on the death of andronikos iii, his infant son manuel ii became emperor. however, basil was invited from constantinople to take the throne; manuel was deposed in august 1332 and confined to a monastery. basil purged the court of his brother and nephew's supporters (which included the "megas doux" lekes tzatzintzaios and his son the "megas domestikos" tzambas), but the man he appointed as the new "megas doux", john the eunuch, revolted in favor of the deposed manuel. the revolt was crushed and to prevent further trouble the child was murdered in 1333, probably on basil's order.