Byzantine Empress Theodora, selects the elderly patrician Michael VI Bringas to succeed her, shortly before her death on August 31, 1056 marking the end of the almost 200 years of Macedonian dynasty rule of the Byzantine empire.
Empress Theodora's did not have any children and her decision, was intended to secure a successor. Michael VI reign was short-lived, he was forced to abdicate in 1057 after being unable to secure the support of the military establishment. The Macedonian era was marked by significant territorial expansion and a cultural "renaissance".
