Table of Contents
What did Alexius 1 do?
Alexius I Comnenus, also spelled Alexios I Komnenos, (born 1057, Constantinople, Byzantine Empire [now Istanbul, Turkey]—died August 15, 1118), Byzantine emperor (1081–1118) at the time of the First Crusade who founded the Comnenian dynasty and partially restored the strength of the empire after its defeats by the …
Why did the Byzantine Empire call for help?
The Byzantine Empire was considerably overstretched. As such, it was difficult for the Emperor Alexius I to defend his vast borders from attack. Faced with such imminent danger, Alexius felt he had no choice but to make a personal appeal to Pope Urban II for assistance.
Who seized the Holy Land in 1077 AD?
Muslim Seljuk Turks
However, around 1077 Muslim Seljuk Turks took control of the Holy Land. It became harder for Christian pilgrims to visit as various Muslim groups struggled for power.
Why was the Byzantine Empire so weak?
The Byzantine Empire fell in 1453. The immediate cause of its fall was pressure by the Ottoman Turks. Ironically enough, the major cause of the decline of the Byzantine Empire (what made it weak enough to fall to the Ottomans) was the Crusades. The Crusades were supposed to be Christian wars against Muslims.
Why did the Byzantine Empire call themselves Romans?
1. It wasn’t called the Byzantine Empire until after it fell. Though largely Greek-speaking and Christian, the Byzantines called themselves “Romaioi,” or Romans, and they still subscribed to Roman law and reveled in Roman culture and games.
Why was Alexius I Comnenus a crusading Emperor?
Alexius I Comnenus. The Crusading movement, motivated partly by a desire to recapture the holy city of Jerusalem, partly by the hope of acquiring new territory, increasingly encroached on Byzantine preserves and frustrated Alexius’s foreign policy, which was primarily directed toward the reestablishment of imperial authority in Anatolia.
Who was the emperor under Alexios I Komnenos?
Under one of these emperors, Romanos IV Diogenes (1068–1071), Alexios served with distinction against the Seljuq Turks. Under Michael VII Doukas Parapinakes (1071–1078) and Nikephoros III Botaneiates (1078–1081), he was also employed, along with his elder brother Isaac, against rebels in Asia Minor, Thrace, and in Epirus.
How did Alexius I Comnenus defeat the Normans?
He drove back the south Italian Normans, headed by Robert Guiscard, who were invading western Greece (1081–82). This victory was achieved with Venetian naval help, bought at the cost of granting Venice extensive trading privileges in the Byzantine Empire.
Why did Alexios restore Constantine Doukas as co-emperor?
As a measure intended to keep the support of the Doukai, Alexios restored Constantine Doukas, the young son of Michael VII and Maria, as co-emperor and a little later betrothed him to his own first-born daughter Anna, who moved into the Mangana Palace with her fiancé and his mother.