Pseudo-Alexios II
Encyclopedia
Pseudo-Alexios II was the most famous among several pretenders to the throne of the Byzantine Empire
who appeared in the early reign of Isaac II Angelos
(r. 1185-1195 and 1203–1204). He claimed to be the Emperor Alexios II Komnenos
, who had been murdered in 1183.
, whose resemblance to the deceased emperor and his father Manuel I Komnenos
convinced many of the veracity of his claims. He visited Iconium and sought an audience with Sultan Kilij Arslan II
. The sultan, struck by the resemblance to Manuel, allowed him to enroll troops, but he refused to break the treaty he had concluded with Isaac II, and thus lose out on the tribute he was receiving from the Byzantine Empire
.
The false Alexios assembled an army of 8,000 men and ravaged the vale of the Maeander River
, storming several cities, including the rich city of Chonae in order to appease his troops with plunder. Isaac sent his brother Alexios
to deal with the pretender, but the imperial troops had very little success.
Alexios' career came to a sudden stop when he was assassinated by a priest, who was infuriated with Alexios' alliance with the Moslem Turks, his permission for them to plunder the richest cities in Asia Minor
, and his tolerance of the desecration of the churches in these cities that the Turks committed. The assassin carried the head of the pretender to the sebastocrator Alexios, who was so taken aback by the similarities of its features to those of Manuel I, that he exclaimed "Those who followed him may be innocent after all."
and put to death. Another rose up at Nicomedia
in 1195/1196, but he was captured and blinded.
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
who appeared in the early reign of Isaac II Angelos
Isaac II Angelos
Isaac II Angelos was Byzantine emperor from 1185 to 1195, and again from 1203 to 1204....
(r. 1185-1195 and 1203–1204). He claimed to be the Emperor Alexios II Komnenos
Alexios II Komnenos
Alexios II Komnenos or Alexius II Comnenus , Byzantine emperor , was the son of Emperor Manuel I Komnenos and Maria, daughter of Raymond, prince of Antioch...
, who had been murdered in 1183.
Career of the False Alexios II
Pseudo-Alexios II was a young man from ConstantinopleConstantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, whose resemblance to the deceased emperor and his father Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos was a Byzantine Emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of Byzantium and the Mediterranean....
convinced many of the veracity of his claims. He visited Iconium and sought an audience with Sultan Kilij Arslan II
Kilij Arslan II
Kilij Arslan II was a Seljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1156 until his death in 1192.As Arnold of Lübeck reports in his Chronica Slavorum, he was present at the meeting of Henry the Lion with Kilij-Arslan during the former's pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1172...
. The sultan, struck by the resemblance to Manuel, allowed him to enroll troops, but he refused to break the treaty he had concluded with Isaac II, and thus lose out on the tribute he was receiving from the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
.
The false Alexios assembled an army of 8,000 men and ravaged the vale of the Maeander River
Maeander River
The Büyük Menderes River ; , Ancient Greek: Μαίανδρος, Maíandros) is a river in southwestern Turkey. It rises in west central Turkey near Dinar before flowing west through the Büyük Menderes graben until reaching the Aegean Sea in the proximity of the ancient Ionian city Miletus...
, storming several cities, including the rich city of Chonae in order to appease his troops with plunder. Isaac sent his brother Alexios
Alexios III Angelos
Alexios III Angelos was Byzantine Emperor from 1195 to 1203.- Early life:Alexios III Angelos was the second son of Andronikos Angelos and Euphrosyne Kastamonitissa. Andronicus was himself a son of Theodora Komnene, the youngest daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Irene Doukaina. Thus...
to deal with the pretender, but the imperial troops had very little success.
Alexios' career came to a sudden stop when he was assassinated by a priest, who was infuriated with Alexios' alliance with the Moslem Turks, his permission for them to plunder the richest cities in Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
, and his tolerance of the desecration of the churches in these cities that the Turks committed. The assassin carried the head of the pretender to the sebastocrator Alexios, who was so taken aback by the similarities of its features to those of Manuel I, that he exclaimed "Those who followed him may be innocent after all."
Other pretenders
After the death of Pseudo-Alexios, several others also assumed the name of Alexios II. One was taken in PaphlagoniaPaphlagonia
Paphlagonia was an ancient area on the Black Sea coast of north central Anatolia, situated between Bithynia to the west and Pontus to the east, and separated from Phrygia by a prolongation to the east of the Bithynian Olympus...
and put to death. Another rose up at Nicomedia
Nicomedia
Nicomedia was an ancient city in what is now Turkey, founded in 712/11 BC as a Megarian colony and was originally known as Astacus . After being destroyed by Lysimachus, it was rebuilt by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC under the name of Nicomedia, and has ever since been one of the most...
in 1195/1196, but he was captured and blinded.