Isaac I of Byzantium (1007-1061) was the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 1057 to 1059, succeeding Michael VI of Byzantium and preceding Constantine X of Byzantium.
Biography[]
Isaac was born in 1007 to Manuel Erotikos Komnenos, a general of Basil II of Byzantium. He was given to the care of Emperor Basil when his father died, and he was educated at a monastery. From 1042 to 1057 Isaac commanded the field army in Anatolia, and after being humiliated by Emperor Michael VI of Byzantium, he joined a conspiracy of nobles and overthrew him, seizing power for himself. In 1059 he campaigned against King Andrew I of Hungary and the Pechenegs, his only war. After his successful campaign, he concluded peace with the Kingdom of Hungary, but he later felt that God was displeased with him due to him falling ill and nearly being struck by lightning while leaning against a tree. He abdicated in 1059 after nobles took advantage of these rumors, and Constantine X of Byzantium succeeded him.