Eudokia Makrembolitissa

   Niece of Patriarch Michael I Keroularios and empress of Constantine X Doukas (qq.v.). After his death in 1067 she was regent for her sons Michael VII (q.v.), Andronikos, and Constantine, promising Patriarch John VIII Xiphilinos (q.v.) that she would not marry again. However, continued inroads by the Seljuks (q.v.) forced the patriarch, and her chief advisors caesar John Doukas and Michael Psellos (qq.v.) to reconsider the need for an emperor experienced in military affairs. Xiphilinos released her from her oath, and she agreed to marry Romanos IV Diogenes (q.v.). Romanos IV achieved some success in 1068 and 1069, but he was captured at the battle of Mantzikert (q.v.) in 1071, a defeat caused by the retreat of Andronikos Doukas, son of caesar John Doukas. When, after his release by Alp Arslan (q.v.), Romanos IV attempted to regain his throne, caesar John Doukas forced Eudokia to enter a monastery, lest she support him. Michael VII was proclaimed sole emperor in his place. After the death of Michael VII, and no longer a political threat, she was allowed to return to Constantinople (q.v.).