| Alexios II Komnenos | |
|---|---|
| Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans | |
 Seal of Alexios Komnenos. | |
| Byzantine emperor | |
| Reign | 24 September 1180 – September 1183 |
| Coronation | 1171as co-emperor |
| Predecessor | Manuel I Komnenos |
| Successor | Andronikos I Komnenos |
| Born | (1169-09-14)14 September 1169 Constantinople (nowIstanbul,Turkey) |
| Died | September 1183 (aged 14) Constantinople |
| Spouse | |
| Dynasty | Komnenos |
| Father | Manuel I Komnenos |
| Mother | Maria of Antioch |
Alexios II Komnenos (Greek:Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός,romanized: Aléxios Komnēnós; 14 September 1169[1][2][3]: 64 [a] – September 1183), LatinizedAlexius II Comnenus, wasByzantine emperor from 1180 to 1183. He ascended to the throne as aminor. For the duration of his short reign, the imperial power wasde facto held byregents.
Born in the purple atConstantinople, Alexios was the long-awaited son of EmperorManuel I Komnenos (who gave him a name that began with the letteralpha as a fulfillment of theAIMA prophecy) andMaria of Antioch. In 1171 he wascrowned co-emperor, and in 1175 he accompanied his father atDorylaion in Asia Minor in order to have the city rebuilt. On 2 March 1180, at the age of ten, he was married toAgnes of France aged eight, daughter of KingLouis VII of France. She was thereafter known as Anna,[3]: 64 and after Alexios' murder three years later, Anna would be remarried to the person responsible, Andronikos, then aged 65.
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When Manuel I died in September 1180, Alexios II succeeded him as emperor. At this time, however, he was an uneducated boy with only amusement in mind. The imperial regency was then undertaken by thedowager empress and theprōtosebastosAlexios Komnenos (a namesake cousin of Alexios II), who was popularly believed to be her lover.[4][3]: 64
The regents depleted the imperial treasury by granting privileges to Italian merchants and to the Byzantine aristocracy. WhenBéla III of Hungary andKilij Arslan II ofRum began raiding within the Byzantinewestern and eastern borders respectively, the regents were forced to ask for help to the pope and toSaladin. Furthermore, a party supporting Alexios II's right to reign, led by his half-sisterMaria Komnene and her husband thecaesar John, stirred up riots in the streets of the capital.[4][3]: 64
The regents managed to defeat the party on April 1182,[3]: 64 butAndronikos Komnenos, a first cousin of Manuel I, took advantage of the disorder to aim at the crown. He entered Constantinople, received with almost divine honours, and overthrew the government. His arrival was celebrated by amassacre of the Latins in Constantinople, especially theVenetian merchants, which he made no attempt to stop.[4][3]: 64
On 16 May 1182 Andronikos, posing as Alexios' protector, officially restored him on the throne.[3]: 64 As for 1180, the young emperor was uninterested in ruling matters, and Andronikos effectively acted as thepower behind the throne, not allowing Alexios any voice in public affairs. One after another, Andronikos suppressed most of Alexios' defenders and supporters: his half-sister Maria Komnene, thecaesar John, his loyal generalsAndronikos Doukas Angelos,Andronikos Kontostephanos andJohn Komnenos Vatatzes,[4][3]: 64 while Empress Dowager Maria was put in prison.
In 1183, Alexios was compelled to condemn his own mother to death. In September 1183, Andronikos was formally proclaimed emperor before the crowd on the terrace of theChurch of Christ of the Chalkè. Probably by the end of the same month,[3]: 64 Andronikos ordered Alexios' assassination; the young emperor was secretly strangled with a bow-string and his body thrown in theBósporos.[4][3]: 64 [9]: 641
In the years following Alexios' mysterious disappearance, many young men resembling him tried to claim the throne. In the end, none of thosepseudo-Alexioi managed to become emperor.[9]: 641–2
Alexios is a character in the historical novelAgnes of France (1980) byGreek writerKostas Kyriazis. The novel describes the events of the reigns of Manuel I, Alexios II, and Andronikos I through the eyes of Agnes.
| Ancestors of Alexios II Komnenos |
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Bury, John Bagnell (1911). "Alexius II.". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 577.
Alexios II Komnenos Komnenian dynasty Born: 14 September 1169 Died: September 1183 | ||
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| Preceded by | Byzantine emperor 1180–1183 | Succeeded by |
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