Emperor Romanos II, who unexpectedly died in…

Emperor Romanos II, who unexpectedly died in Constantinople at twenty-six on March 15, 963, had already crowned as co-emperors his two sons Basil II and Constantine VIII.

Because Basil was five years old and Constantine only three, Romanos’ widow Theophano had been named regent.

Beautiful but amoral, Theophano had been an innkeeper's daughter by the name of Anastaso when the crown-prince Romanos fell in love with her around the year 956 and married her, rechristening her with the name of Romanos' grandfather's first saintly wife Theophano.

Having gained a reputation as an intelligent and ambitious woman, she is also suspected by contemporaries of poisoning her husband, whose cause of his death was uncertain.

(She will later gain a reputation for ruthlessness in achieving her goals.)

But Theophano had not been not allowed to rule alone.

Joseph Bringas, the eunuch palace official who had become Romanos' chief councilor, had maintained his position.

According to contemporary sources, he had intended to keep authority in his own hands, rather than those of the young Empress.

He had also tried to reduce the power of Nikephoros Phokas, the victorious general who had been accepted as the actual commander of the army and maintained his strong connections to the aristocracy.

During the following months, the intrigues of Joseph, who feared that Nikephoros could claim the throne with the support of both the army and the aristocracy, had turned both Theophano and Nikephoros against him.

Unknown to Joseph, Nikephoros had been urged to seize the throne by his nephew John Tzimiskes and entered into negotiations with Theophano.

With her help and that of the patriarch, Nikephoros Phokas had received supreme command of the eastern forces and, after being proclaimed emperor by them on July 2, 963, marched upon the capital, where meanwhile his partisans had overthrown his enemy Bringas.

Thanks to his popularity with the army, Nikephoros II Phokas had been crowned emperor by the side of Romanos's young sons on August 16, 963, and in spite of the patriarch's opposition married their mother, the regent Theophano.

The fifty-two-year-old Nikephoros is smitten with his 21-year old wife and influenced by his brother Leo Phokas, whose self-interested machinations (he is accused of speculating on the price of wheat) have stirred up the discontent of the people of Constantinople.

The popular soldier-emperor gradually becomes taciturn and suspicious even of his best advisers, who, one after another, he has removed from office.