Michael held Constantinople and the European provinces, controlled the imperial bureaucracy, and had been properly crowned by the Patriarch, but he had come to the throne through murder, while Thomas gained support and legitimacy through his claim to avenge the fallen Leo, and he won the backing of themes both in Asia and later in Europe.
Mikhael mengadakan Konstantinopel dan provinsi-provinsi Eropa, mengendalikan birokrasi kekaisaran, dan telah dimahkotai dengan benar oleh Patriark, tetapi ia telah naik takhta melalui pembunuhan, sementara Tomaž mendapat dukungan dan legitimasi melalui pernyataannya untuk membalas Leo yang jatuh, dan ia memenangkan dukungan thema di Asia dan kemudian di Eropa.