Not one of the more prominent of the Byzantine emperors, Michael I ruled for just under two years from 811 to 813. Historians don't seem overly impressed with his running of the empire during that time, and he was supposedly betrayed by Leo the Armenian in battle, which ultimately led to Michael I's abdication and Leo's ascension to the throne as Leo V. Yet Michael escaped the gruesome fates of many other Byzantine emperors by being allowed to retire to a monastery and living out his life.
