1118–1180 · Byzantine emperor (1143–1180)
Manuel I Komnenos
Byzantine emperor; he managed the Second Crusade's passage through Byzantine territory, established supremacy over Antioch in 1158–1159, and allied with the Kingdom of Jerusalem against Egypt.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
The younger son of John II Komnenos, Manuel became emperor in 1143 after his father's death in Cilicia. He is known for his affinity with Western European culture, his marriage alliances with Latin nobles, and his broad foreign policy in Italy, Hungary and Anatolia.
Role in the Crusades
In 1147 he managed the passage of the Second Crusade's armies through Byzantium and maintained an uneasy relationship with the crusaders. In 1158–1159 he campaigned into Cilicia, forced Prince Reynald of Châtillon of Antioch to submit and entered Antioch in ceremony. He formed marriage ties with Kings Baldwin III and Amalric I of Jerusalem; a joint expedition against Damietta was mounted in 1169.
Historical significance and source problems
Manuel's influence over the Latin states was Byzantium's last great effort of the twelfth century. His defeat by Kilij Arslan II at Myriokephalon in 1176 shook his Anatolian policy. John Kinnamos and Niketas Choniates describe his reign in different tones; William of Tyre gives the Latin view.
Biographical information is linked to the sources shown on the page and to the connected event records. Disputed dates are given as approximate, gaps are not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual depictions are not treated as contemporary portraits.