After Theophilos had departed this life it was his son, Michael, who, together with his mother, Theodora, succeeded to the sceptre of the empire. He had the magister Manuel (then domestic of the scholai) and Theoktistos the patrician (logothete of the drome) as his guardians and tutors, just as his father had stipulated in his will. Immediately after the death of Theophilos, these two got themselves away to the Hippodrome where they assembled the people and delivered speeches recalling to their minds the benevolence of the late emperor towards them. By using encouraging and flattering words, they were able to elicit the goodwill of the audience, the people promising to pour out their own blood for the safety of the emperor and confirming this promise with oaths there and then.

Once Theodora was in control of the empire (together with her son), immediately and first of all, at the suggestion of some God-fearing men, she closely examined the matter of the heresy of the enemies of the icons. This was widespread among the Romans from the reign of Leo the Armenian until the death of Theophilos. Theoktistos was in favour of its suppression but Manuel held back for some time; nobody dared to speak out boldly and make a speech expressly calling for the abolition of this heresy because the greater part of both the senate and the synod (including the patriarch himself) remained faithful to it. Manuel alone, prompted by divine [82] intervention, was bold enough to make the move. As we said above, he hesitated at first on the question of devotion to the most sacred icons, but he subsequently proclaimed himself in favour of it: here is the reason why.