Manuel I Komnenos was emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 1143 to 1180 CE. Manuel continued the ambitious campaigns of his grandfather Alexios I and father John II to aggressively expand the boundaries of his empire. Manuel turned out to be more ambitious than his armies could support and, despite useful treaties and marriage alliances, he ultimately came unstuck with a failed invasion of Italy and then a serious defeat at the hands of the Seljuks in Asia Minor.
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Definition
Timeline
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1143 - 1180Reign of Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos.
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1144 - 1146Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos wins victories in Cilicia, Syria and Asia Minor.
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1149A fleet led by George of Antioch attacks Constantinople.
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1155 - 1157The Byzantines unsuccessfully invade southern Italy.
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1158Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos signs a treaty with William I of Sicily.
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1161Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos marries Maria of Antioch.
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1171Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos arrests 10,000 Venetian traders across the empire to limit their stranglehold on trade.
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17 Sep 1176A Byzantine army is ambushed by the Seljuks at the battle of Myriokephalon in Phyrgia.
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24 Sep 1180Death of Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos.
