Romanos Takes Control

Political event

Constantine realizes his mistake when Romanos takes control. He forces Zoe into a convent, forces Constantine to marry his daughter in April, and then takes over control of the entire empire via backroom deals and powerful position allocation to his allies. Constantine is able to convince Syres to stay and become the head of his personal guard and Romanos, who just appointed his eldest son as the commander of the palace guard, relents for the sake of his daughter and appearances.

On 25 March 919, at the head of his fleet, Lekapenos seized the Boukoleon Palace and the reins of government. Initially, he was named magistros and megas hetaireiarches, but he moved swiftly to consolidate his position: in April 919 his daughter Helena was married to Constantine VII, and Lekapenos assumed the new title basileopator; on 24 September, he was named Caesar; and on 17 December 919, Romanos Lekapenos was crowned senior emperor. When Romanos succeeded in having his daughter Helena Lekapene married to the young emperor, his son Christopher succeeded him in his post as megas hetaireiarches, commander of the palace guard. To further cement his position, and planning to advance his own family over the legitimate Macedonian line, Romanos crowned Christopher also as co-emperor on 20 May 921. It is then that Constantine decides that he will one day have revenge and get rid of his father and brother in-law.