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AR Miliaresion - Michael I Rhangabe & Theophylactus
| Issuer | Byzantine Empire (Byzantine states) |
|---|---|
| Year | 811-813 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 24 mm |
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| Obverse description | A patriarchal cross with globulate terminals stands on a three-stepped base at center, occupying the full field. The cross is rendered in high relief with bold, clean lines characteristic of middle Byzantine hammered silver coinage. A circular legend in Greek majuscule letters reads IHSUS XRISTUS NICA (Jesus Christ conquers), arranged around the cross within a dotted border. The overall design is purely epigraphic and symbolic, with no figural imagery, reflecting the iconoclast-influenced aesthetic of the period. |
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Michael I came to power not through succession or military acclaim but through the political vacuum left by Nikephoros I's death at the Battle of Pliska in July 811 — one of the worst Byzantine defeats in centuries, in which the Bulgarian khan Krum famously had Nikephoros's skull lined with silver and used it as a drinking cup. Michael's co-emperor Theophylactus, his own son, was elevated immediately to shore up dynastic legitimacy that Michael himself conspicuously lacked. The reign lasted barely two years before military failures against Krum forced Michael's abdication in 813.