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John Kourkouas was a more-or-less popular but definitely underrated Byzantine nobleman and general notable for his campaigns in Armenia and northern Syria, securing the empire's eastern border and extending its influence towards the Euphrates, and even beyond. At one point, his political schemes in regards to the contemporaneous emperor Romanos Lekapenos bore much fruit and his daughter married into the imperial dynasty, strengthening Kourkouas' ties with the Macedonians in the purple. However, Romanos' two sons, out of jealousy, conspired to have Kourkouas deposed, and were eventually successfuly in convincing their father to dismiss him.
But what if Ioannis Kourkouas had not been dismissed by emperor Romanos I?
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