Domestic policies |leftMichael IV was handsome, clever and generous, but epilepsy and a lack of education prevented him from assuming many of his imperial duties. He was initially reliant on others to direct the government in his name, and afforded significant responsibilities to his brother John, who had already become an influential minister under Constantine VIII and Romanos III. Zoë was disappointed in her hopes that Michael would prove a more devoted husband than Romanos. Fearing that the empress might turn on him as she had turned on his predecessor, Michael excluded her from politics and confined her to the palace gynaeceum'' (women's quarters). There a watch was kept on Zoë’s activities, and Michael seldom visited her. John's reforms of the army and financial system revived the strength of the Empire against its foreign enemies but increased taxes, which caused discontent among the nobility and the commons. John's monopoly of the government and the introduction of such taxes as the
Aerikon led to several conspiracies against him and Michael. Poor harvests and famine caused by bad weather and by a locust plague in 1035 exacerbated discontent. When Michael tried to exercise a measure of control over
Aleppo, the local citizens drove off the imperial governor. There were revolts at
Antioch,
Nicopolis and in
Bulgaria. exiles Constantine Dalassenos. In 1034 Michael ordered the arrest of
Constantine Dalassenos on suspicion of treason, accused of fomenting insurrection at Antioch. In 1037 Zoë conspired to have John the Eunuch poisoned.
Foreign and military affairs '' of Michael IV. In terms of military affairs, Michael's reign began poorly. The Arabs sacked
Myra, the
Serbs threw off Byzantine authority and the
Pechenegs raided almost at will up to the gates of Thessalonica. The situation was soon stabilised: on the eastern frontier, Arab pirates were either captured or killed; the Byzantines captured the
Muslim fortress of
Perkri, on the eastern shore of
Lake Van;
Edessa was relieved after a long siege and eventually ceded to the empire in 1037. On the western front, Michael and John ordered the general
George Maniakes to conquer the
Emirate of Sicily. In 1038 Maniakes landed in southern Italy and soon captured
Messina. He then defeated the scattered Arab forces and captured towns in the west and south of the island. By 1040 he had stormed and taken
Syracuse. He almost succeeded in driving the Arabs from the island, but Maniakes then fell out with his
Lombard allies, while his
Norman mercenaries, unhappy with their pay, abandoned the Byzantine general and raised a revolt on the Italian mainland, resulting in the temporary loss of
Bari. Maniakes was about to strike against them when he was recalled by John the Eunuch on suspicion of conspiracy. After Maniakes's recall, most of the Sicilian conquests were lost and an expedition against the Normans suffered several defeats, although Bari was eventually recaptured. . In the north, Pecheneg pressure had initially forced the Serbs to seek the protection of the Byzantine Empire and acknowledge Byzantine authority. In 1040 the Serbs again revolted, as did the
Bulgarians.
This uprising was partly caused by the heavy taxation in coin (and not, as before, in kind) imposed on Bulgaria by John's policies. It also aimed at the restoration of the Bulgarian state under the leadership of
Peter Delyan. The rebels seized
Belgrade, proclaimed Delyan Emperor of Bulgaria and then quickly took
Scupi. Michael IV made things worse by removing from command the
doux of
Dyrrhachium, who had been marching against Peter Delyan, accusing him of a conspiracy. His troops, largely Bulgarian, joined the revolt and Delyan laid siege to Thessalonica. Dyrrhachium had been lost and Delyan defeated the
Strategos of
Hellas. Most of the
theme of
Nicopolis had risen up against Michael, disgusted with the greed of John the Eunuch.
Final illness and death .
He is depicted wearing a monastic koukoulion''. Despite his triumphant campaign, it was now clear to all that Michael was dying. He sought heavenly aid by visiting the shrine of
Saint Demetrius at Thessalonica and by building or rebuilding churches. In 1039 he gave monetary gifts to every monk and priest in the empire and also to any parents who made him a godfather to their children. John the Eunuch, eager to ensure that power remained in his hands, forced Zoë to adopt Michael's and his nephew, their sister's son, also named Michael. After taking Holy Orders, on 10 December 1041 Michael IV died, refusing to the last to see his wife, who begged that she be allowed to visit him one more time. His nephew was crowned emperor as
Michael V. ==See also==