Chapter II (ii)
Michael Dukas, now Michael VII, spent the next several months trying to consolidate his hold on the throne, only to find this considerably more difficult then he’d thought it would be. Despite the best efforts of Psellus, who had been elevated to the rank of Parakoimomenos, there was a growing antipathy towards the Dukas family, mostly from the army. The army was not the only source of discontent, however. Members of the church also held the Dukas family in low regard, unimpressed by their lack of piety and indulgent lifestyles. In the eastern provinces they were upset over the continuing persecutions of Armenians. The Archbishop of Mesopotamia (a Byzantine province not to be confused with the larger region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers) was an outspoken critic of the persecutions who used the wealth of his monastic lands, which were considerable, to ferment dissent. In June of that year the Archbishop formally condemned the Emperor and convinced the local strategos to rise up in rebellion.
Michael Dukas’ response to the news of open rebellion was characteristically lackluster, though one does think that someone in the royal court would have had an appreciation of the severity of the situation. After several weeks of dithering Michael sent a messenger ordering the governor of the Galatia Theme to mobilize his troops and crush the rebels. The governor agonized briefly over his loyalties but ended up obeying his orders. He took the field and began marching towards the rebel camp in Mesopotamia, ignoring the fact that he was outnumbered two to one. The rebels were already on the march, however, and when they heard of the loyalist force in Galatia they quickly marched to meet and neutralize them there. The rebel Strategos hoped that a victory, however small, would encourage further revolts. It was not to be. The two armies, though army may not be the right word considering their size, met at Kaiseria. Despite their advantage in numbers the rebels were unable to break the loyalists. A strong wind all made their arrows all but useless while carrying the enemies further than normal while worries about the safety of their homes and families hurt morale. After two days of half-hearted fighting the rebels withdrew. News reached Constantinople of a “glorious” victory, followed by even more encouraging news. Another loyalist force under a bright young strategos had smashed another rebel contingent at Koloneia. Thus entered Alexius Comnenus onto the scene.
Alexius gained notoriety throughout the Empire for his brilliant victory at Koloneia, reportedly killing 300 rebels while only losing two of his own soldiers. From this point on his star was in ascent and he was to soon found himself drawn into the swirling power struggle surrounding the throne. The other result of these twin victories was that in enabled Megas Domestikos, Nicephoras Boteniates, to convince Michael Dukas to send a moderate force east to wrap up the rebellion and direct efforts against the Turks. The Turks were, admittedly, an afterthought for the Emperor; his primary concerning was the opportunity to confiscate the lands of the traitors and claim them as his own. Nicephoras gathered his troops at Thessalonica and crossed the Aegean Sea to Smyrna, then began the overland march towards Mesopotamia.
After the stand at Kaiseria the miniscule force from the Galatian theme had been ordered to advance to the rebel capital and initiate a siege; they would be joined later on by the Megas Domestikos. Though the fortifications in Mesopotamia were minimal at best, the forces at the disposal of the Galatian strategos were woefully inadequate for the task. Attrition, too, was beginning to take its toll on the poorly equipped soldiers and there was the danger that the rebel army defeated at Kaiseria, which remained largely intact, would return. And in the east the Turks had taken the province of Vaspaurakan and were steadily building up their forces there. None of this mattered to those in power. So it was that, as the summer of 1067 faded, the Byzantine Empire remained convulsed in domestic turmoil while their enemies were gathering for a fatal strike.
