Constantine X Doukas

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Constantine X Doukas Κωνσταντίνος Ι΄ Δούκας
Emperor of the Byzantine Empire
Gold histamenon of Constantine X.
Reign	1059–1067
Born	1006
Died	1067
Predecessor	Isaac I Komnenos
Successor	Romanos IV Diogenes
Consort to	unknown Eudokia Makrembolitissa
Issue	Michael VII Doukas Andronikos Doukas Konstantios Doukas Anna Doukaina Theodora Anna Doukaina Zoe Doukaina
Dynasty	Doukid dynasty
Father	Andronikos Doukas

Constantine X Doukas or Dukas, Latinized as Ducas (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Ι΄ Δούκας, Kōnstantinos X Doukas) (1006 – May 1067) was emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 1059 to 1067.

Reign

Constantine Doukas was the son of Andronikos Doukas, a Paphlagonian nobleman who may have served as governor of the theme of Moesia. Addicted to endless debates about philosophy and theology,^[1] Constantine gained influence after he married, as his second wife, Eudokia Makrembolitissa, was the niece of Patriarch Michael Keroularios.^[2] In 1057, Constantine supported the usurpation of Isaac I Komnenos, gradually siding with the court bureaucracy against the new emperor's reforms.^[2] In spite of this tacit opposition, Constantine was chosen as successor by the ailing Isaac in November 1059, under the influence of Michael Psellos.^[3] Isaac abdicated, and on November 24, 1059, Constantine X Doukas was crowned emperor.^[4]

The new emperor quickly associated two of his young sons in power, Michael VII Doukas and Konstantios Doukas,^[1] appointed his brother John Doukas as kaisar (Caesar), and embarked on a policy favorable to the interests of the court bureaucracy and the church.^[2] Severely undercutting the training and financial support for the armed forces, Constantine X fatally weakened Byzantine defences^[1] by disbanding the Armenian local militia of 50,000 men at a crucial point of time, coinciding with the westward advance of the Seljuk Turks and their Turcoman allies.^[5] Undoing many of the necessary reforms of Isaac I, he bloated the military bureaucracy with highly paid court officials and crowded the Senate with his supporters.^[6]

His decisions to replace standing soldiers with mercenaries^[7] and leaving the frontier fortifications unrepaired led Constantine to become naturally unpopular with the supporters of Isaac within the military aristocracy, who attempted to assassinate him in 1061.^[1] He also became unpopular with the general population after he raised taxes to try to pay the army.^[2]

Constantine lost most of Byzantine Italy to the Normans under Robert Guiscard,^[1] except for the territory around Bari, though a resurgence of interest in retaining Apulia occurred under his reign, and he appointed at least four catepans of Italy: Miriarch, Maruli, Sirianus, and Mabrica. He also suffered invasions by Alp Arslan in Asia Minor in 1064, resulting in the loss of the Armenian capital,^[8] and by the Oghuz Turks in the Balkans in 1065,^[9] while Belgrade was lost to the Hungarians.^[10]

Already old and unhealthy when he came to power, Constantine died on May 22, 1067. His final act was to demand that only his sons succeed him, forcing his wife Eudokia Makrembolitissa to take a vow not to remarry.^[11]

Family

By his first wife, a daughter of Constantine Dalassenos, Constantine X Doukas had no known children. By his second wife, Eudokia Makrembolitissa, he had the following issue:

Michael VII Doukas, who succeeded as emperor.
Andronikos Doukas, co-emperor from 1068 to 1078.
Konstantios Doukas, co-emperor from c. 1060 to 1078, died 1081.
Anna Doukaina, a nun
Theodora Anna Doukaina, who married Domenico Selvo, Doge of Venice.
Zoe Doukaina, who married Adrianos Komnenos, a brother of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.

Sources

Primary Sources

Michael Psellus, Chronographia.

Secondary Sources

Norwich, John Julius (1993), Byzantium: The Apogee, Penguin, ISBN 0-14-011448-3
Canduci, Alexander (2010), Triumph & Tragedy: The Rise and Fall of Rome's Immortal Emperors, Pier 9, ISBN 978-1-74196-598-8
Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991), Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Vol. I, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6
Polemis, Demetrios I. (1968), The Doukai: A Contribution to Byzantine Prosopography, London: Athlone Press
George Finlay, History of the Byzantine and Greek Empires from 1057–1453, Volume 2, William Blackwood & Sons, 1854

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Canduci, pg. 271
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Kazhdan, pg. 504
↑ Norwich, pg. 337
↑ Finlay, pg. 15
↑ Norwich, pg. 341
↑ Finlay, pg. 17
↑ Norwich, pg. 339
↑ Norwich, pg. 342
↑ Finlay, pg. 27
↑ Finlay, pg. 24
↑ Norwich, pg. 343

External links

Coins of Constantine X Doukas

Regnal titles
Constantine X Doukas Doukid Dynasty Born: 1006 Died: May 1067
Preceded by Isaac I	Byzantine Emperor 1059–1067	Succeeded by Romanos IV

v t e Roman emperors

Principate 27 BC – 235 AD	Augustus Tiberius Caligula Claudius Nero Galba Otho Vitellius Vespasian Titus Domitian Nerva Trajan Hadrian Antoninus Pius Marcus Aurelius with Lucius Verus Commodus Pertinax Didius Julianus Septimius Severus Caracalla Geta Macrinus with Diadumenian Elagabalus Alexander Severus

Crisis 235–284	Maximinus Thrax Gordian I and Gordian II Pupienus and Balbinus Gordian III Philip the Arab Decius with Herennius Etruscus Hostilian Trebonianus Gallus with Volusianus Aemilianus Valerian Gallienus with Saloninus Claudius Gothicus Quintillus Aurelian Tacitus Florianus Probus Carus Carinus Numerian

Dominate 284–395	Diocletian Maximian Constantius Chlorus Galerius Severus Maxentius Maximinus Daia Licinius with Valerius Valens and Martinianus Constantine the Great Constantine II Constans I Constantius II with Vetranio Julian Jovian Valentinian I Valens Gratian Valentinian II Theodosius I

Western Empire 395–480	Honorius with Constantine III Constantius III Joannes Valentinian III Petronius Maximus Avitus Majorian Libius Severus Anthemius Olybrius Glycerius Julius Nepos Romulus Augustulus

Eastern/ Byzantine Empire 395–1204	Arcadius Theodosius II Marcian Leo I the Thracian Leo II Zeno Basiliscus Anastasius I Justin I Justinian I Justin II Tiberius II Constantine Maurice Phocas Heraclius Constantine III Heraklonas Constans II Constantine IV Justinian II Leontios Tiberios III Philippikos Anastasios II Theodosios III Leo III the Isaurian Constantine V Artabasdos Leo IV the Khazar Constantine VI Irene Nikephoros I Staurakios Michael I Rangabe Leo V the Armenian Michael II the Amorian Theophilos Michael III Basil I the Macedonian Leo VI the Wise Alexander Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos Romanos I Lekapenos Romanos II Nikephoros II Phokas John I Tzimiskes Basil II Constantine VIII Zoe Romanos III Argyros Michael IV the Paphlagonian Michael V Kalaphates Constantine IX Monomachos Theodora Michael VI Bringas Isaac I Komnenos Constantine X Doukas Romanos IV Diogenes Michael VII Doukas Nikephoros III Botaneiates Alexios I Komnenos John II Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos Alexios II Komnenos Andronikos I Komnenos Isaac II Angelos Alexios III Angelos Alexios IV Angelos Alexios V Doukas

Empire of Nicaea 1204–1261	Constantine Laskaris Theodore I Laskaris John III Doukas Vatatzes Theodore II Laskaris John IV Laskaris

Eastern/ Byzantine Empire 1261–1453	Michael VIII Palaiologos Andronikos II Palaiologos Michael IX Palaiologos Andronikos III Palaiologos John V Palaiologos John VI Kantakouzenos Matthew Kantakouzenos Andronikos IV Palaiologos John VII Palaiologos Andronikos V Palaiologos Manuel II Palaiologos John VIII Palaiologos Constantine XI Palaiologos

Persondata
Name	Constantine X Doukas
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1006
Place of birth
Date of death	1067
Place of death

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