born с 980
died Jan. 11, 1055
Byzantine emperor (1042–55).
He gained the imperial throne by marrying Zoe , empress of the Macedonian dynasty. An opponent of the great military leaders, he neglected imperial defenses, instead spending extravagantly on luxuries and magnificent buildings. Rebellions broke out at home and abroad, and Byzantine lands were threatened by invaders in southern Italy, Thrace, Macedonia, and Armenia. Constantine tried to ally with the papacy to save southern Italy from the Normans, but growing differences between Rome and Constantinople resulted in the Schism of 1054 .