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MICHAEL III

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Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 359 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MICHAEL III . (839-867), " the drunkard," was See also:grandson of Michael II., and succeeded his See also:father See also:Theophilus when three years old (842). During his minority the See also:empire was governed by his See also:mother See also:Theodora, who in spite of several defeats inflicted upon her generals maintained the frontiers against the See also:Saracens of See also:Bagdad and See also:Crete. The See also:regent displayed her religious zeal by restoring See also:image-See also:worship (842) and persecuting the Paulician heretics, but she entirely neglected the See also:education of her son. As a result Michael See also:grew up a debauchee, and See also:fell under thesway of his See also:uncle Bardas, who induced him to banish Theodora to a See also:convent and practically assumed the See also:chief See also:control (857). Bardas justified this usurpation by introducing various See also:internal reforms; in the See also:wars of the See also:period Michael himself took a more active See also:part. During a conflict with the Saracens of the See also:Euphrates (856—63), the See also:emperor sustained a See also:personal defeat (86o), which was retrieved by a See also:great victory on the part of his uncle Petronas in See also:Asia See also:Minor. In 861 Michael and Bardas invaded See also:Bulgaria and secured the See also:conversion of the See also:king to See also:Christianity. On See also:sea the empire suffered under the ravages of the Cretan corsairs; and in 865 the first pillaging expedition of the Russians endangered the See also:Bosporus. In 867 Michael was assassinated by See also:Basil the Macedonian, a former See also:groom, who had overthrown the See also:influence of Bardas and in 866 been associated in the Empire.

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