Manuel I Comnenus: Encyclopedia II - Manuel I Comnenus - Accession to the throne

Manuel I Comnenus - Accession to the throne

Having distinguished himself in his father's war against the Seljuk Turks, in 1143 Manuel was nominated emperor by his father, in preference to his elder surviving brother. Yet his succession was by no means assured: he was still at his father's deathbed in the wilds of Cilicia, far from the capital at Constantinople. It was vital that he should return to the capital as soon as possible; but he still had to organise his father's funeral. Tradition also meant that he needed to organise the foundation of a monastery on the spot where his father died. Nevertheless, he immediately sent his secretery John Axuch ahead of him, with orders to arrest his most dangerous potential rival, his brother Isaac, who was living in the Great Palace with instant access to the imperial treasure and regalia. Axuch arrived in the capital even before news of the Emperor's death. He quickly secured the loyalty of the city, and when Manuel arrived in August 1143 he was crowned by the new Patriarch, Michael Curcuas. A few days later, with nothing more to fear, Manuel ordered the release of the unfortunate Isaac, his position as Emperor now secure.

The Empire that Manuel inherited from his father had undergone great changes since its foundation by Constantine, eight centuries previously. The most obvious change had occurred in the seventh century: the soldiers of Islam had taken Egypt, Palestine and much of Syria away from the empire forever. They had then swept on westwards into what in the time of Constantine had been the western provinces of the Roman Empire, in North Africa and Spain. In the centuries since, the Emperors had ruled over a realm that largely consisted of Asia Minor in the east, and the Balkans in the west. Since the time of his predecessor Justinian (reigned 527-565), the Emperors had also ruled over parts of Italy. Yet the empire that Manuel inherited was an empire facing formidable challenges. At the end of the eleventh century, the Normans of Sicily had removed Italy from the control of the Byzantine Emperor. The Seljuk Turks had done the same in central Anatolia. And in the levant, a new force had appeared - the Crusader states - who presented the Byzantine Empire with new challenges. Now, more than at any time for centuries, the task facing the Emperor was daunting indeed.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Accession to the throne", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki