The ‘Policy of Détente’: Manuel I Comnenus (1143–1180)
The sudden death of John II Comnenus inevitably meant the end, for the time being, of the Byzantine expedition against Antioch. In Manuel the Emperor had named a successor who could count on the support of the army, but the succession could be assured only in Constantinople, where Manuel's elder brother Isaac might be another aspiring claimant. Although Manuel at once sent faithful followers to Constantinople to seize Isaac, the situation would remain uncertain until the new Emperor had established himself in the capital; a longer stay in Syria was impossible. The Antiochenes seem also to have realized this. According to Cinnamus, an embassy went to Manuel to demand that he vacate the districts illegally occupied by the Greeks since these belonged to Antioch. As was to be expected, Manuel sharply rejected these claims and announced a later return.
Keywords: Byzantine expedition, Manuel, Antioch, Constantinople, Syria, Issac
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