Michael IV the Paphlagonian

Michael IV the Paphlagonian (c. 1010–1041) was a peasant's son from Paphlagonia who worked as a money changer in Constantinople before his brother John placed him at court. He became Zoë's lover, and in 1034 her husband Romanos III was found dying in his bath; Michael married Zoë that day and was crowned emperor the next.

Plagued by epilepsy, he left government to John, whose heavy taxes stirred revolts. In 1041 he took the field against Bulgarian rebels and returned victorious, only to die later that year.