Michel VI

Michel VI Bringas Stratiotique (or Stratiotikos - meaning the quarrelsome one) (? - 1059) was Byzantine emperor of the August 30th 1056 with the August 31st 1057. Already old general, it was chosen by the eunuques ones to succeed the last representing of the Dynastie Macedonian, the empress Théodora.

Michel is a distance relative of the parakoimomene Joseph Bringas, minister of Romain II which had been opposed to Nicéphore II almost a century before. Michel had been logothète stratiotikôn , which could explain its name. According to Skylitzès, Michel is brought on the throne by eunuques palate and syncelle the Leon in August of the year 1056 according to the Byzantine Comput whereas Théodora was still failing. Skylitzès teaches us that it was a simple man and that it had hardly made more than to deal with the cases of the army until there. In 1056, Michel was already old - Skylitzès calls besides it “the Old man” and Michel Psellos calls it the “Michel old man” in his Chronographie - and it was certainly selected because of its age, in order to leave the free field with the civils servant and eunuques with which it had sworn never anything besides to make without their agreement.

Michel is proclaimed emperor the August 31st 1056 but must immediately face the revolt of the proèdre Théodose, first cousin of the emperor Constantin IX Monomaque and who considered that the throne returned to him. Badly prepared and not receiving the support of the patriarch Michel I {{er}} Cérulaire, the revolt of Théodose is a failure. It is exiled with Pergame.

Michel did not have a political smoothness and could not maintain balance between the aristocracy and the army: to control it wished to be based on the civil nobility. Indeed since the reign of Constantin IX Monomaque (1041 - 1055) the urban middle-class obtained dignities which gives to him access to the Sénat. This phenomenon caused a violent hostility of the army and military aristocracy of origin. It thus alienated the magistri Isaac Comnène (the future emperor Isaac I {{er}}) and Katakalôn Kékauménos by privileging his friends and supports, which was lived like an injustice for the army.

Michel was hardly wiser in foreign policy. While refusing to pay the frankly Ervévios Phrangopôlos and while making fun of him, it makes it be combined with the Turkish adventurer Samouch. Alliance does not hold, but the low capacities of Michel for the diplomacy endangered areas of the Empire.

The June 8th 1057 the army proclaimed Empereur Isaac Comnène. Isaac was supported by the Eastern tagmata , while Michel received primarily support of the Western armies and Macedonians in particular. The two camps end up clashing close to the Mont Sophôn (currently the Sabandja dagh in Turkey). Although the two armies are of equal force, Michel is overcome by the weapons, it tried a diplomatic victory then, proclaiming Isaac like his successor. The August 30th 1057, the senators recognize Isaac as emperor. A coup d'etat fomented by the patriarch Michel Cérulaire put definitively fine at the reign of Michel who, deposited, became again an ordinary citizen and died shortly after.

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