He "owed his elevation to Zoe, the empress who, in order to secure her position, married Constantine, with whom she shared the throne till her death in 1050. In his old age, Constantine, who had once been a famous warrior, utterly neglected the defences of the empire and reduced his army by disbanding 50,000 of his best troops; on the other hand, he spent extravagent sums on luxuries and the erection of magnificent buildings." -Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1956, 6:302. He reigned 1042-54.