Hello everyone and welcome to the history of Byzantium.

Episode 135 Triumphant Procession

Last time we followed Nysephyrus' focus to Crete where he finally brought an end to the

Arab Emirate. He then returned to the capital to celebrate a triumph and then headed back to the

Eastern Front. We now need to backtrack slightly and return to Constantine Porfyrrianitos' deathbed

in late 959. The Purple Born Emperor who owed everything he had to his place as the legitimate

Macedonian heir had been successful at replenishing the line. His own Purple Born boy,

Romanus, had in turn conceived a legitimate male heir in Baby Basil. Another boy was even then

growing in Theofano's belly as Constantine passed away. Romanus II, therefore, became emperor

the next day in the least controversial succession since Theophilus inherited the throne way back

in 829. By all accounts, the 21-year-old Romanus was easygoing and fun-loving. He was tall and

thin like his father with sandy-colored hair. And like many younger men, he preferred hunting and

racing over-governing. But he was no fool and followed his father's advice in delegating

matters of state to a trusted advisor. The man who Constantine recommended was no longer Basil

Likapi Nos, but rather Joseph Bringers. As I've hinted before, Basil had been accused of enriching

himself and had agitated to lead the expedition to Crete. As well as he and Constantine got on,

the dying emperor clearly felt that Bringers, a more sober figure, would make a better advisor to his

son. Young Romanus concurred and allowed Bringers to take charge of the Cretan expedition,

which was already being prepared when his father died.

You may also recall that the year before the emperor's death, the Magyars had raided Thrace.

Leo Focus was dispatched to deal with them. Perhaps in response to that invasion,

or maybe it was already in the works, Romanus ordered a division of the role of domestic of the

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