Editing Michael VII Doukas (section)

== Life ==
[[File:Histamenon of Michael VII.png|thumb|left|''[[Histamenon]]'' of Michael&nbsp;VII|190px]]
Michael VII was born {{circa}} 1050 in [[Constantinople]], the eldest son of [[Constantine X Doukas]] and [[Eudokia Makrembolitissa]].{{sfn|Kazhdan|1991|p=1366}} He was probably associated with the throne by the end of 1060, together with or shortly before his newly born brother [[Konstantios Doukas]].{{sfn|Dumbarton Oaks|1973|p=779}} When Constantine X died on 23 May 1067,{{sfn|Gauthier|1966}} Michael VII was already 17 years old and should have been able to rule by himself. He exhibited little interest in politics, however, and his mother Eudokia and uncle John Doukas governed the empire as effective [[regents]].{{sfn|Dumbarton Oaks|1973|p=780}}

On 1 January 1068, Eudokia married the general [[Romanos IV|Romanos IV Diogenes]], who now became senior co-emperor alongside Michael VII, Konstantios, and another brother, [[Andronikos Doukas (co-emperor)|Andronikos]].{{sfn|Dumbarton Oaks|1973|p=785}} When Romanos&nbsp;IV was defeated and captured by [[Alp Arslan]] of the Seljuk Turks at the [[Battle of Manzikert]] in August 1071,{{sfn|Norwich|1993|p=353}} Michael&nbsp;VII remained in the background, while the initiative to take power was taken by his uncle [[John Doukas, Caesar|John Doukas]] and his tutor [[Michael Psellos]].{{sfn|Norwich|1993|p=355}} Michael&nbsp;VII was proclaimed emperor on {{circa}} 1 October 1071, although Eudokia co-ruled with Michael&nbsp;VII for a month before being dispatched to a monastery.{{efn-lg|Polemis dates the joint rule of Eudokia and Michael VII in 24 September – 24 October 1071,{{Sfn|Dumbarton Oaks|1973|p=780}} while Schreiner dates it in 1 October – 1 November 1071.{{Sfn|Schreiner|1975|p=161}}}}{{efn-lg|The date was traditionally given as 24 September 1071 based on [[Michael Attaliates]] statement that [[Michael VII]] reigned "6 years and 6 months", reckoning from his deposition on 24&nbsp;March according to the same author. (''[[cf.]]'' [[:de:Peter Schreiner (Byzantinist)|P. Schreiner]], [[iarchive:kleinchroniken1/page/n81/mode/1up|''Kleinchroniken'' '''I''' 161]]; [[iarchive:kleinchroniken2/page/156/mode/1up|''Kleinchroniken'' '''II''' 156]])}}

Although still advised by Michael Psellos and John Doukas, Michael&nbsp;VII became increasingly reliant on his finance minister [[Nikephoritzes]].{{sfn|Norwich|1993|p=359}} The emperor's chief interests, shaped by Psellos, were in academic pursuits, and he allowed Nikephoritzes to increase both taxation and luxury spending without properly financing the army. As an emperor he was incompetent, often surrounded by sycophantic court officials.{{sfn|Kazhdan|1991|p=1366}} In dire straits, imperial officials resorted to property confiscations and even expropriated some of the wealth of the church. The underpaid army tended to mutiny, and the Byzantines lost [[Bari]], their last possession in [[Italy]], to the [[Normans]] of [[Robert Guiscard]] in 1071.{{sfn|Norwich|1993|p=355}} Simultaneously, they faced a [[Uprising of Georgi Voyteh|serious revolt]] under [[Georgi Voyteh]] in the Balkans, where they faced an attempt at the restoration of the [[Bulgaria (theme)|Bulgaria]]n state.{{sfn|Norwich|1993|p=359}}  Although this revolt was suppressed by the general Nikephoros Bryennios,{{sfn|Norwich|1993|p=359}} the Byzantine Empire was unable to recover its losses in [[Asia Minor]].

[[File:Michael VII Miliarension (reverse).jpg|thumb|''[[Miliaresion]]'' of Michael&nbsp;VII Doukas]]After Manzikert, the Byzantine government sent a new army to contain the [[Seljuk Turks]] under Isaac Komnenos, a brother of the future emperor [[Alexios&nbsp;I Komnenos]], but this army was defeated and its commander captured in 1073.{{sfn|Finlay|1854|p=52}} The problem was made worse by the desertion of the Byzantines' western mercenaries under [[Roussel de Bailleul]] who were setting up an independent principiality in the region of [[Galatia]] and [[Lycaonia]].{{sfn|Beihammer|2017|pages=209}} They became the object of the next military expedition in the area, led by Michael's uncle, ''[[Caesar (title)|caesar]]'' [[John Doukas (Caesar)|John Doukas]].{{sfn|Finlay|1854|p=52}}  This campaign also ended in failure, and John was likewise captured by the enemy.  The victorious Roussel now forced John Doukas to stand as pretender to the throne and sacked [[Üsküdar|Chrysopolis]], just opposite [[Constantinople]].{{sfn|Beihammer|2017|pages=210}} A new army under [[Alexios I Komnenos|Alexios Komnenos]] (the future emperor), reinforced by Seljuk troops sent by [[Malik Shah&nbsp;I]], finally defeated the mercenaries and captured John Doukas in 1074.{{sfn|Norwich|1993|p=360}}

These misfortunes caused widespread dissatisfaction, exacerbated by the devaluation of the currency, which gave the emperor his nickname ''Parapinakēs.''{{efn-lg|{{harvnb|Speake|2021|p=511}}: "His nickname, Parpinakes, derives from the diminution of corn measures by the fraction known as a ''pinakion''".}} In 1078 two generals, [[Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder|Nikephoros Bryennios]] and [[Nikephoros III|Nikephoros Botaneiates]], simultaneously revolted in the Balkans and Anatolia, respectively.{{sfn|Norwich|1993|p=360}}  Botaneiates gained the support of the Seljuk Turks, and he reached Constantinople first. Michael&nbsp;VII resigned the throne with hardly a struggle on 24 or 31 March 1078 and retired into the [[Monastery of Stoudios]].{{efn-lg|{{harvnb|Michael Attaleiates|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=FNmTmyFFcHIC&pg=PA491 VI.37]}}: "This was on the eve of the day of the [[Annunciation]] [...] They deposed the emperor." The same date is found in the [[iarchive:kleinchroniken2/page/157/mode/1up|''Kleinchroniken'' '''II''', p. 157.]]}}{{efn-lg|Skylitzes Continuatus, (VI, 38.): "On the eve of the [[Annunciation]], [the city] proclaimed Botaneiates emperor. They made [Michael VII] convert to the monastic life... on the same Sunday [[Lazarus Saturday]] when the miracle performed on Lazarus is celebrated."{{sfn|McGeer|Nesbitt|2020|p=175}}}} He later became [[metropolitan of Ephesus]] and died in Constantinople in c. 1090.{{sfn|Kazhdan|1991|p=1366}}

Before his resignation from the throne, Michael&nbsp;VII may have sent an embassy to [[History of the Song dynasty|Song China]], following a series of [[Sino-Roman relations|Byzantine embassies]] to the earlier [[Tang dynasty|Tang Empire]] of China.{{sfn|Halsall|2021}} From the ''[[Wenxian Tongkao]]'', written by Chinese historian [[Ma Duanlin]] (1245–1322), and the 14th century work the ''[[History of Song (Yuan dynasty)|History of Song]],'' it is known that the ruler "Mie-li-yi-ling-kai-sa" (滅力伊靈改撒) of ''Fu-lin'' (i.e. [[Byzantium]]) sent an embassy to the [[Song dynasty]] which arrived on November 1081, during the reign of [[Emperor Shenzong of Song]] (r. 1067–1085).{{sfn|Sezgin|Ehrig-Eggert|Mazen|Neubauer|1996|p=25}}{{sfn|Halsall|2021}} The ''History of Song'' mentions how the Byzantine diplomat and official named "Ni-si-tu-ling-si-meng-p'an" offered saddled horses, sword-blades, and real pearls as tributary gifts to the Song court.{{sfn|Halsall|2021}}