Tetarteron Nomisma - Nikephoros III Botaneiates

Nikephoros III Botaneiates came to power not through legitimate succession but by leading a military revolt against Michael VII Doukas, entering Constantinople in 1078 with the backing of the Seljuk Sultan Suleiman ibn Kutulmish — a dependency that haunted his brief reign. His government was financially desperate from the start, and the degraded electrum of his tetartera reflects a mint already well into the debasement trajectory that had been accelerating since the 1040s. He was deposed in 1081 by Alexios Komnenos, who forced him into a monastery.