Online Encyclopedia

MICHAEL III

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 359 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MICHAEL III  . (839-867), " the drunkard," was grandson of Michael II., and succeeded his
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father
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Theophilus when three years old (842) . During his minority the
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empire was governed by his
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mother Theodora, who in spite of several defeats inflicted upon her generals maintained the frontiers against the
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Saracens of Bagdad and Crete . The regent displayed her religious zeal by restoring image-worship (842) and persecuting the Paulician heretics, but she entirely neglected the
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education of her son . As a result Michael grew up a debauchee, and fell under thesway of his
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uncle Bardas, who induced him to banish Theodora to a convent and practically assumed the chief control (857) . Bardas justified this usurpation by introducing various
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internal reforms; in the
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wars of the period Michael himself took a more active
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part . During a conflict with the Saracens of the Euphrates (856—63), the emperor sustained a
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personal defeat (86o), which was retrieved by a
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great victory on the part of his uncle Petronas in
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Asia Minor . In 861 Michael and Bardas invaded Bulgaria and secured the conversion of the king to
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Christianity . On sea the empire suffered under the ravages of the Cretan corsairs; and in 865 the first pillaging expedition of the Russians endangered the Bosporus . In 867 Michael was assassinated by Basil the Macedonian, a former
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groom, who had overthrown the influence of Bardas and in 866 been associated in the Empire .

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