I have used the period of Manuel I Komnenos (1143-1180) the as the era for my DBA Komnenan Byzantine army (DBA IV/1ab). What follows is an overview of the reign of Manuel I, looking at his triumphs and failures and assessing his success as Emperor.
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| Manuel I Komnenos. |
Manuel I Komnenos has received mixed press over the years. Yet, as described by historian J.J. Norwich, Manuel was "A fine soldier and superb horseman, he was, perhaps, too headstrong to be quite the general that his father had been, but there could be no doubting his energy and courage. A skilful diplomat and a born statesman, he remained the typical Byzantine intellectual, cultivated in both the arts and the sciences."
Manuel pursued an ambitious foreign policy that refocused Constantople on Western Europe. The emperor himself even taking part in jousting contests in Constantinople’s hippodrome.
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| Kavallarioi (Cv) |
Manuel’s achievements include successfully guiding the Second Crusade forces through the Empire and reasserting his authority over the Crusader States of Outrémer and regaining lost territories in Eastern Europe .
From 1164 Manuel campaigned against Stephen III of Hungary. The campaign culminated with the Battle of Sirmium on July 8, 1167 which ended with a decisive victory for the Byzantines. Manuel had successfully incorporated Bosnia, Dalmatia and Croatia into the Empire. However, in 1174 circumstances in Anatolia began to deteriorate.
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| Kavallarioi (Cv) |
In the 1160s, Manuel launched a series of dashing and highly successful campaigns against the Seljuk Turk Sultan, Kilij Arslan. In 1162, Arslan accepted client status, and Manuel even later adopted Arslan as a son.
However, two things changed. Arslan’s Turkic Zengid rival Nur ad-Din died in 1174 and his successor, Salah ad-Din was busy consolidating himself in Syria and Egypt. At the same time, the Crusaders were in turmoil following the death of Amalric. His successor, the leper king, Baldwin IV, was young and weak. Arslan saw his chance and began to annex Anatolian towns.
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| Kavallarioi (Cv) |
In response, Manuel led a Crusade intent on capturing the Seljuk capital of Ikonion but was ambushed and defeated by the Turks at the Battle of Myriocephalon in 1176. While the defeat was not massive, Manuel viewed it only as a setback, others saw it as evidence of Byzantine weakness.
At around the same time, Frederick Barbarossa and Pope Alexander III successfully conspired to end Byzantine influence in Italy.
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| Skythikon Light horse. |
Manuel was active militarily and diplomatically after Myriokephalon. In late 1179, an aged emperor heroically led a campaign in defence of Klaudiopolis against the Seljuks. The mere sight of the emperor induced the Seljuks to lift the siege. Manuel died less than 12 months later, in September 1180. He was succeeded by his 11 year old son, Alexis II Komnenos.
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| Skythikon Light horse. |
So, how to assess Manuel’s reign? Despite setbacks, the empire was still strong at the time of his death. The Byzantine war machine was bruised but capable. Manuel continued to expand his diplomatic network. Arguably, it was his death and replacement by a young heir that provided the biggest blow to the empire. He came closer than any other Byzantine emperor to reclaiming Byzantine greatness of old without exhausting his empire’s resources as Justinian or Basil II had. Indeed, Manuel could justifiably claim that the empire was stronger than it had been in over a century.
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| Turkish light horse |
In historical terms, the Komnenan army demonstrated that, when properly led, the Byzantine army remained the finest in eastern Europe, capable of defeating heavily armoured western knights as well as the armies of Islam. There-in of course lies the lesson, the Komnenans have the potential to complete well against both historical and ahistorical opponents the challenge is to successfully coordinate the army’s various parts. Hang on, that sounds eerily familiar. Just as well I like a challenge!
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| The baggage camp with detachable camp follower element. |
Further Reading: Exonerating Manuel I Komnenos: Byzantine Foreign Policy (1143-1180) by Darryl Keith Gentry II, Georgia Southern University
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