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Death of Byzantine Emperor Romanos III
On 11 April 1034, Byzantine Emperor Romanos III Argyros died in a palace bath in Constantinople;…
Timeline
- 1033–1034Imperial Palace of Constantinople · TurkeyRomanos III's restrictions on Zoe's spending deepened the estrangement between the couple, and Zoe openly took Michael IV, brother of the eunuch John, as her lover. In 1033 Michael became the emperor's personal attendant, and rumors circulated in the palace that Zoe and Michael were conspiring to depose her husband. In early 1034 the emperor fell ill and rumors of poisoning spread.
- 1034Palace bath of Constantinople · TurkeyRomanos III was found dead in the palace bath. Psellos recorded that attendants held his head underwater for a long time and tried to strangle him; Skylitzes stated directly that Michael ordered him drowned; Matthew of Edessa attributed it to poisoning by Zoe. The emperor was buried in the Church of St. Mary Peribleptos, which he had built.
Sources
- Romanos III Argyros https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanos_III_Argyros
- Chronographia — Michael Psellos
- The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium — Alexander Kazhdan (ed.) (1991)