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Marriage of Empress Zoe and Michael IV
On 11 April 1034, Byzantine Empress Zoe married her lover Michael IV on the very day her husband Romanos III died, providing him legitimacy and enabl…
Timeline
- 1032–1033Constantinople imperial palace · TurkeyAfter her relationship with her husband Romanos broke down, Zoe was introduced to his brother Michael by the eunuch John the Orphanotrophos and openly conducted an affair with him. In 1033 Michael became the emperor's personal attendant, and Zoe even publicly declared her intention to make him emperor, shocking the court and realm.
- 1034Constantinople imperial palace · TurkeyOn the day Romanos III died in his bath, Zoe immediately wed Michael. Such a hasty remarriage was extremely rare in Byzantine court history, indicating the marriage was a pre-planned step in a coup, using a porphyrogenita's marriage to lend legitimacy to a man of low birth.
Sources
- Zoë Porphyrogenita https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zo%C3%AB_Porphyrogenita
- Michael IV the Paphlagonian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_IV_the_Paphlagonian
- The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium — Alexander Kazhdan (ed.) (1991)