Theodosios Monomachos, Latinized as Theodosius Monomachus (), was a senior Byzantine noble and the nephew of Emperor

Constantine IX Monomachos Constantine IX Monomachos (; 980/ 1000 – 11 January 1055) reigned as Byzantine emperor from June 1042 to January 1055. Empress Zoë Porphyrogenita chose him as a husband and co-emperor in 1042, although he had been exiled for conspiring agai ...

. When Constantine's successor, the Empress

Theodora Theodora may refer to: * Theodora (given name), a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift" Historical figures known as Theodora Byzantine empresses * Theodora (wife of Justinian I) ( 500 – 548), saint by the Orthodox Church * Theodo ...

, died in 1056, Monomachos tried to usurp the throne but failed miserably, was exiled and became a figure of mockery in the empire.

Career

Theodosios Monomachos was the grandson of another Theodosios Monomachos, an important bureaucrat under

Basil II Basil II Porphyrogenitus (; 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer (, ), was the senior Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025. He and his brother Constantine VIII were crowned before their father Romanos II died in 963, but t ...

and

Constantine VIII Constantine VIII (;Also called Porphyrogenitus (), although the epithet is almost exclusively used for Constantine VII. 960 – 11/12 November 1028) was ''de jure'' Byzantine emperor from 962 until his death. He was the younger son of Empe ...

and the nephew of Emperor

, ruler of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

.Norwich, pg. 327 In 1056 he was serving as president of the Byzantine Senate, an important administrative role reserved for senior members of the aristocracy.Finlay, pg. 530

Bid for the throne

Background

Constantine IX died on 11 January 1055 without a legitimate heir. As he lay dying, he was persuaded by his councillors to ignore the rights of the elderly Empress

and to pass the throne to the doux (Duke) of the

Theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical appearance for certain software. * Theme (linguistics), topic * Theme ( ...

of Bulgaria, Nikephoros Proteuon. The plan was forestalled by Theodora, who vigorously asserted her right to rule. She came out of retirement, convened the Senate and was proclaimed "emperor" by the imperial guard, shortly before Constantine died. Theodora was in good health, active and disinclined to face her own mortality, despite being seventy-six years old. The patriarch Michael Keroularios advocated that she should advance a subject to the throne through marriage to her, something which would have assured the succession. Theodora refused to consider a token marriage or to name an heir to the throne. She became gravely ill with an intestinal disorder in late August 1056. On 31 August her advisors selected Michael Bringas, an aged civil servant and former military finance minister, to be emperor. According to

Michael Psellus Michael Psellos or Psellus (, ) was a Byzantine Greek monk, savant, writer, philosopher, imperial courtier, historian and music theorist. He was born in 1017 or 1018, and is believed to have died in 1078, although it has also been maintained tha ...

(1017/18–1078/96) his main attraction was that "he was less qualified to rule than he was to be ruled and directed by others". Theodora was unable to speak but her ministers decided that she had nodded at an appropriate moment; the Patriarch refused to believe it.Norwich, pg. 327

Failed putsch

When Theodosios Monomachos heard that Theodora was dying he assumed that he would be selected as the next emperor. Hearing of the stalemate he decided to force the issue. He armed his household slaves and stormed the prison, arming the inmates. With this core of support and assisted by his son he rallied a mob behind him and marched through the streets of

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

to the Palace. There his supporters in the imperial court hoped to present their colleagues with a ''fait accompli'', similar to that of Theodora's the year before.Finlay, pg. 530Norwich, pg. 327 When the

Varangian Guard The Varangian Guard () was an elite unit of the Byzantine army from the tenth to the fourteenth century who served as personal bodyguards to the Byzantine emperors. The Varangian Guard was known for being primarily composed of recruits from Nort ...

, the imperial bodyguards, heard of this they formed up outside the Palace to stop him. They were reinforced by a hastily mustered group of sailors from the nearby imperial docks. Monomachos lost heart and headed for

Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia (; ; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque (; ), is a mosque and former Church (building), church serving as a major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The last of three church buildings to be successively ...

, the main cathedral, to enlist the support of the Patriarch.Norwich, pg. 327 By the time he arrived, many of his followers had drifted away. Horrified at the near riot on the streets, the Patriarch had barred the cathedral doors against him.Norwich, pg. 327 The Patriarch hurried to the Palace, where Bringas was crowned as Michael VI; Theodora died later the same day. Theodosios and his son were captured sitting on the outside steps of the church, abandoned by all. Surprisingly, this action was treated as street theatre rather than treason; Michael VI merely banished them to

Pergamum Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; ), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Aeolis. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on the north side of the river ...

. This increased the new emperor's popularity with the citizens of the city; they openly mocked Theodosios, composing insulting verses about his failed coup and calling out "The moron Monomachus did whatever he thought of". He was remembered on the streets of Constantinople as "Monomachus the moron".Zonaras 18.1.14Norwich, pg. 327

References

Sources

Primary Sources

* John Zonaras, ''Extracts of History'' * John Skylitzes, ''Synopsis of Histories''

Secondary Sources

* George Finlay, ''History of the Byzantine Empire from 716 – 1057'', William Blackwood & Sons, 1853 Edinburgh; London * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Monomachos, Theodosios 11th-century Byzantine people Byzantine usurpers Theodosios Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown