George Maniakes (; ; died 1043) was a prominent general of the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
during the 11th century.
He was the
catepan of Italy in 1042. He is known as Gyrgir in Scandinavian sagas. He is popularly said to have been extremely tall and well built, almost a giant.
Biography

Maniakes was a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
general of the Byzantine Empire,
who first came to prominence during a campaign in 1030–1031 when the Byzantine army was
defeated at
Aleppo
Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
, but went on to capture
Edessa
Edessa (; ) was an ancient city (''polis'') in Upper Mesopotamia, in what is now Urfa or Şanlıurfa, Turkey. It was founded during the Hellenistic period by Macedonian general and self proclaimed king Seleucus I Nicator (), founder of the Sel ...
from the Arabs. His greatest achievement was the partial reconquest of
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
from the
Arab
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
s beginning in 1038.
He was aided by the
Varangian Guard
The Varangian Guard () was an elite unit of the Byzantine army from the tenth to the fourteenth century who served as personal bodyguards to the Byzantine emperors. The Varangian Guard was known for being primarily composed of recruits from Nort ...
, then led by
Harald Hardrada
Harald Sigurdsson (; – 25 September 1066), also known as Harald III of Norway and given the epithet ''Hardrada'' in the sagas, was List of Norwegian monarchs, King of Norway from 1046 to 1066. He unsuccessfully claimed the Monarchy of Denma ...
, who later became
King of Norway
The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty king ...
. Also with him were
Norman mercenaries under
William de Hauteville, who earned his nickname ''Iron Arm'' by defeating the
Emir
Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...
of
Syracuse in single combat. However, he soon ostracized his admiral, Stephen, whose wife was the sister of
John the Eunuch, the highest-ranking man at court. He then publicly humiliated
Arduin, the leader of the
Lombard contingent, causing them to desert along with the Normans and Norsemen. In response, he was recalled by Emperor
Michael IV, who was also Stephen's brother-in-law. Although the Arabs soon recaptured the island, Maniakes' successes there later inspired the Normans to invade Sicily themselves.

Maniakes' achievements in Sicily were largely ignored by the emperor, and he revolted against
Constantine IX
Constantine IX Monomachos (; 980/ 1000
– 11 January 1055) reigned as Byzantine emperor from June 1042 to January 1055. Empress Zoë Porphyrogenita chose him as a husband and co-emperor in 1042, although he had been exiled for conspiring again ...
in 1042, despite having been appointed
catepan of Italy. The person most responsible for inciting Maniakes to revolt was one Romanus Sclerus. Sclerus, like Maniakes, was one of the immensely wealthy landowners who owned large areas of Anatolia - his estates bordered Maniakes', and the two were rumored to have attacked each other in a dispute over land. Sclerus owed his influence with the emperor to his famously charming sister,
Maria Skleraina, who had a very positive influence on Constantine in most areas. Finding himself in a position of power, Sclerus used it to poison Constantine against Maniakes - ransacking his house and even seducing his wife, using the charm for which his family was famous. Maniakes' response to Sclerus' demand that he surrender command of the Empire's forces in Apulia was to torture him brutally; sealing his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth with excrement. Maniakes was then proclaimed emperor by his troops (including the Varangians) and marched on
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
. In 1043 his army clashed with troops loyal to Constantine near
Thessalonica
Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area) and the capital city, capital of the geographic reg ...
, and although initially successful, Maniakes was killed in the melee after receiving a fatal wound (according to Psellus' account). Constantine's extravagant punishment of the surviving rebels was to parade them in the hippodrome, sitting backwards on donkeys. His death put an end to the rebellion. In Sicily, the town of
Maniace and the Syracusan fortress
Castello Maniace are named after him.
In popular culture
In the historical drama series ''
Vikings: Valhalla'', George Maniakes is played by actor
Florian Munteanu. His portrayal in the series is highly fictionalized, with major deviations from historicity. As an example, George Maniakes rebelled against Emperor Constantine IX, not Emperor Romanos as depicted in the series.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maniakes, George
1043 deaths
Byzantine usurpers
11th-century Byzantine generals
11th-century Greek people
11th-century catepans of Italy
11th-century rebels
Byzantine rebels
Byzantines killed in battle
Byzantine people of the Arab–Byzantine wars
Byzantine Sicily
Year of birth unknown
Medieval Upper Mesopotamia
Protospatharioi