A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

1078 MICHAEL. MICHAEL.'
son of the emperor Constantine XI., Ducas, who' created Caesar after the captivity of John, retrieved
died in 1059, shortly after appointing his three the fortune of the Greeks. Bodinus lost several
sons, Michael, Andronicus, and Constantine, to battles, and fell into the hands of Bryennius, who,
succeed him in joint possession of the crown. On on the order of Michael, sent him as a state prisoner
account of their tender age, their mother, Eudoxia, to some fortress in Syria, whence, however,, the
reigned for them; and having married Romanus young prince escaped and retirned to Servia, over
Diogenes, this distinguished general enjoyed the imn- which he became king after the death of his father.
perial title and power till he was made a prisoner by Bryennius likewise compelled the Servians to sue
Alp Arslan, the sultan of the Seljuks, in August, for peace; purged the Adriatic and the Ionian
1071. When hiscaptivitybecame known at Constan- sea of the Norman pirates; and quelled a dangerous
tinople, Joannes Caesar caused his nephew, Michael, mutiny of some of his barbarian auxiliaries, who
to be proclaimed emperor, with a view of reigning were headed' by Nestor, the commander-in-chief of
under his name. Soon afterwards Romanus re- the army of observation on the Danube. His
turned from his captivity, but he came too late to success deserved reward, but earning disgrace inretrieve his fate: he was seized and blinded, and stead, he listened to the persuasive wishes of his
died from the operation in October,' 1071. Eudoxia numerous friends, raised the standard of rebellion,
was confined in a prison; and these atrocities were and was proclaimed emperor under the walls of
committed without Michael taking the least step Adrianople. He despatched his brother John to
to prevent them. lay siege to Constantinople, while he continued to
John', archbishop of Sida, in Pamiphylia, John consolidate his authority in Thrace and Macedonia.
the Caesar, Nicephorizus, and other ministers, now The capital was gallantly defended by Constantine
governed the empire for Michael. Enraged that Ducas, Alexis Comnenus, and Ursel, who was rethe ransom for which he had restored the late stored to liberty on condition of employing his
Romanus to liberty was not'paid by Michael, great military talents for the defence of the emperor.
sultan Alp Arslan invaded the empire in 1072. Meanwhile, another rebellion broke out in the East.
Isaac and Alexis Comnenus commanded the Greek. Only ten days after Bryennius had assumed the
army against him. Owing to the want of discipline imperial title his example was followed by Niof his troops, Isaac lost a battle and his liberty, cephorus Botaniates in Asia Minor, who advanced
but was soon ransomed by Alexis. The two bro- Iwith an army mostly composed of Turks, and soolj
thcro prearsred for takinot r~orng., wh]n affair# re- penetrated as far as Nicaea. At that time Concelvea a diferent turn, through the datfindn.AlSil~tM tUIltillnI1e 1 nb alle1oea 8 lie bi laeiqul Iy Juhnl
of one Ursel, a kinsman of the klngs of Scotland, Bryennius, whose men were too licentious to hold
and the commander of a body of European auxili- out long against well-disciplined troops, commanded
aries in the Greek service. Having made himself by the best generals of Greece, and he consequently
master of most of the strongholds and mountain withdrew to the head-quarters of his brother. The
passes in the anti-Taurus and portions of Armenia conduct of the emperor during this crisis was so
and Lazica, he ceased at once to fight against the contemptible that the approach of Botaniates created
T'urks and to help the Greeks, intending to make joy among the people, and caused great satisfaction
himself independent in those parts. For this pur- to a crowd of disaffected generals and ambitious
pose he intrigued with John the Caesar, who priests: they sent a deputatiom to him, inviting
joined him, and was prbclaimed emperor of the him formally to occupy the imperial throne; and
Greeks by the Frankish auxiliaries. Both the he of course complied with their wishes. Michael,
Greeks and Turks looked at these proceedings forsaken by all his adherents except Alexis and
wvith wonder, when the latter, impatient to come to Isaac Comnenus, who stood with him to the last
blows, fell upon John and Ursel, defeated them, moment, abandoned all hopes of resisting so forand made them both prisoners. Ursel soon re- midable an enemy, and without regret resigned the
deemed himself, and retired into Pontus, whither crown to Botaniates, on the 25th of March, 1078.
he was followed by Nicephorus Palaeologus, who The ensuing struggle between Botaniates and
gained a decisive battle over him. On his flight, Bryennius belongs to the history of the former.
Ursel was again taken by the Turks. Alexis Michael was allowed to retire into a convent, and
Comnenus, wishing to obtain possession of this Botaniates had so little fear of his harmless characdangerous adventurer, offered a large bribe to the ter that he made him Archbishop of Ephesus, a
Turks for his person; and having attained his post for which the ex-emperor was decidedly more
ends, sent him to Constantinople (1073), where fit than for the throne of Constantinople. As
he was kept in prison. weak-minded as his father, Michael had the misIn 1074 the Bulgarians, exasperated by the fortune to be put under the tutorship of the wellinsatiable avarice of the minister Nicephorizus, known Michael Psellus, a learned pedant, who, inattempted to throw off the Greek yoke, and offered stead of making the young prince fit to rule over
the crown to Bodinus, the grandson of Michael, man, by teaching him law and history, and enking of Servia, who accepted it, and came to their larging his mind, which was already narrow enough,
assistance with a body of his countrymen. Bul- instructed him chiefly in grammar and rhetoric,
garia was'then governed by Nicephorus Carentenus, thus creating in the young man an artificial taste
a very competent mans who had taken proper for such studies, which never left him in after life,
measures for quelling the revolt, when he was pre- and made his mind quite unfit for the severe
vented from carrying them out by the arrival of business of government and legislation. While
Damianus Dalassenus, who was sent to supersede Michael was a boy Psellus was proud of him, behim as governor. Dalassenus owed his promotion cause his pupil was more learned than other boys
to some court intrigue, and six weeks after his of his age, but when he became a man and a king,
appointment had the satisfaction of seeing himself Psellus felt ashamed of him and himself, and to
a prisoner of the Bulgarians, and his army flying this feeling we must needs ascribe the circumstance
through the country. Bryennius, who had been that he did not extend his "history' to the reign