[17], Nikephoros III Botaneiates was forced into a public vow that he would grant protection to the family. In past centuries the Pechenegs had served as mercenaries in the Byzantine army and been, on occasion, a useful buffer against the Bulgars and Rus, but in the mid-11th century CE they crossed the Danube and attacked Byzantine Thrace. A Profile of Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus, Melissa Snell is a historical researcher and writer specializing in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. 25 Sep 2020.
[42], In 1116, though already terminally ill, Alexios conducted a series of defensive operations in Bythinia and Mysia to defend his Anatolian territories against the inroads of Malik Shah, the Seljuq Sultan of Iconium. Nikephoros III intended to leave the throne to one of his close relatives,[10] and this resulted in Maria's ambivalence and alliance with the Komnenoi, though the real driving force behind this political alliance was Anna Dalassene.
Ancient History Encyclopedia, 12 Dec 2017. With a mixed force of Crusaders, Alexios thus managed to recapture Nicaea in 1097 CE. His special interests include pottery, architecture, world mythology and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share in common. He made agreements with Sulaymān ibn Qutalmïsh of Konya (1081) and subsequently with his son Qïlïch Arslan (1093), as well as with other Muslim rulers on Byzantium’s eastern border. [37] Due to the troubled times the empire was enduring, he had by far the greatest number of rebellions against him of all the Byzantine emperors. License.
The work is the only such book written by a woman in the Middle Ages. [9] The tutor discovered they were missing and eventually found them on the palace grounds, but Anna was able to convince him that they would return to the palace shortly. This did not, however, lead to a demotion, as Alexios was needed to counter the expected invasion of the Normans of Southern Italy, led by Robert Guiscard. However, his mother consolidated the Doukas family connection by arranging the Emperor's marriage to Irene Doukaina, granddaughter of the Caesar John Doukas, the uncle of Michael VII, who would not have supported Alexios otherwise.
Alexios also used marriage alliances to great effect to unify the realm, notably joining the two great and often-feuding families of Komnenos and Doukas. [50] These included: Under Alexios the debased solidus (tetarteron and histamenon) was discontinued and a gold coinage of higher fineness (generally .900–.950) was established in 1092, commonly called the hyperpyron at 4.45 grs. [35] This was the People's Crusade: a mob of mostly unarmed pilgrims led by the preacher Peter the Hermit. [49] Bryennios had been made kaisar (Caesar) and received the newly created title of panhypersebastos ("honoured above all"), and remained loyal to both Alexios and John. Alexius is the subject of a biography by his learned daughter, Anna Comnena. The Byzantine Empire had been shrinking during the 11th century CE, but Alexios would oversee a string of victories against the peoples harassing the borders of his kingdom. The basis for this recovery were various reforms initiated by Alexios. The historian T. E. Gregory here summarises the accomplishments of Alexios I Komnenos: He rescued the Byzantine state from the threat of imminent dissolution.