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Manuel Erotikos Komnenos (; 955/960 – ) was a
Byzantine 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 the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
military leader under
Basil II Basil II Porphyrogenitus (; 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer (, ), was the senior Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025. He and his brother Constantine VIII were crowned before their father Romanos II died in 963, but t ...
, and the first fully documented ancestor of the
Komnenos dynasty The House of Komnenos ( Komnenoi; , , ), Latinized as Comnenus ( Comneni), was a Byzantine Greek noble family who ruled the Byzantine Empire in the 11th and 12th centuries. The first reigning member, Isaac I Komnenos, ruled from 1057 to 1059. T ...
. His origin and parentage is obscure. He is only mentioned in the sources as leading the defence of
Nicaea Nicaea (also spelled Nicæa or Nicea, ; ), also known as Nikaia (, Attic: , Koine: ), was an ancient Greek city in the north-western Anatolian region of Bithynia. It was the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and seve ...
in 978 against the rebel
Bardas Skleros Bardas Skleros (Greek: Βάρδας Σκληρός) or Sclerus was a Byzantine general who led a wide-scale Asian rebellion against Emperor Basil II during the years 976 to 979. Background Bardas' father Niketas Skleros belonged to the great f ...
, and as an imperial envoy to him 11 years later. He had three children, late in life. The eldest,
Isaac Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...
, became emperor in 1057–1059, and the youngest,
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
, was the progenitor of the Komnenian dynasty as the father of
Alexios I Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos (, – 15 August 1118), Latinization of names, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus, was Byzantine Emperor, Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. After usurper, usurping the throne, he was faced with a collapsing empire and ...
.


Biography

Nothing is known of Manuel's early life. From the fact that he was militarily active in 978, and given that he was able to have children as late as , a date of birth of has been suggested and generally accepted by modern scholars. His parents' identity is obscure: as Manuel's own firstborn son was named Isaac (Isaakios), the Greek scholar Konstantinos Varzos considered it likely that his father had the same name, since according to Greek custom the eldest male child is named after its paternal grandfather. Nothing is known otherwise about his life and career. According to Varzos, Manuel inherited his surname of "Komnenos" from his father, while his equally obscure mother was an unnamed lady of the Erotikos family, possibly related to the 11th-century rebel
Theophilos Erotikos Theophilos Erotikos () was an 11th-century Byzantine '' strategos'' (general) and governor of Serbia and then Cyprus. In 1038, as governor of Serbia, he was ousted by a local rebellion against the Byzantine regime and its Serbian supporters. ...
. The French scholar Jean-Claude Cheynet, on the other hand, proposed that Manuel was a member of the Erotikos family, and that he was the first to have changed the surname to Komnenos. Modern scholarship commonly accepts
Michael Psellos Michael Psellos or Psellus (, ) was a Byzantine Greeks, Byzantine Greek monk, savant, writer, philosopher, imperial courtier, historian and music theorist. He was born in 1017 or 1018, and is believed to have died in 1078, although it has also b ...
' comment that the family originated from the village of Komne in
Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
. Varzos also considers Manuel a brother of the ''
protospatharios ''Prōtospatharios'' () was one of the highest Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy, court dignities of the middle Byzantine Empire, Byzantine period (8th to 12th centuries), awarded to senior generals and provincial governors, as well as to forei ...
'' Nikephoros Komnenos, who was named governor of the
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
region of
Vaspurakan Vaspurakan (, Western Armenian pronunciation: ''Vasbouragan'') was the eighth province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, centered on Lake Van. Located in what is now southeaster ...
soon after its annexation in 1021, but although possible, such a relationship cannot be proven. Manuel is mentioned for the first time in 978, when he led the defence of
Nicaea Nicaea (also spelled Nicæa or Nicea, ; ), also known as Nikaia (, Attic: , Koine: ), was an ancient Greek city in the north-western Anatolian region of Bithynia. It was the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and seve ...
against the rebel general
Bardas Skleros Bardas Skleros (Greek: Βάρδας Σκληρός) or Sclerus was a Byzantine general who led a wide-scale Asian rebellion against Emperor Basil II during the years 976 to 979. Background Bardas' father Niketas Skleros belonged to the great f ...
, who had risen up against Emperor
Basil II Basil II Porphyrogenitus (; 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer (, ), was the senior Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025. He and his brother Constantine VIII were crowned before their father Romanos II died in 963, but t ...
(). Although his great-granddaughter, the princess
Anna Komnene Anna Komnene (; 1 December 1083 – 1153), commonly Latinized as Anna Comnena, was a Byzantine Greek historian. She is the author of the '' Alexiad'', an account of the reign of her father, Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos. Her work constit ...
, claims in her ''
Alexiad The ''Alexiad'' () is a medieval historical and biographical text written around the year 1148, by the Byzantine princess Anna Komnene, daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. It was written in a form of artificial Attic Greek. Anna described th ...
'' that he had been named '' strategos autokrator'' (commander-in-chief) of the East and sent with full powers to deal with the revolt, it is far more likely that he was merely a local commander. Manuel maintained the city's defence with some success, even though the besiegers managed to undermine and collapse one of its towers, until the lack of food became acute. At that point Manuel was able to fool Skleros, by pretending that he had mountains of wheat and was considering joining him, into allowing him and the inhabitants to depart freely for
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 ...
. Manuel re-appears in 989, when he was sent as an envoy to Skleros, who had once more risen in revolt against Basil II, to persuade him to surrender. Manuel was successful in his task, and the elderly rebel ended his revolt and gave himself up on 11 October. The titles by which he is recorded were ''
patrikios The patricians (from ) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after the Conflict of the Orders (494 BC to 287 B ...
'', ''
anthypatos ''Anthypatos'' () is the translation in Greek of the Latin ''proconsul''. In the Greek-speaking East, it was used to denote this office in Roman and early Byzantine times, surviving as an administrative office until the 9th century. Thereafter, an ...
'', and '' vestes''. Manuel owned lands in Kastamon, on the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
coast of north-central
Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
, inherited after his death by his eldest son, and which became the stronghold of the family in the 11th century. Manuel Erotikos Komnenos died probably around 1020. At that time, his children were still young, so he entrusted them to the care of Emperor Basil II.


Family

Manuel's wife is virtually unknown. She was likely named Maria, as were two of her granddaughters, and probably died . They had two sons and one daughter: #
Isaac I Komnenos Isaac I Komnenos or Comnenus (;  – 1 June 1060) was Byzantine emperor from 1057 to 1059, the first reigning member of the Komnenian dynasty. The son of the general Manuel Erotikos Komnenos, he was orphaned at an early age, and w ...
( – 1061), married Catherine of Bulgaria, daughter of the last Bulgarian Tsar, and a distinguished general. He became emperor in 1057 at the head of a cabal of
Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
n generals, but resigned in 1059 and retired to a monastery. # an unnamed daughter (born ), married Michael Dokeianos, who served as
Catepan of Italy The Catepanate of Italy (, ''Katepaníkion Italías'') was a province ('' theme'') of the Byzantine Empire, that existed from c. 965 until 1071. It was headed by a governor (''katepano'') with both civil and military powers. At its greatest exten ...
and was killed by the
Pechenegs The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks, , Middle Turkic languages, Middle Turkic: , , , , , , ka, პაჭანიკი, , , ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Pečenezi, separator=/, Печенези, also known as Pecheneg Turks were a semi-nomadic Turkic peopl ...
in 1050. # John Komnenos ( – 12 July 1067), married
Anna Dalassene Anna Dalassene (; ca. 1025/30 – 1 November 1100/02) was an important Byzantine noblewoman who played a significant role in the rise to power of the Komnenoi in the eleventh century. She exercised great influence over her son, the Emperor Alexi ...
, and served during his brother's reign as
Domestic of the Schools The office of the Domestic of the Schools () was a senior military post of the Byzantine Empire, extant from the 8th century until at least the early 14th century. Originally simply the commander of the '' Scholai'', the senior of the elite '' tag ...
. He fathered several children who also became senior military leaders. His third son,
Alexios I Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos (, – 15 August 1118), Latinization of names, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus, was Byzantine Emperor, Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. After usurper, usurping the throne, he was faced with a collapsing empire and ...
, became emperor in 1081, founding the Komnenian dynasty.


References


Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Komnenos, Manuel Erotikos 10th-century births 1020s deaths 10th-century Byzantine military personnel Generals of Basil II Manuel Erotikos