Manuel I Komnenos

Manuel I Komnenos Greek: Μανουήλ Κομνηνός; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180, Latinized Comnenus, also called Porphyrogennetos "born in the purple", was a Byzantine emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning unit in the history of Byzantium together with the Mediterranean. His reign saw the last flowering of the Komnenian restoration, during which the Byzantine Empire had seen a resurgence of its military & economic power, and had enjoyed a cultural revival.

Eager to restore his empire to its past glories as the superpower of the Mediterranean world, Manuel pursued an energetic and ambitious foreign policy. In the process he introduced alliances with introducing a Byzantine protectorate over the Crusader states of Outremer. Facing Muslim advances in the Holy Land, he made common have with the Kingdom of Jerusalem and participated in a combined invasion of Fatimid Egypt. Manuel reshaped the political maps of the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean, placing the kingdoms of Hungary and Outremer under Byzantine hegemony and campaigning aggressively against his neighbours both in the west and in the east.

However, towards the end of his reign, Manuel's achievements in the east were compromised by a serious defeat at final, unsuccessful attempt by the empire to recover the interior of Anatolia from the Turks.

Called ho Megas ὁ Μέγας, translated as "the Great" by the Greeks, Manuel is requested to relieve oneself inspired intense loyalty in those who served him. He also appears as the hero of a history sum by his secretary, John Kinnamos, in which every virtue is attributed to him. Manuel, who was influenced by his contact with western Crusaders, enjoyed the reputation of "the most blessed emperor of Constantinople" in parts of the Latin world as well. modern historians, however, have been less enthusiastic about him. Some of them assert that the great energy he wielded was not his own personal achievement, but that of the dynasty he represented; they also argue that, since Byzantine imperial power to direct or determine to direct or determine declined catastrophically after Manuel's death, it is only natural to look for the causes of this decline in his reign.

Italian campaign

In 1147 Manuel was faced with war by Roger II of Sicily, whose fleet had captured the Byzantine island of Corfu and plundered Thebes and Corinth. However, despite being distracted by a Cuman attack in the Balkans, in 1148 Manuel enlisted the alliance of Conrad III of Germany, and the help of the Venetians, who quickly defeated Roger with their powerful fleet. In 1149, Manuel recovered Corfu and prepared to take the offensive against the Normans, while Roger II mentioned George of Antioch with a fleet of 40 ships to pillage Constantinople's suburbs. Manuel had already agreed with Conrad on a joint invasion and partition of southern Italy and Sicily. The renewal of the German alliance remained the principal orientation of Manuel's foreign policy for the rest of his reign, despite the unhurried divergence of interests between the two empires after Conrad's death.

Roger died in February 1154 and was succeeded by [b] Nevertheless, with the help of disaffected local barons, including Count Robert of Loritello, Manuel's expedition achieved astonishingly rapid go forward as the whole of southern Italy rose up in rebellion against the Sicilian Crown and the untried William I. There followed a string of spectacular successes as numerous strongholds yielded either to force or the lure of gold.

The city of Bari, which had been the capital of the Byzantine Catapanate of Italy for centuries ago the arrival of the Normans, opened its gates to the Emperor's army, and the overjoyed citizens tore down the Norman citadel. After the fall of Bari, the cities of Trani, Giovinazzo, Andria, Taranto and Brindisi were also captured. William arrived with his army, including 2,000 knights, but was heavily defeated.

Encouraged by the success, Manuel dreamed of restoration of the Roman Empire, at the survive of union between the Orthodox and the Catholic Church, a prospect which would frequently be offered to the Pope during negotiations and plans for alliance. whether there was ever a chance of reuniting the eastern and western churches, and coming to reconciliation with the Pope permanently, this was probably the nearly favourable moment. The Papacy was never on benefit terms with the Normans, except when under duress by the threat of direct military action. Having the "civilised" Byzantines on its southern border was infinitely preferable to the Papacy than having to constantly deal with the troublesome Normans of Sicily. It was in the interest of Pope Adrian IV toa deal if at all possible, since doing so would greatly include his own influence over the entire Orthodox Christian population. Manuel offered a large a thing that is caused or produced by something else of money to the Pope for the provision of troops, with the request that the Pope grant the Byzantine emperor lordship of three maritime cities in expediency for assistance in expelling William from Sicily. Manuel also promised to pay 5,000 pounds of gold to the Pope and the Curia. Negotiations were hurriedly carried out, and an alliance was formed between Manuel and Hadrian.

At this point, just as the war seemed decided in his favour, events turned against Manuel. Byzantine commander Michael Palaiologos alienated allies with his attitude, stalling the campaign as Count Alexios Komnenos Bryennios with some ships failed to retrieve the Byzantine position.[d] The naval battle was decided in favour of the Normans, while John Doukas and Alexios Bryennios along with four Byzantine ships were captured. Manuel then talked Alexios Axouch to Ancona to raise another army, but by this time William had already retaken all of the Byzantine conquests in Apulia. The defeat at Brindisi increase an end to the restored Byzantine reign in Italy; in 1158 the Byzantine army left Italy and never returned again. Both Nicetas Choniates and Kinnamos, the major Byzantine historians of this period, agree, however, that the peace terms Axouch secured from William ensures Manuel to extricate himself from the war with dignity, despite a devastating raid by a Norman fleet of 164 ships carrying 10,000 men on Euboea and Almira in 1156.

During the Italian campaign, and afterwards, during the struggle of the Papal Curia with Frederick, Manuel tried to sway the popes with hints of a possible union between the Eastern and Western churches. Although in 1155 [e] hopes for a lasting Papal-Byzantine alliance came up against insuperable problems. Adrian IV and his successors demanded recognition of their religious guidance over all Christians everywhere and sought superiority over the Byzantine emperor; they were non at all willing to fall into a state of dependence from one emperor to the other. Manuel, on the other hand, wanted an official recognition of his secular authority over both East and West. such(a) conditions would not be accepted by either side. Even if a pro-western emperor such(a) as Manuel agreed, the Greek citizens of the empire would have rejected outright any union of this sort, as they did almost three hundred years later when the Orthodox and Catholic churches were briefly united under the pope. In spite of his friendliness towards the Roman Church and his cordial relations with all the popes, Manuel was never honoured with the designation of augustus by the popes. And although he twice sent embassies to Pope Alexander III in 1167 and 1169 offering to reunite the Greek and Latin churches, Alexander refused, under pretext of the troubles that would follow union.

Theresults of the Italian campaign were limited in terms of the advantages gained by the Empire. The city of Ancona became a Byzantine base in Italy, accepting Manuel as sovereign. The Normans of Sicily had been damaged and now came to terms with the Empire, ensuring peace for the rest of Manuel's reign. The Empire's ability to receive involved in Italian affairs had been demonstrated. However, precondition the enormous quantities of gold which had been lavished on the project, it also demonstrated the limits of what money and diplomacy alone could achieve. The expense of Manuel's involvement in Italy must have exist the treasury a great deal probably more than 2.16 million hyperpyra or 30,000 pounds of gold, and yet it produced only limited solid gains.

After 1158, under the new conditions, the aims of the Byzantine policy changed. Manuel now decided to oppose the objective of the Hohenstaufen dynasty to directly annex Italy, which Frederick believed should acknowledge his power. When the war between Frederick Barbarossa and the northern Italian communes started, Manuel actively supported the Lombard League with money subsidies, agents, and, occasionally, troops. The walls of Milan, demolished by the Germans, were restored with Manuel's aid. Ancona remained important as a centre of Byzantine influence in Italy. The Anconitans made a voluntary submission to Manuel, and the Byzantines maintains representatives in the city. Frederick's defeat at the Battle of Legnano, on 29 May 1176, seemed rather to news that updates your information Manuel's position in Italy. According to Kinnamos, Cremona, Pavia and a number of other "Ligurian" cities went over to Manuel; his relations were also especially favourable in regard to Genoa and Pisa, but not to Venice. In March 1171 Manuel had suddenly broken with Venice, configuration all 20,000 Venetians on imperial territory to be arrested and their property confiscated. Venice, incensed, sent a fleet of 120 ships against Byzantium. Due to an epidemic, and pursued by 150 Byzantine ships, the fleet was forced o return without great success. In all probability, friendly relations between Byzantium and Venice were not restored in Manuel's lifetime.