Isaac I
Isaac I (1007? – 1 June 1060) was a Byzantine emperor from 1057 to 1059. He might have been a good one, if he hadn't had to give up the post so quickly due to dodgy knees and a gippy tummy. Writers said he would have been great if he had lived longer. However, they were doing the writing in the late 11th century, when Isaac's nephew Alexios I was in control. And you didn't want to offend Alexios if you cared for your eyes and head. So we are left with some broad outlines about Isaac. He was a competent general and could have been a greater emperor, but wasn't. Also, he may have liked cats.
Army[edit]
Isaac Komnenos came from a family of Byzantine bad boys whose job was to protect the empire's borders in Anatolia. His father, Manuel Erotikos Komnenos, had a name that suggested a side hustle promoting Greek porn. Isaac followed his father into the military. In around 1020, Isaac's father died. Emperor Basil II, who was childless, adopted Isaac and his younger brother John as imperial wards and sent them off to a monastery to learn fighting, hunting and theology. This also made Isaac one of the few Byzantines who could read. They prided themselves on their erudition and ability to verbally separate an ass from its hindquarters.
Command[edit]
Isaac and John finished their education and got jobs as imperial bodyguards. Isaac rose up through the ranks to become, in effect, the highest ranking general in the eastern half of the Byzantine empire. The eastern frontier had long been contested by its Muslim neighbours. However, the situation had recently changed when bands of Turks entered the area and offered their muscles and swords to the highest bidder. Called the Seljuk Turks, they were recent converts to Islam and had not yet joined any particular congregation. Isaac managed to convince the Turks that they would have more fun bullying the Caliph in Baghdad and other associated emirates.
Challengers[edit]
The Byzantine empire was running on fumes since the death of the deadly emperor Basil the Bulgar-Slayer. A succession of weak rulers had drained money to buy support from rival factions during the reign of imperial sisters Zoe and Theodora. Zoe had churned through three husbands and an adopted son in her colourful life. Theodora had less fun than her sister but was marginally more competent. But Theodora had taken against Isaac and had been instrumental in having him removed from office shortly before her death in 1056.
Theodora had already recommended Michael VI Bringas as her successor by apparently 'nodding' her head in his direction as she dropped dead. Michael had been briefly challenged by Theodosios, a nephew of Constantine IX, but that had quickly fizzled out. Another contender, Nikephoros Bryennios, general of Byzantine troops in Macedonia, made his pitch for the job of emperor. He had his eyes torn out when that rebellion failed. The Eastern connections Isaac had made and general opposition to Michael VI led to a short but sharp conflict at the appropriately named Gates of Hades. Michael resigned (and conveniently died soon after). Isaac was proclaimed emperor, his strongest supporter being Michael Keroularios, the Patriarch of Constantinople and a firm enemy of the Catholic church.
Emperor[edit]
For the first time in nearly 200 years there was an emperor without any connection to the old Macedonian dynasty. Isaac shared his power with his wife, Catherine of Bulgaria. The tradition was also to make a member of a family a kind of 'Deputy emperor' but Isaac's only son had died a couple of years earlier. Isaac did have a daughter Maria Komnene but made no attempt to marry her off to one of his generals. The apparent plan was to make Isaac's younger brother John Komnenos the heir apparent but they fell out, though John retained his office of 'Duke Domestos' . Isaac saw his rise to power as a manifestation of divine will.
Isaac set out a plan for action. The army wanted a wage rise and considered Byzantine bureaucracy a drain on the economy. To pay for his army reforms Isaac then reduced pensions and cut the wages of the Byzantine senators. He also took aim at the excessive wealth of the Orthodox church and their land holdings. This brought Isaac into direct conflict with the cantankerous Patriarch Michael Keroularios who also targetted John Komnenos. Reminding Isaac that he had been the main mover to depose Michael VI, the bearded threat said he could do same to the emperor and his family. To buy time Isaac sacked his brother John and sent him in disgrace to a monastery.
Now convinced he was invincible, Keroularios possibly saw himself as the next emperor and was said to be wearing purple slippers as a mark of imperial power. Isaac recovered his nerve and imprisoned Keroularios so he would face trial at a church synod. The exact charges were never formulated as the patriach suddenly died. Another convenience.
Abdication[edit]
It seemed Isaac's luck had changed. The death of the patriarch removed a formidable threat and Isaac probably could have brought his brother back to power. Instead, he favoured Constantine Doukas as a successor. Then, on a military campaign in the Balkans, Isaac narrowly avoided being fried to death in his armour when a lightning strike destroyed a nearby tree. Convinced that God was showing disapproval and not feeling too good all around, Isaac told Constantine he intended to resign. This shocked his wife, Empress Catherine, who tried to talk him out of it. She failed, but Isaac then changed his mind about retiring. Constantine Doukas thwarted Isaac's backtrack and was proclaimed as the new emperor anyway. Isaac was helpless. He had made a lot of enemies and found no supporters in the imperial court. So Isaac went through with his abdication and retired to a monastery in late 1059.
Death[edit]
Isaac didn't have much time to review his life choices. He was dead in 1060.
References[edit]
| Preceded by: Michael VI |
Byzantine Emperor 1057–1059 |
Succeeded by: Constantine X |
