Michael Psellus (Dictionary of World Biography: The Middle Ages)
Early Life
Constantine Psellus, who took the name Michael only when he withdrew to a monastery in 1054, was born in 1018 into a family with imperial connections but only modest means. The coemperors at the time were the elderly brothers Basil II (reigned 976-1025) and Constantine VIII (reigned 976-1028). Psellus’ own family is but poorly known. Although nothing is recorded about his father, his mother, Theodote, was the subject of one of Psellus’ seven extant elegies. In addition to introducing her son to the Orthodox faith and the study of Scripture, she secured the...
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