Michael III - Legacy

Legacy

The reign and personality of Michael III are difficult to evaluate because of the hostile accounts written by Byzantine authors operating under Basil I and his successors. Byzantine accounts describe Michael's habitual drunkenness, his obsession with chariot racing and his orchestration of public displays mocking the processions and rituals of the church. The impression gained from Arab sources, however, is one of Michael as an active and often successful military commander. Though Michael III was allegedly prone to squander money, his reign saw a stabilization of the economy, and by the year 850 the empire's annual revenues had increased to 3,300,000 nomismata. The definitive end to Iconoclasm early in the reign led, unsurprisingly, to a renaissance in visual arts. During Michael's reign the Byzantine Empire had made considerable advances in internal organisation and religious cohesion, and had more than held its own against the Abbasid Caliphate. Most importantly Bulgaria had been transformed into a religious and cultural satellite of Byzantium. However, much of the credit for these achievements must go to Theodora and Theoktistos up to 855, and Bardas and Petronas thereafter.