(Author's words: The content of this chapter is excerpted from Baidu and has nothing to do with the plot. It is for reference only by history enthusiasts.)

Alexa I

Alexei I Komuning or Alexius I Komuning (Greek:?λ?ξio?Αkoμνην??, about 1056-August 15, 1118), the second emperor of the Komuning dynasty of the Byzantine Empire (reigned from April 1, 1081 to August 15, 1118), was also a general of the former emperor Nikifruz III, the nephew of Isaac I, the first emperor of the Komuning dynasty, and the real founder of the Komuning dynasty.

Characters' Biography

Alexus I inherited the throne under the circumstances of the Byzantine Empire. In the West, the Normans attempted to erode the European territory of the empire; in the East, the more terrible enemy Turks were eyeing it. In the first year after ascending the throne, Alexus I formed an alliance with Venice to resist the Norman invasion of Greece led by Robert Giscar, but was defeated at the Battle of Delasim. In exchange for a covenant with Venice, he gave Venetian merchants many privileges in the trade in the East, and thus obtained the assistance of the Venetian Navy, blocked the supply route of the Norman army and instigated the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV to march into Rome, thus forcing Giscar to return to help. In 1082, when Giscar's son Boximond returned to Italy to raise funds, he finally surrendered the Norman army.

He finally repelled the last offensive of the two Sicilian Principals in 1085. In 1091, Alexius used the power of the Polovets to defeat the Pecheneg, one of the Turkic tribes who broke through the Danube defense line and repeatedly invaded the Balkans. He successfully resolved the crisis in the north. For the Roman (Konia) Sultanate established in central Anatolia, Alexius I prevented them from further expansion, 1

In 20081, a peace treaty was signed with Koniya Sultan Suleiman Ibn Guttalmish, and in 1093, a similar contract was signed with Guttalmish's son Kilik Arslan and other monarchs in eastern Byzantium, which temporarily stabilized the situation in the East. However, Kilik Arslan took advantage of the peaceful opportunity of the two countries to annex the territory and fleet of Emir Chaha in Anatolia, and its power rose sharply and became a new threat to Byzantium.

The pope who expanded power immediately called for and promoted the First Crusade. In the second year, the crusaders, composed mainly of French nobles, arrived in Constantinople, and among the crusaders, including Bosimund, Taranto, son of Alexus I's old enemy Robert Giscar. In order to avoid the crusaders becoming a new threat to the Byzantine Empire, Alexus I forced the crusaders to be loyal to him. In fact, these down-and-out children of Europe did have their own purposes. With the help of the crusaders, Alexus I took back western Anatolia, but he failed to prevent the crusaders from establishing a group of typical Western European feudal states in Syria and Palestine.

In 1107, Boximond I led an expeditionary force of 34,000 people to land in Epirus and attack the Byzantine Empire. But Alexus I successfully cut off the Norman supply line, forcing Boximond to agree to the Antioch Principality to become a vassal of the Byzantine Empire in the second year. In 1108, because the Normans in the East symbolically recognized the sovereignty of the Byzantine Empire and handed over a considerable portion of the Asian territory that had been recaptured from the Seljuks to the imperial rule. Although Alexus I planned to continue military operations against the Normans, he also failed to do so due to his declining health and resisting the invasion of the Turks. The struggle between Alexus I and Boximond of Taranto was over.

In terms of internal affairs, Alexus I strengthened centralization, established a standing naval and army, and worked hard to strengthen Byzantium's strength and status in western Anatolia, southern regions and Mediterranean waters. In order to solve financial difficulties, he did not hesitate to confiscate the property of the church. Alexus I turned the tide and maintained the integrity of the empire, and continued the dynasty until 1204. However, he could not subdue the Latin Principality of the Crusaders for a long time, nor could he resist the Normans' encroachment on the western islands and provinces, although his diplomatic methods seemed handy.

In 1148, Alexius I's daughter Anna Komunina wrote his biography "Biography of Alexius". This is the most important historical material about the history of the Byzantine Empire during the First Crusade.

Character evaluation

The reign of Alexus was an important period of the Byzantine Empire, and the empire he inherited was in one of the greatest crises in history: the huge land of the empire in the east had been swallowed up by the Sultanate of Roma (Seljuk family), the Normans in the west were constantly eroding Western territory, the Pechenegs and many northern tribal nations also harassed them, and for a while, the Byzantine Empire showed signs of demise. However, Alexus I allowed superb means to turn the tide; through a series of wars or diplomatic strategies, his dynasty was established.

Although Alexius was an outstanding emperor, he and his descendants failed to recover the Asia Minor Peninsula during his reign, which made the empire lack the foundation for revival; his suspicion towards the Crusaders might be appropriate, but he also lost the support of potential allies; his indulgence to the Venetian trading city-state in order to defeat the enemy also laid the root of the destiny after the empire.


Chapter completed!