The son of a peasant, Michael worked as a money changer until he was found a job at court by his brother John the Orphanotrophos.

[4] "As a ruler he had no ability whatsoever",[5] and his private life was troubled by his failure to conceive a child with his wife Empress Zoë.

[11][12] Michael IV was handsome, clever and generous, but epilepsy and a lack of education prevented him from assuming many of his imperial duties.

He was initially reliant on others to direct the government in his name, and afforded significant responsibilities to his brother John, who had already become an influential minister under Constantine VIII and Romanos III.

John's reforms of the army and financial system revived the strength of the Empire against its foreign enemies but increased taxes, which caused discontent among the nobility and the commons.

[16] In 1034 Michael ordered the arrest of Constantine Dalassenos on suspicion of treason, accused of fomenting insurrection at Antioch.

The Arabs sacked Myra, the Serbs threw off Byzantine authority and the Pechenegs raided almost at will up to the gates of Thessalonica.

[19][20] On the western front, Michael and John ordered the general George Maniakes to conquer the Emirate of Sicily.

He almost succeeded in driving the Arabs from the island, but Maniakes then fell out with his Lombard allies, while his Norman mercenaries, unhappy with their pay, abandoned the Byzantine general and raised a revolt on the Italian mainland, resulting in the temporary loss of Bari.

[17] After Maniakes's recall, most of the Sicilian conquests were lost and an expedition against the Normans suffered several defeats, although Bari was eventually recaptured.

Michael IV made things worse by removing from command the doux of Dyrrhachium, who had been marching against Peter Delyan, accusing him of a conspiracy.

[21][23][14] At this point, Michael's epilepsy left him half paralysed and he developed a severe case of dropsy, which caused his legs to become gangrenous.

In 1041 Michael set off towards Macedonia with an army of 40,000 men, assisted by Norse mercenaries, including the future King Harald III of Norway.

He sought heavenly aid by visiting the shrine of Saint Demetrius at Thessalonica and by building or rebuilding churches.

After taking Holy Orders, on 10 December 1041 Michael IV died, refusing to the last to see his wife, who begged that she be allowed to visit him one more time.