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Michael IV - Michael IV Paphlagonian | + MI XΛHL ΔЄSΠOT
Michael the Paphlagonian was the chamberlain of the empress Zoe, wife of Romanos III. The pair soon became lovers, and just a day after the demise of the emperor [in suspicious circumstances], they were married, and Michael was crowned emperor. Though uneducated, Michael proved to be a good and courageous leader, but his reign was cut short by severe epilepsy and dropsy.
This extremely rare coin has variously been attributed to Michael IV, Michael V, Michael VI and Michael VII. Current scholarship assigns it to Michael IV, on the basis that coins of the Danish king Sveyn II Estridsson [1047-1075] mimic this extremely rare type, the proposed reason being that Harold Sigurtharson [later called Hardrada], future King of Norway and nearly of England, would have brought these coins brought back with him when he returned home from his time in the Byzantine emperor Michaels IV’s Varangian Guard. Harald served with distinction under Michael IV, winning great honour, and according to his skald [poet] Tjodolv Arnorsson, Harald participated in no fewer than eighteen greater battles during his Byzantine military career.
Harald’s favour at the imperial court quickly declined after the death of Michael IV in December 1041, which was followed by conflicts between new emperor Michael V and the powerful empress Zoe. After Zoe had been restored to the throne in June 1042 together with Constantine IX, Harald requested to be allowed to return to Norway. Although Zoe refused to allow this, Harald managed to escape into the Bosphorus with two ships and some loyal followers,though the second ship was destroyed by the Byzantine cross-strait iron chains. Despite the manner of his departure, Kekaumenos lauds the ‘loyalty and love’ Harald had for the empire, which he reportedly maintained even after he returned to Norway and became king.