Romanus II

Romanus II succeeded his father Constantine VII as Byzantine emperor in 959 at the age of twenty-one, and died, poisoned, it was believed, by his wife, Theophano in 963.

He was a pleasure-loving sovereign, but showed judgment in the selection of his ministers. The great event of his reign was the conquest of Crete by Nicephorus Phocas in 961.

Preceded by: Constantine VII

Byzantine emperors

Followed by: Nicephorus II

This entry was originally from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.