Nikephoros III Botaneiates
Nikephoros III Botaneiates was an elderly general from a distinguished military family who seized power in 1078 by marching on Constantinople when Michael VII's government had become untenable. He was already in his mid-to-late seventies when he took the throne, making him one of the oldest men ever to become Byzantine emperor. His brief three-year reign was characterized by its transitional instability rather than any positive achievement. He faced multiple revolts simultaneously. He suppressed Bryennios through the military genius of the young general Alexios Komnenos. The empire continued to lose ground in Anatolia to the Seljuks. In March 1081, Alexios Komnenos organized a coup, seized Constantinople, and deposed him with minimal violence. Botaneiates was allowed to abdicate and retire to a monastery, dying peacefully in 1081. His reign is remembered mainly as the context in which Alexios Komnenos demonstrated the abilities that would make him the dynasty's founder.
- Lived: 1002 CE – 1081 CE
- Nationality: byzantine
- Roles: emperor, head_of_state, military_leader
