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Manuel I Komnenos

1118 CE – 1180 CE

Retrace Manuel I Komnenos's life across the map — 12 events in chronological order, from a cinematic flythrough to a full timeline.

Life journey

1. Norman conquest of southern Italy1100 CE
   The Norman conquest of southern Italy lasted from 999 to 1194, involving many battles and independent conquerors. In 1130, the territories in southern Italy united as the Kingdom of Sicily, which included the island of Sicily, the southern third of the Italian Peninsula, the archipelago of Malta, and parts of North Africa.
2. Siege of Neocaesarea1140 CE
   The Siege of Neocaesarea was a military engagement between the Byzantine army and Turks in the city of Neocaesarea. The Byzantine emperor, John II Komnenos, laid siege to the city but ended in failure, suffering heavy losses.
3. Battle of Acroënus1146 CE
   The Battle of Akroinon or Acroënus was a minor opening engagement of the punitive expedition of Manuel I Komnenos where he surprised and routed a Seljuk raiding party, culminating in a Byzantine victory.
4. Byzantine–Norman War1147 CE
   The Byzantine–Norman war was fought between the Byzantine Empire and Siculo-Norman Roger II of Sicily in 1147–1149.
5. Battle of Constantinople1147 CE
   The Battle of Constantinople in 1147 was a large-scale clash between the forces of the Byzantine Empire and the German Crusaders of the Second Crusade, led by Conrad III of Germany, fought on the outskirts of the Byzantine capital Constantinople. The Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos was deeply concerned by the presence of a large and unruly army in the immediate vicinity of his capital and of the unfriendly attitude of its leaders. A similarly sized French Crusader army was also approaching Constantinople, and the possibility of the two armies combining at the city was viewed with great alarm by Manuel. Following earlier armed clashes with the Crusaders and perceived insults from Conrad, Manuel arrayed some of his forces outside the walls of Constantinople. Part of the German army then attacked and was defeated; according to British historian Michael Angold, they suffered heavy losses. Following this defeat the Crusaders agreed to be quickly ferried across the Bosporus to Asia Minor.
6. Byzantine–Hungarian War1149 CE
   The Byzantine–Hungarian War was a series of border conflicts between the Byzantine Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary that took place in the Balkans from 1149 to 1155. The conflict was affected by international disputes in Europe, primarily between Manuel I Komnenos and Roger II of Sicily, starting in the 1140s. The war broke out when Géza II of Hungary provided military assistance to the Serbs of Rascia (Raška), who rebelled against Byzantine suzerainty. The conflict ended with a peace treaty that restored the status quo ante bellum and established peace for five years. In 1161, the parties agreed to extend the truce for ten years but the relationship between them remained hostile, causing further clashes throughout the 12th century.
7. Fall of Turbessel1151 CE
   The Fall of Turbessel occurred in 1151 when the Turks seized Turbessel as well as other possessions that Joscelin II had just ceded to the Byzantines.
8. Battle of Mamistra1152 CE
   The Battle of Mamistra took place in 1152 between the forces the Byzantine Empire and Cilician Armenia, near the city of Mamistra. The Armenians under Thoros II were victorious.
9. Byzantine–Hungarian War1163 CE
   The Byzantine–Hungarian War of 1162–1167 consisted of a series of border conflicts between the Byzantine Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in the Haemus. The war was mainly fought near the strategic regions of Dalmatia, Croatia, and Sirmium.
10. Byzantine–Venetian War of 11711171 CE
    The Byzantine–Venetian War of 1171 was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Republic of Venice as a result of the Byzantine imprisonment of Venetian merchants and citizens across the Empire. 10,000 Venetians were imprisoned in the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, alone. Despite Doge Michiel's apparent will to pursue a peaceful solution, outrage in Venice itself swung popular opinion in the favour of full scale war against Byzantium. Doge Michiel had no choice but to set out for war, which he did in mid-late 1171.
11. Battle of Myriokephalon1176 CE
    The Battle of Myriokephalon was a battle between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Turks in the mountains west of Iconium (Konya) in west-central Anatolia on 17 September 1176. The battle was a strategic reverse for the Byzantine forces, who were ambushed when moving through a mountain pass.
12. Siege of Claudiopolis1179 CE
    The siege of Claudiopolis was a Byzantine victory over a Seljuq Turk army in February–March 1179.

Event data from Wikipedia/Wikidata (CC-BY-SA). Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected].