The Empire of Manuel I Komnenos, 1143-1180The reign of Manuel I (1143-1180) marked the high point of the revival of the Byzantine empire under the Comnenian dynasty. It was however followed by a rapid decline, leading to the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204. This book, the first devoted to Manuel's reign for over 80 years, reevaluates the emperor and his milieu in the light of recent scholarship. It shows that his foreign policy was a natural response to the Western crusading movement and the expansionism of the German emperor Frederick Barbarossa. It also shows that what he ruled was more than the impoverished rump of a once great empire, or a society whose development had been arrested by a repressive regime. The twelfth century is presented here as a distinctive, creative phase in Byzantine history, when the empire maintained existing traditions and trends while adapting to a changing world. |
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Contents
The Comnenian empire between East and West | 27 |
Constantinople and the provinces | 109 |
The Comnenian system | 180 |
Government | 228 |
The guardians of Orthodoxy | 316 |
The emperor and his image | 413 |
Epilogue | 489 |
The poems of Manganeios Prodromos | 494 |
Lay officials in synodal lists of the Comnenian period | 501 |
Magnate patrons under Manuel named in verse collections | 510 |
| 513 | |
| 536 | |
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Common terms and phrases
according administration Alexios Anatolia Andronikos Antioch bishops brother Byzantine Byzantium campaign celebrated century ceremonial chapter Chon Choniates Christian Church claim clear clearly close Comnenian concerned connection Constantine Constantinople court Crusade cultural death effect eleventh emperor empire Eustathios evidence fact father followed forces foreign Frederick give Greek hand holy imperial important intellectual interest Isaac Italian Italy John King Kinn Kinnamos Komnenos Konya land later Latin learning least less letter literary Magdalino Manuel marriage mention Michael military monastery monks nature official oration palace patriarch perhaps period political present probably Prod Prodromos reference reign rhetoric Roman rule says seems seen sense shows sources Studies suggests Synod texts Theodore tion towns tradition twelfth twelfth-century western writing
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Bibliographic information
| Title | The Empire of Manuel I Komnenos, 1143-1180 |
| Author | Paul Magdalino |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, 2002 |
| ISBN | 0521526531, 9780521526531 |
| Length | 584 pages |
| Subjects | › › History / Asia / General History / Europe / Greece History / Europe / Medieval History / General History / Middle East / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |