Romanos IV Diogenes (Greek:Ῥωμανός Διογένης,romanized: Rōmanos Diogenēs;c. 1030 –c. 1072) wasByzantine emperor from 1068 to 1071. Determined to halt the decline of the Byzantine military and to stop Turkish incursions into the empire, he is nevertheless best known for his defeat and capture in 1071 at theBattle of Manzikert, which played a major role in undermining Byzantine authority inAnatolia and allowed for its gradualTurkification.

Romanos IV Diogenes
Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans
A silvermiliaresion of Romanos IV Diogenes
Byzantine emperor
Reign	1 January 1068 – 1 October 1071
Predecessor	Constantine X Eudokia (regent)
Successor	Michael VII
Co-emperors	See list Michael VII Doukas Konstantios Doukas Andronikos Doukas Leo Diogenes Nikephoros Diogenes
Born	c. 1030 Cappadocia
Died	1072 (aged 42) Prote
Spouse	Anne Alusiane of Bulgaria Eudokia Makrembolitissa
Issue	By Anne: Constantine Diogenes By Eudocia: Nikephoros Diogenes Leo Diogenes
House	Diogenes
Father	Constantine Diogenes
Mother	Argyrosa

Son of the generalConstantine Diogenes and a prominent member of theCappadocian Greek military aristocracy, Romanos rose to fame as a successfulAkritai commander, serving in Syria and on the Danubian frontier. In 1068, he was crowned Byzantine emperor following his marriage to the dowager empressEudokia Makrembolitissa. Early in his reign, Romanos campaigned with limited success against theSeljuk Turks in Anatolia and Syria. Domestically, his rule was marked by a series of unpopular policies as well as clashes with the rivalDoukas family. In 1071, Romanos undertook another major campaign against the Seljuks. His Byzantine army, beset by years of neglect and poor tactics, was decisively defeated by the forces ofAlp Arslan at Manzikert. Romanos himself was taken prisoner.

Taking advantage of his capture, members of the Doukas family declared Romanos deposed and proclaimedMichael VII Doukas as emperor in a palace coup. When released, he was ultimately defeated by the Doukai inCilicia and forced to surrender. Despite receiving a promise that he would be spared, Romanos wasblinded and exiled to a monastery onProte in theSea of Marmara, where he died of his wounds in 1072.

Romanos Diogenes was the son ofConstantine Diogenes and a member of a prominent and powerfulByzantine Greek family fromCappadocia, theDiogenai,^[1] connected by birth to most of the great aristocratic nobles inAsia Minor.^[2] His mother was a daughter ofBasil Argyros, brother of the emperorRomanos III.^[3] Courageous and generous, but also impetuous, Romanos rose with distinction in the army due to his military talents, and he served in Syria and on the Danubian frontier.^[4] At that time some parts from thetheme of Bulgaria were organized as a new province with the centre atSerdica, and he became a duke of that province in 1067.^[5] However, he was eventually convicted of attempting to usurp the throne of the sons ofConstantine X Doukas in 1067.^[1] While waiting to receive his sentence from theregentEudokia Makrembolitissa, he was summoned into her presence and advised that she had pardoned him and that she had furthermore chosen him to be her husband and the guardian of her sons as emperor.^[6] She took this course of action primarily due to her concern that unless she managed to find a powerful husband, she could easily lose the regency to any unscrupulous noble, and also because she was infatuated with the popular Romanos.^[1] Her decision was met with little protest as theSeljuk Turks had overrun much of Cappadocia and had even taken the important city ofCaesarea, meaning that the army needed to be placed under the command of an able and energetic general.^[2]

After a written oath promising never to remarry, extracted from Eudokia by Constantine X, had been set aside by thePatriarchof Constantinople, John Xiphilinos, and the approval of the senate obtained, on 1 January 1068 Romanos married the empress and was crowned Emperor of the Romans.^[1]

Byzantine EmpressEudokia Makrembolitissa was infatuated with Romanos; for according to Attaleiates, “The man not only surpassed others in his good qualities but he was also pleasant to look at in all respects.”^[7] He was, however, “very harsh and violent in his judgments,” says Michael the Syrian, and he once ordered the nose of a soldier to be cut off for stealing the donkey of a Muslim after the emperor had given his peace.^[8] "One thing alone satisfied him: that he marched against his foes".^[9] He was said to have been very brave, and would often go unarmed and without escort to fight with his enemies which would cause his worried generals to complain. Psellus confirms that Romanus “exposed himself to danger without a thought of the consequences”.^[10]

I who was present [during an enemy surrender] did not approve of the simplicity of the emperor who mingled without body armour among murderous men who pass their lives in recklessness and madness

— Michael Attaleiates^[11]

Romanos grew contemptuous of the empress Eudokia for trying to control him.

The more she tried to dominate him, to treat him, who was really her master, like a lion in a cage, the more he fretted at her restraining influence and glared at the hand that kept him in check,” writes Psellus, who knew them both. “To begin with, he growled inwardly, but as time passed his disgust became obvious to everyone^[12]

Romanos IV was now the senior emperor and guardian of his stepsons and junior co-emperors,Michael VII,Konstantios, andAndronikos Doukas.^[13] However, his elevation had antagonised not only theDoukas family,^{[citation needed]} in particular theCaesar,John Doukas who led the opposition of the palace officials to Romanos' authority, but also theVarangian Guard, who openly expressed their discontent at the marriage of Eudokia.^[14] Romanos therefore decided that he could only exercise his authority by placing himself at the head of the army in the field, thereby focusing the whole government's attention on the war against the Turks.^[14]

By 1067, the Turks had been making incursions at will intoMesopotamia,Melitene,Syria,Cilicia, and Cappadocia, culminating with thesack of Caesarea and the plundering of the Church ofSt Basil.^[15] That winter they camped on the frontiers of the empire and waited for the next year's campaigning season. Romanos was confident of Byzantine superiority on the field of battle, looking on the Turks as little more than hordes of robbers who would melt away at the first encounter.^[16] He did not take into account the degraded state of the Byzantine forces,^[16] which had suffered years of neglect from his predecessors, in particularConstantine X Doukas. His forces, mostly composed ofSclavonian,Armenian,Bulgarian, andFrankish mercenaries, were ill-disciplined, disorganised, and uncoordinated, and he was not prepared to spend time in upgrading the arms, armour, or tactics of the once-feared Byzantine army.^[17]

The first military operations of Romanos did achieve a measure of success, reinforcing his opinions about the outcome of the war.Antioch was exposed to theSaracens ofAleppo who, with help from Turkish troops, began an attempt to reconquer the Byzantine province of Syria.^[18] Romanos began marching to the southeastern frontier of the empire to deal with this threat, but as he was advancing towardsLykandos, he received word that a Seljuk army had made an incursion intoPontus and had plunderedNeocaesarea.^[19] Immediately he selected a small mobile force and quickly raced throughSebaste and the mountains ofTephrike to encounter the Turks on the road, forcing them to abandon their plunder and release their prisoners, though a large number of the Turkish troops managed to escape.^[19]

Returning south, Romanos rejoined the main army, and they continued their advance through the passes ofMount Taurus to the north ofGermanicia and proceeded to invade theEmirate of Aleppo.^[19] Romanos capturedHierapolis, which he fortified to provide protection against further incursions into the south-eastern provinces of the empire.^[17] He then engaged in further fighting against the Saracens of Aleppo, but neither side managed a decisive victory.^[19] With the campaigning season reaching its end, Romanos returned north viaAlexandretta and theCilician Gates toPodandos. Here he was advised of another Seljuk raid intoAsia Minor in which they sackedAmorium but returned to their base so fast that Romanos was in no position to give chase. He eventually reachedConstantinople by January 1069.^[19]

Plans for the following year's campaigning were initially thrown into chaos by a rebellion by one of Romanos'Normanmercenaries,Robert Crispin, who led a contingent of Frankish troops in the pay of the empire. Possibly due to Romanos not paying them on time,^[21] they began plundering the countryside near where they were stationed atEdessa, and attacking the imperial tax collectors. Although Crispin was captured and exiled toAbydos, the Franks continued to ravage theArmeniac Theme for some time.^[21] In the meantime, the land around Caesarea was again overrun by the Turks, forcing Romanos to spend precious time and energy in expelling the Turks from Cappadocia.^[21] Desperate to begin his campaign proper, he ordered the execution of all prisoners, even a Seljuk chieftain who offered to pay an immense ransom for his life.^[21] Having brought a measure of peace to the province, Romanos marched towards theEuphrates viaMelitene, and crossed the river atRomanopolis, hoping to takeAkhlat onLake Van and thus protect the Armenian frontier.^[21]

Romanos placed himself at the head of a substantial body of troops and began his march towards Akhlat, leaving the bulk of the army under the command ofPhilaretos Brachamios with orders to defend the Mesopotamian frontier.^[21] Philaretos was soon defeated by the Turks, whose sack ofIconium^[4] forced Romanos to abandon his plans and return to Sebaste. He sent orders to theDux of Antioch to secure the passes atMopsuestia, while he attempted to run down the Turks atHeracleia.^[21] The Turks were soon hemmed in in the mountains ofCilicia, but they managed to escape to Aleppo after abandoning their plunder. Romanos once again returned to Constantinople without the great victory he was hoping for.^[21]

Romanos was detained at Constantinople^[17] in 1070, while he dealt with many outstanding administrative issues, including the imminent fall ofBari intoNorman hands. They had been besieging it since 1068, but it had taken Romanos two years to respond.^[22] He ordered a relief fleet to set sail, containing sufficient provisions and troops to enable them to hold out for much longer. The fleet was intercepted, however, and defeated by a Norman squadron under the command ofRoger, the younger brother ofRobert Guiscard,^[22] forcing the final remaining outpost of Byzantine authority in Italy to surrender on 15 April 1071.^[23]

Meanwhile, Romanos was undertaking a number of unpopular reforms at home.^[17] He reduced a great deal of unnecessary public expenditure on court ceremonials and beautifying the capital.^[24] He reduced the public salaries paid to much of the court nobility, as well as reducing the profits of tradesmen. His preoccupation with the military had also made him unpopular with the provincial governors and the military hierarchy, as he was determined to ensure they could not abuse their positions, especially through corrupt practices.^[24] He incurred the displeasure of the mercenaries by enforcing much needed discipline. Romanos was also deeply unpopular with the common people, as he neglected to entertain them with games at thehippodrome, nor did he alleviate the burdens of the peasants in the provinces.^[24]

Nevertheless, he did not forget his principal target, the Turks. Being unable to go on campaign himself,^[17] he entrusted the imperial army to one of his generals,Manuel Komnenos, nephew of the former emperorIsaac I, and elder brother to the future emperorAlexios.^[25] He managed to engage the Turks in battle, but was defeated and taken prisoner by a Turkish general namedKhroudj. Manuel convinced Khroudj to go to Constantinople and see Romanos in person to conclude an alliance, which was soon completed.^[25] This act motivated the Seljuk SultanAlp Arslan to attack the Byzantine Empire, besieging and capturing the important Byzantine fortresses ofManzikert andArchesh.^[26] Romanos, in return, offered to officially exchange Manzikert and Archesh forHieropolis inSyria, which Romanos had taken three years previously.^[26]

Early in the spring of 1071, whilst conducting negotiations with Alp Arslan over Manzikert,^[26] Romanos marched at the head of a large army with the intent of recovering the fortress.^[28] It was soon evident that the army had a serious discipline problem, with soldiers regularly pillaging the area around their nightly camps. When Romanos attempted to enforce some stricter discipline, a whole regiment of German mercenaries mutinied, which the emperor only managed to control with the greatest difficulty.^[29] Believing that Alp Arslan was nowhere near Manzikert, he decided to divide his army. One part of the army he dispatched to attack Akhlat, at that time in possession of the Turks.^[30] Romanos himself advanced with the main body of the army on Manzikert, which he soon recaptured.^[30] At this point his advance guard met the Seljuk army, which was rapidly approaching Manzikert. Romanos ordered the forces attacking Akhlat to rejoin the army, but their portion of the army unexpectedly came across another large Turkish army, so Romanos' troops retreated toward Mesopotamia.^[30] Already understrength, Romanos' army was further weakened when his Uzes mercenaries deserted to the Turks.^[31] Arslan had no desire to take on the Byzantine army, so he proposed a peace treaty with favourable terms for Romanos.^[31]Michael Attaleiates claims that the Muslim envoy that was sent to Romanos was in reality, only there to stall for more time for the Seljuk army. One Muslim source confirms that the peace mission was a ploy “to discover their [military] condition”.^[32]The emperor, eager for a decisive military victory, rejected the offer, and both armies lined up for a battle, which took place on 26 August 1071.^[33] The battle lasted all day without either side gaining any decisive advantage, until the emperor ordered a part of his centre to return to camp. The order was misunderstood by the right wing,^[34] however, andAndronikos Doukas, who commanded the reserves, and was the son ofCaesar John Doukas, took advantage of the confusion to betray Romanos. Claiming that Romanos was dead, he marched away from the battle with some 30,000 men, instead of covering the emperor's retreat.^[35]

When Romanos discovered what had happened, he tried to recover the situation by making a defiant stand. He fought on valiantly after his horse was killed under him, killing many enemies and causing others to flee, but he received a wound in the hand, which prevented him from wielding a sword, and he was soon taken prisoner.^[36]

A number of other sources speak of the valor shown by Romanos at Manzikert: Romanos “launched himself into the thick of the battle. He knocked down several very valiant Persian fighters and caused disarray in their ranks,” according to a contemporary Armenian account.Michael Psellus, who was normally critical, begrudgingly writes, “According to my several informants he actually killed many of them and put others to flight”^[37]

According to a number of Byzantine historians, includingJohn Skylitzes, Arslan at first had difficulty believing the dusty and tattered warrior brought before him was the Roman emperor. Romanos and Arslan never expected to meet each other under such circumstances.^[38] He then stepped down from his seat and placed his foot on Romanos' neck.^[39] After this sign of ritual humiliation, however, Arslan raised Romanos from the ground and ordered him to be treated like a king. From then on he treated him with extreme kindness, never saying a cruel word to him during the Emperor's eight-day stay in his camp.^[39] He then released the Emperor in exchange for a treaty and the promise of a hefty ransom. At first Alp Arslan suggested a ransom of 10,000,000nomismata to Romanos IV, but he later reduced it to 1,500,000nomismata, with a further 360,000nomismata annually.^[24]

It is reported that upon seeing the Roman emperor, the sultan leapt from his throne like a mad man, commanded Romanos to kiss the ground, and stepped on his neck. He repeatedly berated the emperor, including for spurning his emissaries and offers of peace. The unrepentant Romanos was laconic, and deigned only to offer the curtest responses to his captor's fiery upbraiding. He merely had done what was “possible for a man, and which kings are bound to do, and I have fallen short in nothing. But God has fulfilled his will. And now, do what you wish and abandon recriminations.”^[40]

Other Muslim sources claim Alp Arslan treated Romanos in a harsh and petty way. “You are too trivial in my view for me to kill you,” the sultan is said to have declared before his Turks in Muslim sources. “Take him to the person who pays most.” When no one reportedly wanted to purchase the “Dog of the Romans,” Alp Arslan scoffed that that was “because the dog is better than he is!” “He struck him three or four blows with his hand and when Romanos collapsed he kicked him a similar number of times”; he “put him in chains and fettered his hand to his neck”; he pulled his hair and put his face to the ground, while informing him, “your troops are food for the Muslims.”^[37]

Wanting to test the Roman, Alp Arslan then asked Romanos what he would do to him if he was his prisoner, Romanos frankly answered "the worst!". The answer impressed Alp Arslan and he said "Ah! by Allah! He has spoken the truth! If he had spoken otherwise, he would be lying. This is an intelligent, tough man. It is not permissible that he should be killed." After agreeing on a ransom, Alp Arslan then sent emperor Romanos back to Constantinople with a Turkish escort that carried a banner above the disgraced emperor that read: "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger".^[41][42][43]

In the meantime, the opposition faction scheming against Romanos IV decided to exploit the situation. Michael VII was proclaimed sole ruler on 1 October 1071, declaring Romanos as deposed.^[44] A month later, thecaesar John Doukas andMichael Psellos forced Eudokia to retire to a monastery.^[23] They then refused to honor the agreement made between Arslan and the former emperor.^[45] Romanos soon returned, and he and the Doukas family gathered troops. A battle was fought between Constantine, Andronikos Doukas and Romanos. Romanos was defeated and retreated to the fortress ofTyropoion, and from there toAdana in Cilicia. Pursued by Andronikos, he was eventually forced to surrender by the garrison at Adana upon receiving assurances of his personal safety.^[46] Before leaving the fortress, he collected all the money he could lay his hands on and sent it to the Sultan as proof of his good faith, along with a message: "As emperor, I promised you a ransom of a million and a half. Dethroned, and about to become dependent upon others, I send you all I possess as proof of my gratitude".^[47]

Andronikos stipulated that his life would be spared if he resigned the purple and retired into a monastery. Romanos agreed, and this agreement was ratified at Constantinople.^[47] However, John Doukas reneged on the agreement and sent men to ambush and have Romanoscruelly blinded on 29 June 1072 inKotyaion.^[4] According to Attaleiates, the emperor was led away, pleading for mercy. Per Attaleiates, "when he arose, his eyes were drenched with blood, a pathetic and pitiable sight that made everyone who saw it cry uncontrollably." He was then sent into exile toProte in theSea of Marmara. Without medical assistance, his wound became infected, and he soon endured a painfully lingering death.^{[citation needed]} The final insult was given a few days before his death, when Romanos received a letter from Michael Psellos, congratulating him on the loss of his eyes.^[48] He finally died, praying for the forgiveness of his sins, and his widow Eudokia was permitted to honor his remains with a magnificent funeral.^[47]

By his first wife, Anne, daughter ofAlusian of Bulgaria, Romanos IV Diogenes had at least one son:

• Constantine Diogenes, who was married to Theodora, sister ofAlexios I Komnenos.^[49] This marriage was arranged byAnna Dalassena after the death of Romanos IV,^[50] but it was short-lived, as Constantine perished under the walls ofAntioch in 1073 while serving with his brother-in-law Isaac Komnenos.^[51]

By his second wife, the EmpressEudokia Makrembolitissa, he had:

• Leo Diogenes – born in 1069, and according toAnna Comnena was made co-emperor during his father's reign.^[52] In the reign ofAlexius I, he was taken into the imperial palace and given various high commands. He died in Alexius's campaigns against the Pechenegs in 1087.^[53]
• Nikephoros Diogenes – born in 1069, made Co-emperor upon his birth.

A highly fictionalized version of Romanos IV was portrayed byNikolai Kinski in the 2022Netflix seriesVikings: Valhalla.^[54] The series is mostly set decades before Romanos acceded to the throne.^[55]

• List of Byzantine emperors

• Comnena, Anna,The Alexiad

• Cheynet, J.C.; Vannier, J.F. (2003), "Les Argyroi",Zbornik Radova Vizantološkog Instituta (in French), vol. 40, pp. 57–90
• Çoban, R. V. (2020). The Manzikert Battle and Sultan Alp Arslan with European Perspective in the 15st Century in the Miniatures of Giovanni Boccaccio's "De Casibus Virorum Illustrium"s 226 and 232. French Manuscripts in Bibliothèque Nationale de France. S. Karakaya ve V. Baydar (Ed.), in 2nd International Muş Symposium Articles Book (pp. 48–64). Muş: Muş Alparslan University.Source
• Dumbarton Oaks (1973),Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection: Leo III to Nicephorus III, 717–1081, p. 785
• Finlay, George (1854),History of the Byzantine and Greek Empires from 1057 to 1453, vol. 2, William Blackwood & Sons
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• Jeffreys, C., ed. (2016).Romanos 4.King's College London.ISBN 978-1-908951-20-5.{{cite book}}:|website= ignored (help)
• Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991),"Romanos IV Diogenes",Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, p. 1807,ISBN 978-0195046526
• Norwich, John Julius (1993),Byzantium: The Apogee, Penguin,ISBN 0140114483
• Norwich, John Julius (1993b) [1992],Byzantium: The Apogee, vol. II
• Soloviev, A.V. (1935), "Les emblèmes héraldiques de Byzance et les Slaves",Seminarium Kondakovianum (in French),7:119–164

• Psellos, Michael,Chronographia
• Attaleiates, Michael,The History

• Romanos IV Diogenes
• History of Michael Attaliates