Konstantios Doukas

Konstantios only had to contend with Nikephoros III, as Nikephoros Bryennios had been defeated by Nikephoros III at the Battle of Kalavrye, and subsequently blinded by him. Konstantios rapidly lost support, as it became clear he had no skill as a ruler. Upon Nikephoros III's entry into Constantinople on 3 April, Konstantios' supporters attempted to negotiate, but the populace of Constantinople rejected him completely. Later that year an Anatolian army rebelled in favour of Konstantios, but it was quickly defeated by Nikephoros' forces. Konstantios was sent to be tonsured and live in a monastery on one of the Princes' Islands in the Propontis. By becoming a monk he became unable to marry, and thus his engagement to Anna Vsevolodovna was cancelled.

He was recalled by Alexios I Komnenos, who succeeded Nikephoros, and who was related to Konstantios by way of his marriage to Irene Doukaina, in 1081. He was made a general, and sent to campaign against the Normans. After Alexios seized the throne, he elevated Constantine Doukas to co-emperor. Konstantios fought in the Battle of Dyrrhachium on 18 October 1081, where Byzantine forces besieging Dyrrachium were engaged by Norman forces. Although the Byzantines were initially successful, with the Norman right wing being routed by the Byzantine left wing, the Norman center routed the central forces of the Byzantines. During this engagement, the Varangian Guard, with whom Konstantios was fighting, was separated from the core body of the Byzantine army and massacred. Konstantios himself perished in the combat.

Due to the limited sources for Konstantios' life, he's often confused with his younger nephew, the porphyrogennetos Constantine Doukas. However, Constantine was only a child during this time (born in 1074), so contemporary sources most likely talk about Konstantios instead.

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