ἀδελφὸν κουροπαλάτην τιμήσας καὶ στείλας σὺν δυνάμει πρὸς τὸ Βυζάντιον, ὡς αὐτίκα τοῦτο παραληψόμενον. ᾐώρητο γὰρ ἐλπίσιν ὡς ὑπτίαις, τὸ τοῦ λόγου, χερσὶν οἱ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς αὐτὸν ὑποδέξονται διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν λογοθέτην Νικηφόρον ἀπέχθειαν καὶ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως ἀφέλειαν· ἀλλ' οὐ κατὰ τὸν σκοπὸν αὐτῷ καὶ τὰ πράγματα ἀπηντήκασιν. ἐπελθόντες γὰρ οἱ σταλέντες τῷ τείχει τῶν Βλαχερνῶν ἠκροβολίσαντο μέν, ἤνυσαν δὲ οὐδέν. ὅθεν διὰ τῆς γεφύρας διαβάντες εἰς τὴν ἀντικρὺ τῆς πόλεως ἤπειρον τὰς ἐκεῖ τυγχανούσας οἰκοδομὰς παρέδοσαν τῷ πυρὶ κἀκεῖθεν εἰς τὸν Ἀθύραν ὑπέστρεψαν. 717 οὕτω δ' ὁ βασιλεὺς περιστατούμενος πάντοθεν τὸν Ῥουσέλιον λύει τε τῶν δεσμῶν καὶ ῥήμασι καὶ χρήμασι τὸν ἄνδρα ἐκμειλιξάμενος ἐπελθεῖν πείθει τῷ τοῦ Βρυεννίου ὁμαίμονι μετὰ τοῦ προέδρου Ἀλεξίου τοῦ Κομνηνοῦ, στραταρχοῦντος τῆς τῷ βασιλεῖ κατὰ τὸ Βυζάντιον προσούσης δυνάμεως. ὃ μαθὼν ὁ τοῦ Βρυεννίου ἀδελφὸς ἔφθη διαδράς. τῶν Μακεδόνων μέντοι καταληφθέντες πολλοὶ οἱ μὲν ἔπεσον, οἱ δ' ἑάλωσαν. Ἐν τοσούτῳ δὲ καὶ Πατζινάκων πλῆθος ἐπῆλθε κατὰ Ἀδριανουπόλεως καὶ περὶ ταύτην παρεμβαλόντες τὴν πέριξ αὐτῶν ἐληίζοντο χώραν, οὓς ὁ Βρυέννιος δεξιωσάμενος χρήμασι μεταναστῆναι τῆς πόλεως ἔπεισε. περὶ δέ γε τὴν Κύζικον τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ ἀπελθόντι καὶ πειρωμένῳ ὑπαγαγέσθαι τοὺς ἐκεῖ ὁ Ῥουσέλιος ἐντυχὼν ἐτρέψατο κατὰ κράτος αὐτόν. Ἄρτι δὲ τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἰωάννου τοῦ Ξιφιλίνου πρὸς τὰς αἰωνίους μεταθεμένου μονὰς ἐπὶ δέκα ἐνιαυτοὺς ἐφ' ἑνὶ καὶ μησὶν ἑπτὰ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ποιμάναντος προεχειρίσθη πατριάρχης Κοσμᾶς μοναχός, λόγοις μὲν οὐχ ὡμιληκώς, ἀρεταῖς δὲ παντοίαις κοσμούμενος καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως ἐξόχως τιμώμενος. 718 Ὁ μέντοι Βοτανειάτης ἐκ διαφόρων γενῶν ἑαυτῷ περιποιησάμενος τάγματα καὶ Τούρκους προσηταιρίσατο, ὧν ἐξῆρχεν ὁ Κουτλουμοῦς, τῶν παρὰ Πέρσαις τυγχάνων περιφανῶν, ὃς τῷ σουλτάνῳ κατὰ γένος προσήκων περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτῷ διεφέρετο, καὶ πρὸς πολέμους ἤδη χωρεῖν ἡτοιμάζοντο. τοῦτο τῷ χαλιφᾷ ἀγγελθέν (οὗτος δὲ παρ' αὐτοῖς ὑπερβαλλόντως τετίμηται, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ γένους τοῦ Μουχούμετ κατάγεσθαι νομιζόμενος) εἰς ἀγωνίαν ἐνέβαλεν ἵνα μὴ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐμφύλιος γένηται πόλεμος. αὐτίκα τοίνυν εἰ καὶ τῆς οἰκείας διατριβῆς μὴ ἐξιέναι τῷ χαλιφᾷ μηδὲ δημοσιεύειν νενόμισται, ἐκεῖνος τοῦ ἔθους καταφρονήσας ἔξεισι καὶ ἄπεισι πρὸς τοὺς περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀντερίζοντας καὶ πείθει τούτους τῆς μὲν μάχης ἀφέξεσθαι, τὸν δὲ σουλτὰν ἔχειν μὲν τὴν οἰκείαν ἀρχὴν ἀνακρωτηρίαστον, συνάρασθαι δὲ τῷ συγγενεῖ