The Komnene Dynasty: Byzantium's Struggle for Survival, 1057-1185

by John Carr

Overview

The 128-year dynasty of the Komneni (1057 to 1185) was the last great epoch of Byzantium, when the empire had to fend off Turkish and Norman foes simultaneously. Starting with the extremely able Alexios I, and unable now to count on help from the West, the Komneni played their strategic cards very well. Though the dynasty ended in cruelty and incompetence under Andronikos I (the Terrible), it fought a valiant rear-guard action in keeping eastern Christendom alive. The Komnene dynasty saw several changes in Byzantine military practice, such as the adoption of heavy cavalry on the western model, the extensive use of foreign mercenaries and the neglect of the navy (both of which were to prove a huge and possibly fatal disadvantage). A chapter is devoted to the famous Varangian Guard, which included many Saxons in exile following the Norman conquest of England. The terrible defeat at Myriokephalon in 1176 sealed the doom of the dynasty, preparing the way for the conquest of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusaders.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526702319
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	08/30/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	645,327
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

John Carr has enjoyed a career as a journalist, correspondent and broadcaster (The Times, Wall Street Journal Europe, Vatican Radio), mainly in the Mediterranean and particularly Greece, where he now resides.

Table of Contents

Preface vi

Illustrations ix

Chapter 1 A lady not for turning 1

Chapter 2 Constantine's Legacy 13

Chapter 3 A hard act to follow The Macedonians 26

Chapter 4 1057: Isaac the Founder 42

Chapter 5 Interregnum; Diogenes' disaster 63

Chapter 6 Enter Alexios 79

Chapter 7 Holding the Empire together 96

Chapter 8 The road to Micklegarth 121

Chapter 9 The 'greedy Latin race': Alexios and the First Crusade 128

Chapter 10 A fighter to the end 153

Chapter 11 John the Good: A soldier's soldier 164

Chapter 12 Manuel I and the Second Crusade 175

Chapter 13 Bloodstained Finale Andronikos I 200

Chapter 14 Twilight in trebizond 213

Bibliographical Note 222

The House of Komnene Family Tree 225

Index of Names 226