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of the people released him. And they indeed renounced his mother, but they acclaimed Constantine as emperor. And the emperor, having entered the city, exiled all the members of his father's household, and also flogged, tonsured, and exiled Staurakios; and he settled his mother, with her property intact, in the palace of 2.25 Eleutherios, which she herself had built, in which she had hidden most of her money. And there was a fire, and both the triclinium of the patriarchate, called the Thomaïtes, and the vaults beneath it were burned, where the drafts of all scripture were stored, which Saint John Chrysostom had interpreted. And the flame passed as far as the Milion and the Quaestorium, spreading everywhere, until it burned everything down. And the emperor went out against the Bulgarians, and having defeated them, he returned. Likewise, he also went to Tarsus with a large army against the Arabs, and having taken many captives, he returned. And the emperor, having been urged by his own mother and by many of those in power, proclaimed her again, and ordered that she be acclaimed as from the beginning. But while all were obeying, only the Armeniacs revolted, and they sought Alexios Mosele. Therefore, both because of this demand, and because some were saying that he was about to become emperor, he flogged and tonsured him and imprisoned him. In the second year, he campaigned against the Bulgarians, and encountering Kardam, the lord of the Bulgarians, he lost a multitude of people and commanders, and the tent and all the baggage and the horses, and barely escaping himself, he entered the city. In the same month, on the basis of slander from some, the emperor went out to Saint Mamas and blinded Nikephoros and Christophoros, his uncles, the sons of Constantine his grandfather. And he cut out the tongues of another Christophoros and Niketas, Anthimos and Eudokimos, and he blinded Alexios 2.26 Mosele. But the justice of God did not leave them unavenged for long; for after five years, in the same month and on the same day, Constantine himself was blinded. And having also subjected the Armeniacs by war, he punished their commanders, by branding on their faces with black ink "Armeniac conspirator;" whom he also exiled to Sicily and the other islands. And the emperor, hating his wife Maria at the instigation of his mother, who desired power, so that he might be hated (for the emperor had evil suspicions against Maria), persuades her to become a nun. And he crowned Theodote, his mother's cubicularia, to whom he was also unlawfully betrothed. When Patriarch Tarasios opposed these things, Constantine declared to him, "If this does not happen, I will open the temples of the idols." Therefore the patriarch, being afraid, allowed him, saying to many that he would not end his life peacefully. And the emperor celebrated his wedding in the palace of Saint Mamas for four days. And the abbot of Stoudios and others broke communion with the patriarch because of the emperor's unlawful marriage. Against whom the emperor also wrought many afflictions; but his mother defended them. In the sixth year, Kardam, the lord of the Bulgarians, wrote to the emperor, "Either pay me tributes, or I am coming as far as the Golden Gate." But the emperor sent to him, saying that, "I have sent you such tributes 2.27 as are fitting for you. You are an old man, and I do not want you to tire yourself by coming here, but I will come to you, and whatever God judges." And having gathered an army, the emperor went out against him and pursued him to his own lands. In the seventh year, the emperor went out with his mother to Prousa to take the hot baths, and after a few days a son was born to the emperor, whom he named Leo. When the emperor learned this, he left his mother with the entire imperial retinue and the commanders, and returned hastily to the city. And his mother, finding an opportunity, suborned all the commanders of the tagmata to depose her son and to rule alone. and indeed when he arrived at the palace, his mother not being present, they shut him in

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τοῦ λαοῦ ἀπέλυσεν αὐτόν. καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν τὴν μητέρα τούτου ἀπεκήρυξαν, τὸν δὲ Κωνσταντῖνον αὐτοκράτορα εὐφήμησαν. εἰσελθὼν δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει πάντας τοὺς οἰκειακοὺς τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Σταυράκιον δείρας καὶ κουρεύσας ἐξώρισε, τὴν δὲ μητέρα αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῆς ἀπαθείας αὐτῆς ἐκάθισεν ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ τοῦ 2.25 Ἐλευθερίου, ὃ αὐτὴ ᾠκοδόμησεν, ἐν ᾧ τὰ πλεῖστα χρήματα κατέ κρυψεν. ἐγένετο δὲ ἐμπρησμός, καὶ ἐκαύθη ὅ τε τρίκλινος τοῦ πατριαρχείου, ὁ λεγόμενος Θωμαΐτης, καὶ αἱ ὑποκάτω αὐτοῦ κα μάραι, ἔνθα ἀπέκειτο τὰ σχέδη πάσης γραφῆς, ἃ ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος. καὶ διῆλθεν ἡ φλὸξ ἕως τοῦ μι λίου καὶ τοῦ κοιαιστωρείου πανταχόσε ἐπινεμομένη, ἕως οὗ πάντα κατέκαυσεν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐξῆλθε κατὰ Βουλγάρων, καὶ τού τους νικήσας ὑπέστρεψεν. ὡσαύτως καὶ ἐν Ταρσῷ μετὰ στρατοῦ πολλοῦ ἀπῆλθε κατὰ Ἀράβων, καὶ αἰχμαλωτίσας πολλοὺς ὑπέ στρεψε. παρακληθεὶς δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑπὸ τῆς ἰδίας μητρὸς καὶ πολλῶν τῶν ἐν τέλει αὖθις ἀναγορεύει αὐτήν, καὶ εὐφημεῖσθαι ὡς ἐξ ἀρχῆς διεκελεύσατο. πάντων δὲ πειθαρχούντων μόνοι οἱ Ἀρμενιακοὶ στασιάζουσι, καὶ ἐπιζητοῦσιν Ἀλέξιον τὸν Μωσηλέ. τοῦτον οὖν καὶ διὰ ταύτην τὴν ζήτησιν, καὶ διὰ τὸ λέγειν τινὰς ὡς μέλλει βασιλεύειν, δείρας καὶ κουρεύσας ἐφυλάκισε. Τῷ βʹ ἔτει ἐπιστρατεύει κατὰ Βουλγάρων, καὶ συναντήσας Καρδάμῃ τῷ κυρίῳ Βουλγάρων, πλῆθος λαοῦ καὶ ἀρχόντων ἀπο βαλὼν καὶ τὴν κόρτην καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ὑπουργίαν καὶ τοὺς ἵππους, μόλις αὐτὸς διαφυγὼν εἰσῆλθεν ἐν τῇ πόλει. τῷ δ' αὐτῷ μηνὶ ἐκ συκοφαντίας τινῶν ἐξελθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ Μάμαντι ἐκτυφλοῖ Νικηφόρον καὶ Χριστοφόρον τοὺς θείους αὐτοῦ, υἱοὺς Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ πάππου αὐτοῦ. Χριστοφόρον δὲ ἄλλον καὶ Νικήταν Ἄνθιμον καὶ Εὐδόκιμον ἐγλωσσοκόπησε, καὶ Ἀλέξιον τὸν 2.26 Μωσηλὲ ἐτύφλωσεν. ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ δίκη ἀνεκδική τους αὐτοὺς εἴασε· μετὰ γὰρ εʹ ἔτη τῷ αὐτῷ μηνὶ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ τυφλοῦται ὁ αὐτὸς Κωνσταντῖνος. ὑποτάξας δὲ καὶ τοὺς Ἀρμε νιακοὺς πολέμῳ, τοὺς ἄρχοντας αὐτῶν ἐποινάλισεν, ἐπιγράψας εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν μέλανι κεντητῷ "Ἀρμενιακὸς ἐπίβουλος·" οὓς καὶ ἐξώρισεν ἔν τε Σικελίᾳ καὶ ταῖς λοιπαῖς νήσοις. μισήσας δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα Μαρῖναν ὑποβολῇ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ μητρός, ἐφιεμένης τῆς ἀρχῆς, πρὸς τὸ μισηθῆναι αὐτὸν (ἔσχε γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς πονηρὰς ὑπολήψεις κατὰ τῆς Μαρίνης) πείθει αὐτὴν γενέσθαι μοναχήν. ἔστεψε δὲ Θεοδότην κουβικουλαρίαν τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ, ᾗ καὶ ἐμνηστεύθη παρανόμως. ἐπὶ τούτοις τοῦ πατριάρχου Ταρασίου ἀντιπίπτοντος δηλοῖ αὐτῷ Κωνσταν τῖνος "εἰ μὴ τοῦτο γένηται, τοὺς ναοὺς τῶν εἰδώλων ἀνοίγω." ὅθεν ὁ πατριάρχης φοβηθεὶς εἴασεν αὐτόν, εἰπὼν πρὸς πολλοὺς ὅτι οὐ καταλύσει τὸν βίον εἰρηνικῶς. καὶ ἐποίησε τὸν γάμον αὐ τοῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ τοῦ ἁγίου Μάμαντος ἡμέρας δʹ. ἀπέσχισαν δὲ τοῦ πατριάρχου τῆς κοινωνίας ὁ τοῦ Στουδίου ἡγού μενος καὶ λοιποὶ διὰ τὸν παράνομον γάμον τοῦ βασιλέως. εἰς οὓς καὶ πολλὰς θλίψεις εἰργάζετο ὁ βασιλεύς· ἡ δὲ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ ὑπερησπίζετο αὐτῶν. Τῷ ʹ ἔτει Καρδάμης ὁ κύριος Βουλγάρων ἔγραψε τῷ βασι λεῖ "ἢ τέλεσόν μοι πάκτα, ἢ ἔρχομαι ἕως τῆς χρυσῆς πόρτης." ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀπέστειλεν αὐτῷ εἰπὼν ὅτι οἷα δὴ πρέπει σοι πάκτα 2.27 ἀπέστειλα. γέρων δὲ εἶ, καὶ οὐ θέλω κοπωθῆναί σε ἕως τῶν ὧδε, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ ἔρχομαι πρὸς σέ, καὶ εἴ τι κρίνει ὁ θεός. συνα θροίσας δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς λαὸν ἐξῆλθε κατ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐδίωξεν αὐτὸν ἕως εἰς τὰ ἴδια. Τῷ ζʹ ἔτει ἐξῆλθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς σὺν τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ Προύσῃ θερμῆσαι, καὶ μεθ' ἡμέρας ὀλίγας ἐτέχθη τῷ βασιλεῖ υἱός, ὃν ἐπωνόμασε Λέοντα. ὅπερ μαθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς καταλιμ πάνει τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ σὺν τῇ βασιλικῇ πάσῃ τάξει καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσι, καὶ ὑποστρέφει δρομαῖος ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν. εὑροῦσα δὲ ἄδειαν ἡ τούτου μήτηρ πάντας ὑποσύρει τοὺς τῶν ταγμάτων ἄρ χοντας πρὸς τὸ καθελεῖν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς καὶ μονοκρατορῆσαι. καὶ δὴ παραγενόμενον ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ, τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ μὴ παρού σης, ἀπέκλεισαν αὐτὸν