(), emperor of Constantinople (
Being proclaimed emperor, Zimisces imitated the example of his unfortunate predecessor, and
reigned as colleague of the two sons of Romanus. His first act was to send his enemy Leo, the
brother of Nicephorus, into exile; his second, to obey the summons of Polyeuctes, the
patriarch of Constantinople, who urged him to banish Theophano; his third, to divide part of
his property among the poor, and spend the rest in building a vast and splendid hospital on
the Asiatic shore of the Bosporus. He then sent his general Nicolaus against the Arabs, who
were besieging Antioch with the flower of their army; and his general Bardas Sclerus against
the Russians, who had overrun and traversed Bulgaria, and laid siege to Adrianople. Both of
the generals were successful, and the Greek arms obtained decisive victories in Europe and
Asia. The triumph of Zimisces was checked by a rebellion of Bardas Phocas, the son of the
exiled Leo, who assumed the imperial title at Caesareia, and was supported by his father and
his brother Nicephorus; but the rebellion was soon quelled, and Leo and Nicephorus were taken
prisoners, and condemned to death. The emperor, nevertheless, spared their lives, and sent
them into exile, till, having rebelled a second time, they were blinded, and kept in
confinement. Bardas Phocas having surrendered to Bardas Sclerus, was compelled to assume the
monastic habit, and to spend the rest of his life in a convent in Chios. Previous to these
events (970), Zimisces, who was then a widower, having lost his wife Maria, the sister of
Bardas Sclerus, married Theodora, the daughter of Constantine Porphyrogenneta, and the sister
of the late Romanus II., a marriage agreeable to the Greeks, who revered the memory of the
learned and mild Constantine. Meanwhile, the Russians had again invaded Bulgaria; and they
would have formed lasting settlements in that country but for the valour of Zimisces, who took
the command in the field, while a Greek fleet sailed up the Danube, cutting off the retreat of
the northern barbarians. Parasthlava, the capital of the Bulgarian kingdom, had been taken by
the Russians, and the Bulgarian king, Bosisa, was kept there by the Norman Sventislav
(Sviatoslav, Wenceslaus), or Sphendosthlaba, as the Greeks call him, the prince of the
Russians of Kiew. Under the walls of Parasthlava the Russians suffered a bloody defeat; a
large body of their best troops, who defended the castle, was cut to pieces; and Zimisces once
more gave proof of military genius and undaunted courage. Sphendosthlaba made peace, and
withdrew to Russia, while Bosisa was generously re-established by Zimisces on his hereditary
throne. These events were followed by the marriage of Theophano or Theophania--not the
banished empress, but the daughter of the late emperor Romanus II.--with Otho II., Roman
emperor and king of Germany. A fresh war with the Arabs called the emperor from his capital to
Syria. Zimisces fought with his usual fortune, defeated the Arabs in several pitched battles,
and pursued them as far as the confines of Palestine, when they sued for peace. On his return
to Europe the emperor beheld with pleasure a large extent of land in Cilicia, covered with
beautiful villas and thriving farms; but having been informed that those fine estates belonged
to the eunuch Basilius, who was one of the principal officers of his household, " Is it for
eunuchs," he cried out, " that brave men fight, and we endure the hardships of so many
campaigns! " Basilius was informed of this, but disguised his apprehensions or anger. A few
days afterwards, however, Zimisces felt symptoms of a serious illness; he grew worse and
worse, and on his arrival in his capital he was on the verge of death. He expired shortly
after his return, on the 10th of January, 976, at the age of fifty-one, leaving the memory of
one of the most distinguished rulers of the Byzantine empire. His successor was Basil II., who
reigned together with his brother Constantine VIII. (Cedren. vol. ii. p. 375-415, ed. Bonn;