Grandson of Alexius I, Manuel restored imperial prestige to a level not seen since Basil II, making Byzantium the unquestioned secular leader of the Christian world at his death. He approached Genoa and Pisa with trading offers, then arrested every Venetian in the empire and confiscated their property, earning dangerous Venetian animosity without building the imperial navy to compensate. His marriage to Maria of Antioch and interest in western customs proved deeply unpopular.
Also known as: Manuel I · Manuel
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Episode 15 (10 mentions)
Grandson of Alexius I, Manuel restored imperial prestige to a level not seen since Basil II, making Byzantium the unquestioned secular leader of the Christian world at his death. He approached Genoa and Pisa with trading offers, then arrested every Venetian in the empire and confiscated their property, earning dangerous Venetian animosity without building the imperial navy to compensate. His marriage to Maria of Antioch and interest in western customs proved deeply unpopular.
“By Manuel's death, the Byzantine Empire was seemingly at the height of its power, the unquestioned secular leader of the Christian world.”
“His son Manuel, inheriting the same situation, learned from his father's mistakes and approached Genoa and Pisa with lucrative trading offers.”
“and when at Manuel's death the deeply unpopular Maria became regent for their 11-year-old son Alexius II,”
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