Romanos III
Encyclopedia
Romanos III Argyros (or Romanus III Argyrus) (968 – 11 April 1034) was Byzantine emperor from 15 November 1028 until his death.
Romanos Argyros was the son of an unnamed member of the Argyros family
and a great-grandson of Emperor Romanos I. His sister Maria had married Giovanni Orseolo
, a Venetian lord in Dalmatia. He also had a brother, Basil Argyros
.
Under Basil II Romanos served as judge, and under Constantine VIII he became urban prefect of Constantinople
. Romanos attracted the attention of Constantine VIII, who forced him to divorce his wife (sending her into a monastery
) and to marry the emperor's daughter Zoe
. The marriage took place on November 12, 1028, and three days later Constantine VIII died, leaving Romanos III as emperor.
The new emperor showed great eagerness to make his mark as a ruler, but was mostly unfortunate in his enterprises. He spent large sums upon new buildings and in endowing the monk
s, and in his endeavour to relieve the pressure of taxation disorganized the finances of the state. Idealizing Marcus Aurelius, Romanos aspired to be a new "philosopher king
", and similarly desired to imitate the military prowess of Trajan
.
In 1030 he resolved to retaliate upon the incursions of the Muslims
on the eastern frontier by leading a large army in person against Aleppo
, but by allowing himself to be surprised on the march sustained a serious defeat at Azaz, near Antioch
. Though this disaster was reduced by the capture and successful defence of Edessa
by George Maniakes
in 1032 and by the sound defeat of a Saracen
fleet in the Adriatic
, Romanos never recovered his early popularity.
As a member of the aristocracy, Romanos III abandoned his predecessors' curtailment of the privileges of the nobility and reduced their taxes, at the same time allowing peasant freeholders to fall into a condition of serfdom. In a vain attempt to reduce expenditure, Romanos limited his wife's expenses, which merely exacerbated the alienation between the two.
At home Romanos III faced several conspiracies, mostly centered around his sister-in-law Theodora
, as in 1029 and 1030. Although he survived these attempts on the throne,
his early death in 1034 was supposed to have been due to poison administered by his wife, though it has also been alleged that he was drowned in a bath on his wife's orders. He was buried in the Church of St. Mary Peribleptos, which he built.
He had no children by his second wife Zoe.
Biography
Argyros (Byzantine family)
Argyros , latinized as Argyrus, was the name of a prominent Byzantine family. They produced one Emperor, Romanos III, as well as other notables, including Pothos Argyros, Catepan of Italy....
and a great-grandson of Emperor Romanos I. His sister Maria had married Giovanni Orseolo
Giovanni Orseolo
Giovanni Orseolo was the first Venetian to hold power in Dalmatia, holding the title of Dux Dalmatiae.Giovanni's father Pietro II Orseolo was the Doge of Venice....
, a Venetian lord in Dalmatia. He also had a brother, Basil Argyros
Basil Argyros
Agent of Byzantium is a collection of short stories by Harry Turtledove, centred around the exploits of the eponymous Basil Argyros, a Byzantine secret agent...
.
Under Basil II Romanos served as judge, and under Constantine VIII he became urban prefect of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. Romanos attracted the attention of Constantine VIII, who forced him to divorce his wife (sending her into a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
) and to marry the emperor's daughter Zoe
Zoe (empress)
Zoe reigned as Byzantine Empress alongside her sister Theodora from April 19 to June 11, 1042...
. The marriage took place on November 12, 1028, and three days later Constantine VIII died, leaving Romanos III as emperor.
The new emperor showed great eagerness to make his mark as a ruler, but was mostly unfortunate in his enterprises. He spent large sums upon new buildings and in endowing the monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s, and in his endeavour to relieve the pressure of taxation disorganized the finances of the state. Idealizing Marcus Aurelius, Romanos aspired to be a new "philosopher king
Philosopher king
Philosopher kings are the rulers, or Guardians, of Plato's Utopian Kallipolis. If his ideal city-state is to ever come into being, "philosophers [must] become kings…or those now called kings [must]…genuinely and adequately philosophize" .-In Book VI of The Republic:Plato defined a philosopher...
", and similarly desired to imitate the military prowess of Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
.
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
on the eastern frontier by leading a large army in person against Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
, but by allowing himself to be surprised on the march sustained a serious defeat at Azaz, near Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
. Though this disaster was reduced by the capture and successful defence of Edessa
Edessa, Mesopotamia
Edessa is the Greek name of an Aramaic town in northern Mesopotamia, as refounded by Seleucus I Nicator. For the modern history of the city, see Şanlıurfa.-Names:...
by George Maniakes
George Maniaces
George Maniakes was a prominent Byzantine Greek general during the 11th century, he was the catepan of Italy in 1042. He is known as Gyrgir in Scandinavian sagas....
in 1032 and by the sound defeat of a Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
fleet in the Adriatic
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
, Romanos never recovered his early popularity.
As a member of the aristocracy, Romanos III abandoned his predecessors' curtailment of the privileges of the nobility and reduced their taxes, at the same time allowing peasant freeholders to fall into a condition of serfdom. In a vain attempt to reduce expenditure, Romanos limited his wife's expenses, which merely exacerbated the alienation between the two.
At home Romanos III faced several conspiracies, mostly centered around his sister-in-law Theodora
Theodora (11th century)
Theodora was a Byzantine Empress. Born into the Macedonian dynasty that had ruled the Byzantine Empire for almost two hundred years, she was co-empress with her sister Zoe for two months in 1042 and sole empress from 11 January 1055 to after 31 August 1056...
, as in 1029 and 1030. Although he survived these attempts on the throne,
his early death in 1034 was supposed to have been due to poison administered by his wife, though it has also been alleged that he was drowned in a bath on his wife's orders. He was buried in the Church of St. Mary Peribleptos, which he built.
Family
By his first wife Helena, Romanos III Argyros had a daughter, who was engaged to Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor.He had no children by his second wife Zoe.
Sources
- Michael Psellus, Chronographia.
- The Oxford Dictionary of ByzantiumOxford Dictionary of ByzantiumThe Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium is a three volume historical dictionary published by the English Oxford University Press. It contains comprehensive information in English on topics relating to the Byzantine Empire. It was edited by the late Dr. Alexander Kazhdan, and was first published in 1991...
, Oxford University Press, 1991.