Byzantine Emperor. Born into a high ranking family, he attracted the attention of Byzantine Empress Zoë, whose husband, Michael IV, then banished him to the island of Lesbos. However, in 1042 he was ordered back to Constantinople to marry the now widowed Zoë and was named as Emperor alongside Zoë and her sister Theodora. In this position of power he was pleasure-loving and capable of violent displays of temper if he suspected conspiracies against him. Maria Skleraina, his mistress, influenced many of his decisions, and he soon provoked a rebellion by removing General George Maniakes from office. Maniakes set himself up as a rival emperor before dying in battle when close to deposing Constantine in 1043. In 1045 he seized the Armenian kingdom of Ani, leading to war with the Seljuk Turks. Following a truce in 1049, he disbanded his Armenian army, making the empire's eastern border vulnerable to future attacks. A rebellion in 1047 by his nephew, Leo Tornikios, weakened the empire to such an extent that the Balkans was frequently raided by the Pechenegs over the next five years. At home, his attempts to strengthen his position by giving important landowners and the church immunity from taxation and by granting land in return for contributions to the military only served to weaken the power of the state. The Greek and Roman churches separated in 1054 when the Patriach of Constantinople, Michael Keroularios, was excommunicated by the Pope for refusing to adopt western church practices. This prevented Constantine from forming an alliance with the Pope in his attempt to drive the Normans from Southern Italy. He died while negotiating with the Pope, and was buried in The Monastery of Saint George.