alexius ii - andrew stone

8/15/2019 Alexius II - Andrew Stone

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Alexius II Comnenus (24September 1180- before 24

September 1183)Andrew Stone

University of Western AustraliaIntroduction

The reign of Alexius II Comnenus (24September 1180- before 24 September 1183) marks the beginning of a rapiddecline in Byzantine affairs, followinghe restoration effected by the first three

emperors of the Comnenian dynasty.

Throughout, the spectre of the boyemperor's second cousin Andronicusoomed, whether it be as a rallying-pointo the opponents of the regency of the firstears of Alexius' reign, be it as regent in

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uccession to the legitimate regency of Maria of Antioch (Maria-Xene)appointed by Alexius' father Manuel ),

or as co-emperor. The boy-emperor took no part in government due to his tender age (he was but eleven on his succession,

and had not been given any training by hisather, as the panegyrists of the timehappily admit), and was but a puppet,dominated at first by the regency of his

mother Maria of Antioch (Maria-Xene)n collusion with her lover therotosebatosAlexius, and then by

Andronicus ; he was even coerced by theatter into signing his mother's death-

warrant. The tragedy of Alexius' reign isestament to the fact that the Comnenian

tyle of government required a strong and

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capable autocrat to be effective.

Alexius as heir-apparent

Alexius was born on 14 September 1169and crowned co-emperor in 1171. By1174 this "sprout of purple" or "gleam of

purple" was being celebrated incontemporary panegyrics for his allegedprecocity in wielding spears (for hunting)ike Achilles, and in the 1179 speech of

Eustathius of Thessalonica welcoming hisiancée, the nine-year-old Agnes of

France (daughter of King Louis VII)

[1]] , the rhetor praises him for hisphysical beauty. The speeches reveal thatManuel largely spared his son the rigoursof governmental responsibility [[2]] ,despite his official status as co-emperor,

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and those of campaigning, with thepossible exception of the 1175 campaignn Phrygia, where the boy emperor may

have witnessed the rebuilding of the keyortresses of Dorylaeum and Siblia [[3]] .

Alexius' wedding to Agnes was

celebrated on the 2nd of March 1180, adouble bill with the wedding of his half-ister Maria to Renier of

Montferrat [[4]] .

The regency of Maria of Antioch(Maria-Xene) and the protosebastos

Alexius (1180-early 1182)

Manuel had, on his deathbed, appointed aegency council of twelve, headed by his

wife Maria of Antioch (Maria-Xene) ,with the assistance of Theodosius

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Boradiotes, the patriarch [[5]] . The newboy emperor (he was only eleven yearsold) took absolutely no interest ingovernment, but indulged in his favouritepastimes of hunting and attending chariotaces. In short order, the protosebastos

and protovestiarios Alexius Comnenus,Manuel's nephew, prevailed over theother members of the council, andbecame Maria of Antioch's (Maria-Xene) lover, much to the chagrin of Maria Porphyrogenita , Manuel'sdaughter from his first wife, who washus excluded from power. Another party

desirous of power was Manuel's cousinAndronicus , who, after returning fromexile before Manuel's death to become

econciled with him, now sojourned in

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Paphlagonia. The situation was averitable powder-keg, and would shortlybe ignited. Once in power, the

rotosebastos sold offices to the upper ier of the aristocracy at high prices,

alienating the middle and lower classes

of Constantinople by his greed andparsimony. We are told something of thecondition of the provinces by themetropolitan bishop of Athens Michael

Choniates. The great landowners wereavoured by the régime, as were the

monasteries (their fiscal privileges beingeaffirmed in July 1181). The people atarge however fell victim to the rapacity

of the governors (praetors) inHellas [[6]] . One notable diplomatic

nitiative of the protosebastos was the

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meeting between Byzantine envoys andSaladin in Cairo, May-June 1181 [[7]] .

Maria Porphyrogenita's plot and theassociated riot (early 1181)

The kaisarissa Maria Porphyrogenita

opposed the new régime openly and wasorever scheming against it. An attemptedcoup (for 7 February 1181) failed, andhe plot was revealed (March 1 1181).

Some of the conspirators are listed for usby Nicetas Choniates, and also byEustathius of Thessalonica [[8]] :

mportant were two sons of AndronicusComnenus. They were tried andcondemned, Maria and her husbandRenier of Montferrat seeking refuge in theGreat Church of Hagia Sophia (before

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Easter, 5 April 1181). The protosebastosand Maria of Antioch (Maria-Xene)offered Maria an amnesty, which sheefused, demanding that her co-

conspirators be re-tried. She wasemboldened by the fact that the populace

was sympathetic to her cause.Accordingly, she had the Great Churchgarrisoned with supporters, includingLatins and Iberians (despite the protests

of Theodosius, as Choniates tellsus[[9]] ), and a riot broke out among thepeople, who proceeded to sack certainbuildings, including the palace of theeparch of the city, Theodore Pantechnes.

Alexius the protosebastos decided toend soldiers against the kaisarissa,

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hese soldiers rallying at the GreatPalace. In the meantime, Maria's(Maria-Xene) men demolished the buildingsadjacent to the Great Church and theAugusteum, which were her strongholds.On 2 May a great battle began between

he imperial troops and the outnumberedroops of the kaisarissa Maria . After awhile some of her supporters withdrewand the remaining survivors shut

hemselves in the Great Church. At first,neither side dared to risk continuingbattle following this development. ThenRenier led a sally forth from the GreatChurch, and held his own, but further ighting had to be left aside due to theateness in the day. Theodosius in the

meantime had sent a messenger to the

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egents asking for a truce on thekaisarissa's behalf. This was granted,and the megas douxAndronicusContostephanus and the megashetaireiarches John Ducas sent tonegotiate with Renier and Maria . The

esult was a truce, and the kaisarissa didnot lose her rank [[10]] . Therotosebastos Alexius had Theodosiusemoved from the patriarchal throne for

his alleged support of the rebels, andconfined to the monastery of thePantepoptes, but soon relented andeinstalled him. Nicetas Choniates sayshat it was the sacrilege of the use of the

Great Church as a fortress which was themmediate cause of the sack of

Constantinople by the crusaders of the

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Fourth Crusade in 1204 [[11]] .

The march of Andronicus Comnenus

and the massacre of the Latins in 1182The protosebastos remained asunpopular as ever. Taking advantage of

his, Andronicus passed fromPaphlagonia, where he had been residing,nto the Pontus, all the while writingetters in which he posed as the champion

of the boy-emperor's rights [[12]] . Hemoved slowly, to give a false impressionof a large and cumbersome army.

However, Nicaea in Bithynia refused toubmit, and John Ducas and the GrandDomestic John Comnenus were entrustedwith her defence by the regencygovernment. Andronicus Angelus (father

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of the future emperors Isaac II andAlexius III ) marched out from Nicomediaand fought with Andronicus Comnenusat the village of Charax, to be roundlydefeated in spite of his superior numbers.Andronicus Angelus was so worried

about being punished for this failure inbattle, that in the end he defected toAndronicus Comnenus' cause. So it washat Andronicus (Comnenus) arrived at

he Bosporus, camping at Chalcedon (onhe opposite shore from Constantinople).

Although his force was small, he spreadhis men out, and the impression given byhe campfires was of a much greater orce [[13]] .

The protosebastosAlexius first tried

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diplomacy, sending George Xiphilinus toAndronicus promising a pardon, vastewards and high office if he would

desist. When this failed, therotosebastos, realising how little he

could depend on the populace or army,

decided that a naval blockade was theanswer. The blockading fleet wascommanded by the megas douxAndronicus Contostephanus. The boy

emperor sent a messenger to AndronicusComnenus) to promise him greater

honours should he desist; Andronicuslatly refused the ultimatum, whereupon,n the next few days, Andronicus

Contostephanus changed sides.Andronicus Comnenus' two sons,

mprisoned for their part in Maria

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Porphyrogenita's plot, were released, andhe protosebastos imprisoned in their

place. Days later, he was ferried acrosso Andronicus (Comnenus) at Chalcedonand blinded as a punishment [[14]] . Thepopulace, incited by Andronicus

Comnenus) , now fell upon those Latins,particularly the Genoese and Pisans, whowere living in Constantinople or there onbusiness. The Latins abandoned their

iches, some seeking refuge in the housesof noblemen whom they could trust,others escaping by galleys, others, lessortunate, falling to the sword. The

populace persecuted the Latin clergyespecially. Those who took to the seawere not pursued, and they retaliated by

acking those islands they encountered on

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heir journey away fromConstantinople [[15]] .

Andronicus' regency (early 1182-1183)At length the patriarch Theodosiuscrossed the Bosporus and met with

Andronicus , who, Choniates tells us,eigned obeisance [[16]] . Shortly,

Andronicus and his entourage travelledo Damalis (more precisely opposite

Constantinople). From there, they crossedo the suburb of Philopatium, where once

again Andronicus made a show of

espect, this time to the boy emperor.After many days had been spent there,Andronicus paid his respects to thearcophagus of his cousin the emperor

Manuel I , with an ostentatious display of

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grief. One of his first actions as newguardian of the emperor was to rewardhis Paphlagonian and other supporterswith offices and money. Then thepersecutions began, many punished, evenby blinding, without a charge being laid

ormally against them. One who was ariend of the regent one day was the nextday condemned as an enemy. Choniatesaccuses Andronicus of poisoning the

kaisarissa Maria Porphyrogenita and her husband the kaisar Renier, despite their previous support of him [[17]] . They wereobviously perceived as obstacles to hisrue aim, accession to the throne.

The next stage was to marry his daughter rene (by his second cousin Theodora) to

he emperor. To do so would have been

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within the prohibited degrees of consanguinity, and Andronicus thereforeconvened a synod of the bishops to give adispensation. Theodosius remainedopposed, but Andronicus obtained thenecessary dispensation through strategic

bribery. Theodosius therefore departedor the island of Terebinthos. Andronicusappointed his own man Basil Camaterusn his place, and the wedding proceeded,

consecrated by the archbishop of Bulgaria [[18]] .

n the meantime the sultan of Konya,

Kilidj II Arslan, seized the opportunity tocapture Sozopolis in Phrygia, with theurrounding towns, and John Comnenus

Vatatzes, who was residing in

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Philadelphia, rebelled against the newégime. Andronicus sent Andronicus

Lapardas against Vatatzes, who took ill,but did not die before seeing his sonsManuel and Alexius rout the army sentagainst him. Upon John Vatatzes' death,

however, the inhabitants of Philadelphiachanged sides to Andronicus. His sonsook refuge with the sultan of Konya.

Departing from Konya, they set sail for

Sicily, but had to make a landfall atCrete, whereupon they were captured anddeprived of their sight [[19]] .

Andronicus' reign of terror

e are told by Choniates that Andronicusbecame more arrogant than ever, and

ought to become co-emperor [[20]] . The

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main remaining obstacle was Maria of Antioch (Maria-Xene) . Andronicusncited the populace against her and whenome of the judges of the velumDemetrios Tornices, Leo Monasteriotes

and Constantine Patrenus), who were to

consider the charges laid against her,asked if prosecuting her was the wish of he emperor Alexius, they nearly lostheir lives at the hands of the mob, so

provoked by Andronicus. Andronicusnow tried to eliminate competition fromamong the extended imperial family,many of whom were holding long-established or recently invented offices,under the so-called "Comnenian system".For Andronicus Angelus, the son of

Constantine Angelus, the megas doux

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Andronicus Contostephanus, and thesewo men's sons, along with the logothete

of the drome, Basil Camaterus (not thehomonymous patriarch), plotted theyrant's destruction. However, the plot

was betrayed, and although Andronicus

Angelus escaped, Contostephanus, hisons and Basil Camaterus were not soortunate, and blinded [[21]] . The regent

Andronicus now instituted a reign of error, imprisoning, banishing, and

undoing in other ways. Maria of AntiochMaria-Xene) still needed to be dealt

with, so she was arraigned on a charge of reason (for she had sought the help of her ister's husband Béla III of Hungary) and

a puppet court condemned her to

mprisonment in a dungeon near the

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monastery of St Diomedes. The sentencewas commuted to death, the decreeaffirmed by the signature of the emperor Alexius himself. Even Andronicus'irstborn Manuel, we are told, was

disgusted at this sentence, and so the

empress-dowager had a brief reprieve. Inhe end however men (in particular thehetaireiarch Constantine Tripsychus)were found to carry out the sentence of

death by strangulation (? end of 1182)[22]] , another testament to the bloody

nature of the new régime.

The empire's frontiers

hile all this was happening, Béla IIIhad taken the opportunity to conquer the

Balkan frontier towns of Branitshevo and

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Belgrade (he had already recoveredSirmium and Dalmatia) and he advancedup the Morava to Nish, proceeding evenas far as Sofia, removing the relics of theocal saint, even though he abandoned theatter. The Byzantine army, setting out in

he summer of 1181 under Alexius Branasand Andronicus Lapardas, wasneffective against him. Stephen Nemanja

and the Serbs of Rascia and Zeta made

hemselves independent, and Kilidj IIArslan of Konya/Iconium, after takingSozopolis in Pisidia, destroyed CotyaeuKutahya). His court became a haven for

Byzantine refugees.

Andronicus co-emperor

saac Angelus and Theodore


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upporters, that his co-emperor shouldbecome a private citizen. Before thepopulace could be apprised of thisncident, Stephen Hagiochristophorites,

Constantine Tripsychos and TheodoreDadibrenos fell upon the boy emperor

and throttled him with a bowstringbefore September 1183) [[24]] . Alexius'body was decapitated and while the headwas being displayed to Andronicus, theemainder was being thrown into the sea.

Legacy

The collapse of the Byzantine power wasapid. Now that there was no strong

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autocrat at the centre of the extendedamily of the Comneni to keep the various

members of it in check, there wasconcomitant splintering into differentactions. Civil war so occupied the

capital that foreign powers could take

advantage of it and begin the process of carving out enclaves from territory whichpreviously recognised Byzantineauthority. The process would continue

under Andronicus , whose tyranny gavehe process but a brief reprieve, and

accelerate under the weak dynasty of theAngeli.

Bibliography

Primary sources

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Nicetas Choniates, Historia, ed. J.-L.Van Dieten, 2 vols., Corpus FontiumHistoriae Byzantinae 11, 2 vols., Berlinand New York, 1975; trans. as O City of yzantium, Annals of Niketas Choniat

by H.J. Magoulias, Detroit, 1984.

Eustathius of Thessalonica, The Captureof Thessaloniki, ed. and tr. J.R. Melville-ones, Canberra, 1988.

Eustathius Thessalonicensis Operainora, Corpus Fontium Historiae

yzantinae, vol. 32, Berlin and New

York, 2000.Secondary sources

M. Angold, The Byzantine Empire,1025-1204: a political history, 2nd ed.,


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omnenos, 1143-1180, Cambridge,1993.

otes:[1]] Eustathii Thessalonicensis

opera minora , ed. P. Wirth,Corpus Fontium HistoriaeByzantinae 32, Berlin and NewYork, pp. 250-260.

[2]] eg. Eustathius, ed.

Wirth, pp. 188-189.

[3]] Eustathius, ed. Wirth,p. 45.

[4]] cf. Eustathius, ed.Wirth, pp. 170-181.

[5]] Eustathius, ed.

Melville-Jones (see


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bibliography), p. 18; Williamof Tyre, tr. Babcock and Kreysee bibliography), XXII.5.

[6]]Michael Choniates,Michael Akominatou touChoniatou ta sozomena , ed. Sp.Lambros, vol. 1, p. 176

[7]]Al-Makrizi, Histoired'Egypte , tr. into French byE. Blochet in Revue de

"Orient latin 8 (1900-1), p.539.

[8]] Choniates, ed. VanDieten (see bibliography, p.

31; Eustathios, ed. Melville-ones, p. 22.

[9]] Choniates, ed. Van

Dieten, p. 233.


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[10]] Choniates, ed. VanDieten, p. 240.


[12]] Choniates, ed. VanDieten, p. 245; Eustathius,

d. Melville-Jones, p. 30.

[13]] Choniates, ed. VanDieten, pp. 245-6; Eustathius,d. Melville-Jones, p. 32.


[15]] Choniates, ed. VanDieten, pp. 250-1; Eustathius,d. Melville-Jones, p. 34.


Dieten, pp. 252-3.


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[18]] Choniates, ed. VanDieten, pp. 261-2.




Dieten, pp. 266-7.




Dieten, p. 274.


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alexius ii - andrew stone

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