 Stephen and Constantine Lekapenos came to the fore in 943 , when they opposed a dynastic marriage for their nephew , Romanos II . Their father wanted to have his eldest surviving grandson married to Euphrosyne , a daughter of his successful general John Kourkouas . Although such a union would effectively cement the loyalty of the army , it would also strengthen the position of the legitimate Macedonian line , represented by Romanos II and his father Constantine VII , over the imperial claims of Romanos 's own sons . Predictably , Stephen and Constantine opposed this decision , and prevailed upon their father , who was by this time ill and old , to dismiss Kourkouas in the autumn of 944 . Romanos II instead married Bertha , an illegitimate daughter of Hugh of Arles , King of Italy , who changed her name to Eudokia after her marriage . 
