1042 - 1055

On the removal of Michael V, the daughters of Constantine VIII, Zoe and Theodore ruled the empire jointly. It took the Byzantine authorities seven and a half weeks to accept that the sisters (who hated each other) were totally unfit to rule. Zoe was therefore required to marry the senator Constantine Monomachus, who ascended the throne as Constantine IX on 12th June 1042, becoming the fourth man to reign by virtue of his marriage to the empress Zoe. He proved a poor choice, squandering the empire's wealth, and allowing the army to become ever more dependent on mercenary troops. A rebellion led by George Maniaces in 1043 only failed when George, having already won the battle, wes killed by a stray arrow. The most momentous event of the reign (though this was only apparent with hindsight) was the permanent schism between the churches of Constantinople and Rome, with the Pope and the Patriarch mutually excommunicating each other.