Even though these events are horrors in the best tradition of medieval caricature one can also see why people supported a particular regime despite those horrors. To understand people’s dramatic changes, of course.
Early Career
To describe this colourful man: Andronicus Kommnenos, born in 1118 as the grandson of a emperor. He was a Prince, but he was far down in the succession. He had two loves: his military career and a series high-profile seductions.
Andronicus, as a soldier, shares many similarities with Trump’s career in business. He sold himself as being extremely successful, yet his real record was mixed.
In 1141, the Turks captured Andronicus, a 23-year old, in battle. He was then ransomed, and brought to the court his cousin, Emperor Manuel i Komnenos.
Andronicus made Eudoxia his mistress at court. They escaped the angry brothers of Eudoxia when he received a military command in Cilicia 1152. He failed to capture Mopsuestria and was then recalled. A new provincial command was given. He also appears to have hurriedly left this province to avoid Eudoxia and her family.
He was imprisoned for a plot to kill Manuel at court. After escaping, Andronicus went on a tour of foreign courts interspersed by short reconciliations with Manuel. He was appointed to positions in Kiev’s court, Crusader Antioch, and Jerusalem.
The Crusaders took Jerusalem on 15th July, 1099. Giraudon/The Bridgeman Art Library
He was forced to flee Antioch when Manuel put diplomatic pressure on the city to stop hosting this renegade Prince. Andronicus, the prince of Beirut was welcomed to Jerusalem by King Amalric who appointed him Lord of Beirut. But at age 56, Andronicus seduced Amalric’s sister-in law Theodora, Manuel’s niece.
Andronicus fled with Theodora, to Damascus where Sultan Nur al-Din welcomed them. From there, they moved to Georgia. Manuel collared him in late 1170s, when he lived on the family estates near the Black Sea. He was given military commands and estates in Georgia, too. He was made to submit before he could retire.
The career of Alexios II may not have been possible if it weren’t for the political situation that arose when Manuel, the Emperor, died in 1180. He was succeeded by Alexios, ten years old, who was governed under the regency of Manuel’s wife, the western Empress Maria.
Political and economic turmoil
The late 11th-century crises that shaped the current political climate are also reflected in the present. Two geopolitical crises dominated the era: the Byzantine Civil Wars that followed the battle of Manzikert in 1071, which allowed Turks a large part of Anatolia to be occupied, and Alexios I Komnenos’ appeal to the Papacy in response to his civil war victory, which led to the First Crusade.
A miniature from the 15th century depicts the Battle of Manzikert.
As well-documented as these events may be, there are relatively few accounts of their outcomes – whether they are political, socially or economically. In these days of Iraq after the invasion and Afghanistan, we can see that such a focus and lack of attention on its aftermath is a common historical mistake.
The chaos caused by the massive movement of people across continents is also not something that a modern audience requires much convincing about.
After these events, Alexios’ political and economic situation was a mess. Turks, Normans, and western Christians occupied the Byzantine Empire. Instead of helping the empire reclaim its lost territory, they created Crusader States which opposed any return to imperial power.
The same time, other powers rose: Vladimir Monomakh, Kiev, ruled an increasingly powerful “Rus”, in the north. Serbs and Hungarians found themselves increasingly in the Balkans. And the arrival of Crusaders prompted various movements within the Islamic powers in order to repel the Crusaders.
Alexios I Komnenos. Wikimedia Commons
Italian merchant republics, including Venice Genoa, and Pisa began operating vast trading networks throughout the Mediterranean. The western European kingdoms, including England, France, and others, began to take an growing interest about what was happening in the Middle East.