Byzantine Emperor (1118 – 1180)
A brave warrior, skilled strategist and great patriot, Manuel Komnenos (or Comnenus) was born as the Komnenos dynasty’s third heir to the Byzantine throne during years of terrific political turmoil in the Empire. His efforts to revive the Byzantine Empire from the darkness in which it was plunged by his predecessors as well as to fix their mistakes and restore the Empire’s glory, even though they failed rendered him as one of the most important Byzantine Emperors in Greek history.
Prior to Manuel Komenos’ ascension to the throne, the Byzantine Empire was facing one of the darkest times in its history. The war against the Greeks had once again begun after a period of remission by his grandfather Alexios Komnenos and his son, both of whom served as Byzantine Emperors. Massacres, tortures, destruction and religious fanaticism were rampant in the entire Greek peninsula. When Manuel Komnenos ascended to throne he found himself confronted with an army mobilized by Alexios Komnenos consisting of militarized monks that had gained so much power that even the Emperor himself was enslaved to them, destroying everything in their path and imposing their power.
Manuel’s rise to power signaled a new era for Hellenism. Due to his love for the Greeks, for the first time in years Greek literature and astrology began to be republished while hostility toward the Greeks ceased. In addition, he proved himself to be a courageous man in battle. Michael Acominatus wrote that “(Manuel) was courageous by nature, reckless in battle and daring in the deeds worked by his hands” while John Kinnamos said “Whenever he appeared unexpectedly to them (the Turks), he seemed veritably a thunderbolt to them, and thousands, they say, should it be so, even tens of thousands, armed and armored men, shamelessly fled”.
Manuel’s attempt to diminish the power of the Venetians in the Byzantine Empire failed when he was obliged to compensate them after they retaliated by taking control of Chios. He made numerous campaigns in the East, travelled to Antioch where he fought against the Turks and the Franks and imposed the Byzantine rule while regaining the lands of Asia Minor. Moreover, he fought the Serbians, the Hungarians, fended off the Italian invaders from Greece during the second Crusade and signed a peace treaty with the enemy states.
Constant wars, however, led to the defeat of the Byzantine army in the Battle of Myriocephalon against the Turks and Manuel barely fled from captivity. This brought great exhaustion to the Empire, slowly after which began its downfall. By the time of Manuel’s death, the Byzantine Empire occupied all the lands below the river Danube, the north and south parts of Asia Minor as well as the eastern part of it until Phrygia and Pisidia.
Bibliography
- “Manuel, Komnenos”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens, 1946. Print.
- Manuel I Komnenos (1143 – 1180). God’s Regents on Earth: A Thousand Years of Byzantine Imperial Seals. Cloacks.org. Web. September 15, 2016.
- Misyris, Vasilis. Komnenoi the Anthellenic Emperors and the Exception of Manuel. Retreived from «ΙΧΩΡ», issue 18, February 2002, pages 58-68.
- Ο Μανουήλ Α’ Κομνηνός και η μάχη του Μυριοκεφάλου 1176. Ψήγματα απὸ τὴν Ελληνική ιστορία. Blogspot.bg. Web. September 15, 2016.
