Isaac I Comnenus, 1057-1059. Tetarteron (Gold, 20 mm, 4.08 g, 6 h), Constantinopolis. +IҺS XIS RЄX RЄGNANTIҺm Nimbate bust of Christ facing, wearing tunic and pallium, raising his right hand in benediction and holding book of Gospels in his left. Rev. + ICAAKIOC RACIΛЄVC PM Isaac I Comnenus, bearded, standing facing in military attire, wearing crown with pendilia, holding globus cruciger in his right hand and placing his left on sheathed sword. DOC 3. SB 1845. Rare and with a wonderful obverse. The reverse struck from a somewhat worn die, otherwise, about extremely fine.



Isaac I Komnenos hailed from a distinguished military family and distinguished himself early as a capable officer under Basil II. In 1057 disaffected generals in Asia Minor proclaimed him emperor, and after his victory at Petroe, Michael VI was forced to abdicate. Isaac entered Constantinople in triumph, becoming the first ruler of the Comnenian house, a dynasty that would shape the empire’s destiny for more than a century. His short reign (1057-1059) was defined by bold reforms: he curtailed lavish court pensions, reinforced the army and finances, and cut back monastic privileges. Such severity, however, won him powerful enemies, above all Patriarch Michael Keroularios.

In 1059, struck by illness and believing himself near death, Isaac resigned the crown. Instead of naming a relative, he - under court and patriarchal pressure - passed the succession to Constantine X Ducas. Comnenian rule thus lapsed, only to be restored in 1081 with Alexius I. Though he unexpectedly recovered, Isaac remained true to his word and lived out his final years as a monk in the Studion monastery, where he died in 1061.