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The Eastern Empire. 
R O 
ried to Zoe. This abandoned woman had admitted to the 
pleasures of her bed, Michael, a handsome Paphlagonian, 
brother to the eunuch John, who was the emperor’s favourite. 
Zoe soon justified the Roman maxim, that every adulteress is 
capable of poisoning her husband: the dose she gave him, 
however, was too slow in its effects; and therefore she 
suborned a wretch to hold his head under water in the bath 
till he was drowned, in the sixth year of his reign. While 
Romanus was expiring, the infamous Zoe sent, in his name, 
for the patriarch, whom she addressed, on his introduction, 
in these words: “ The emperor is dead;—to prevent all 
commotion, marry me therefore immediately to Michael, 
whom you see.” The pontiff at first hesitated ; but a liberal 
douceur vanquished his scruples; and Zoe, scarcely a widow, 
was consigned to the arms of a new husband. 
The whole system of government, and the principal 
agents in the administration, were now changed. The 
ministers of Romanus were either deprived or banished, and 
their places were filled by the creatures of the eunuch John, 
who now seized on the entire authority. Zoe herself was 
not exempted from the effects of the eunuch’s jealousy for 
the support of his usurped power: those attendants of her 
person, in whom she had the greatest confidence, were dis¬ 
placed, and others substituted in their room, who were 
wholly in the interest of John. But a more capital cause 
of disgust, to a woman of her temperament, was to find that 
she had only exchanged one devotee for another. Michael, 
tormented by remorse of conscience, thought only of expia¬ 
ting, by acts of piety and penitence, the crime which had 
raised him to the throne. Besides, he was afflicted with 
epileptic fits, which impaired his reason, and rendered him 
unfit even for nominal sway. An obscure nephew of John’s, 
named Michael Calaphates, was therefore adopted by Zoe, 
and associated in the empire. To him the diadem descended, 
after it had been worn nearly eight years by his uncle. 
In the elevation of his nephew, *the eunuch John seems to 
have ill consulted the temper of the person he had made his 
master. At the instigation of Zoe, Calaphates banished 
both him and another uncle, named Constantine ; and soon 
after, the empress being accused of having employed magic 
against his own person, she was confined in a monastery. 
The disgrace of the eunuch was grateful to the public; but 
the exile of Zoe excited a tumult, which continued for three 
days. Zoe was in consequence restored, and with her eldest 
sister, Theodora, who had led a religious life, was placed on 
the throne. Meanwhile Michael, in order to escape notice, 
sunk into the cloister, alter having worn the purple for four 
months; nor was the empress satisfied with his voluntary 
degradation, but insisted on having his eyes put out, which 
was accordingly put in execution. 
For the space of two months the royal sistersgave audience 
to the ambassadors, and presided in the senate. Theodora 
remained averse to marriage ; but being called upon by her 
subjects to give them an emperor, from the various pretenders 
which arose, she preferred Constantine, surnamed Mono- 
machus, a man of illustrious birth, and agreeable person, 
and to him she gave her hand for the third time. 
Monomachus governed with wisdom and prudence; and 
with as much good fortune as the incursions of the barbarians, 
with which the empire was continually harassed, would 
allow. His health was early broken by the gout: and the 
most memorable transaction of his reign, was his dividing, 
with the consent of Zoe, the nuptial bed, with a widow 
named Selerena. He survived both his wives; and per¬ 
haps might have lived some years longer, had not Theodora, 
on the demise of her sister, caused herself to be proclaimed 
empress.' This bold step so agitated the weakened frame of 
Constantine the Tenth, that he fainted on hearing it, and 
died in the thirteenth year of his reign. 
Theodora filled the throne she had thus assumed with 
honour and dignity: her wisdom in the choice of ministers 
and generals; her impartiality in the distribution of justice, 
as well as the moderation with which she exerted her autho¬ 
rity, gained her the love of her people and the respect of 
surrounding nations. But being advanced in years, she did 
M E. The Eastern Empire. 
not long enjoy the imperial dignity ; and on her death-bed, 
by the advice of her counsellors, she left the sceptre to 
Michael Stratioticus, a decrepid veteran, who seems to have 
had few qualifications to recommend him, except a flexibility 
of temper, which was likely to render him subservient to the 
views of ministry. 
Stratioticus, by his feeble government and imprudent 
conduct, soon raised himself up a dangerous rival. Instead 
of conciliating the generals and soldiery as his chief support, 
he was little cautious to avoid giving them offence. In con¬ 
sequence of their disgust and disaffection to the ruling em¬ 
peror, they began to look about for another; and elected 
one of their own number, whom they designed to place on 
the throne the first favourable opportunity: and so great 
was the negligence or the infatuation of the existing govern¬ 
ment, that the secret was kept many months, till fully 
matured among the accomplices. At last it was divulged ; 
and the court heard with astonishment, that the greatest part 
of the troops of the empire were assembled in a large plain, 
with a new emperor at their head. 
Stratioticus, however, or rather those who ruled in his 
name, collected a sufficient army to venture a battle, the 
issue of which was unpropitious to him, and Isaac Com- 
nenus, who had been raised by the military, immediately 
after marched towards Constantinople, and his power was 
confirmed by the sanction of the senate. 
The family of Comnenus, who now ascended the throne 
of the East, had been long transported from Italy into Asia. 
His father Manuel, in the reign of the second Basil, had 
been very instrumental in appeasing the troubles of the 
empire. He left, in a tender age, two sons, Isaac and John, 
whom he bequeathed to the gratitude of the sovereign. The 
youths were carefully educated, and rapidly advanced to the 
command of armies, and the government of provinces. 
This fraternal union doubled their commendation, and pro¬ 
moted their mutual interest. The first care of Isaac after his 
exaltation, was to reward those who had raised him, 
and his next to replenish the exhausted coffers of the state. 
To effect this, he loaded the people with heavy taxes, 
which, being unprecedented, excited loud murmurs. He 
then fleeced the clergy, and this aggravated his offence. 
The patriarch, who ventured to complain, was displaced 
and banished ; but the emperor finding his health decline 
soon after his succession, was admonished to provide a suc¬ 
cessor. Instead, however, of leaving the throne as a mar¬ 
riage portion to his daughter, his reason decided the prefer¬ 
ence of his brother John ; but the obstinate refusal of John, 
at last induced him to nominate Constantine Ducas, a friend 
of the Comnenian house ; and Isaac, having reigned only a 
few months, retired to a monastery, where he passed the 
short remainder of his days, in exercises of piety and devo¬ 
tion. A. D. 1059. 
Constantine the Eleventh, surnamed Ducas, but ill 
approved the discernment of Isaac. He suffered the taxes to 
remain a cause of discontent and complaint, which became 
the more urgent, as it did not appear that the extraordinary 
levies contributed to the happiness of the people. The em¬ 
peror was continually harassed by invasions: the Turks 
were become truly formidable; and Ducas, instead of 
repulsing them by his armies, endeavoured to buy off their 
hostility by donations to their generals. These received his 
presents; and, as may reasonably be supposed, soon re¬ 
turned to extort more, by new ravages. 
In this manner Ducas held the reins of government for 
upwards of five years, when, being reduced to the last 
extremity by an incurable disease, he left the empire to his 
three sons, Michael, Andronicus, and Constantine, 
who had been invested with the equal title of Augustus, at 
an early age ; and named their mother, the empress Eudocia, 
regent during their minority, after having obliged her to 
take an oath never to enter again into the state of matri¬ 
mony. 
Two very potent motives, loye and necessity, in the space 
of a few months obliged the empress to violate her vow. 
The discontented and ambitious, taking advantage of some 
public 
