Certainty: 2 Peace made with the Turks, who promised troops, cessation of raids & restitution of all conquests.
Certainty: 2 Manuel crossed to Thrace to meet a Cuman invasion, but they immediately withdrew.
Certainty: 2 Death of the empress Eirene without a male heir.
Certainty: 2 Manuel was forced by a false alarm from the West to leave his dead wife & dying second daughter.
Certainty: 2 Manuel at Sardike faced complex problems of succession at Geza II's death.
Certainty: 2 Manuel went to Philippopolis to settle Serbian leadership, deposing Primislav in favour of Belouses.
Certainty: 2 Search by Manuel's agents for a suitable second wife.
Certainty: 2 Manuel entertained Kilic Arslan in Constantinople for 80 days, a triumph for Byzantium.
Certainty: 2 Earthquakes & disturbed weather indicated divine displeasure at the sultan's visit to the capital.
Certainty: 2 Failure of a Muslim magician to fly made the people of the city laugh at the sultan.
Certainty: 2 Gifts of amazing generosity brought promises from the sultan that he did not keep.
Certainty: 3 Manuel I married Maria of Antioch in Hagia Sophia with great splendour.
Certainty: 1 Grant of 30 paroikoi at Chostiane (Moglena) to Lavra by Manuel I.
Certainty: 2 Belouses abdicated as zupan of Serbia, succeeded by Dese from Dendra, which he ceded to Byzantium.
Certainty: 2 Laszlo II of Hungary died & was succeeded by Istvan IV, who proved autocratic.
Certainty: 3 Manuel I ordered investigation of a dispute over Lavra's property at Archontochorion. When eight named transferred paroikoi from the property of Lavra at Archontochorion, Barlaam, the hegoumenos of Lavra, asked the emperor to have his relative Ioannes Kontostephanos, doux of Thessalonike, investigate the matter. Manuel I issued a decree and signed it in red that Kontostephanos should investigate the periorismoi of Lavra's property and ensure that the rights of the monastery were respected and the paroikoi and the estate itself were returned to Lavra (if. presumably, that was what justice demanded)
Certainty: 2 Manuel sent Konstantinos Gabras to encourage the sultan to keep his promises.
Certainty: 2 Hungarians deposed Istvan IV: Manuel twice sent Alexios Kontostephanos to reinstate him.
Certainty: 2 Manuel had to intervene again in Serbia, since Dese proved unsatisfactory.
Certainty: 2 Dese, adding to his sins, was first imprisoned in Nis, then in the palace in Constantinople.
Certainty: 2 Manuel, seeing the Hungarians had reinstalled Istvan III for the unpopular Istvan IV, turned to Bela.
Certainty: 2 Manuel brought Bela of Hungary to Constantinople, to affiance him to his daughter Maria.
Certainty: 2 Investigation in situ of the Archontochorion dispute. Ioannes Kontostephanos, Barlaam the hegoumenos and six other monks from Lavra went to the contested property. The others were Arsenios, Bartholomaios the cobbler, Dositheos the oikonomos of the monastery's metochion in Thessalonike, Germanos, Kandidos the orphanotrophos and Kyriakos the ekklesiarches. Pankratios Anemas, who held the disputed paroikoi in pronoia, asserted that they had established their dwellings on the contested estate of Lavra (at Archontochorion) much earlier, at the time when the proasteion was held in pronoia by the Loukitai. The seven Lavra monks did not deny this, but explained to Kontostephanos that Lavra had granted Archontochorion in pronoia to the three original stratiotai, Romanos Andreas Rentinos, Theotimos Loukites and Leon Loukites on condition that their paroikoi would only cultivate it and not dwell on it. They demanded the return of the property to Lavra because the condition on which it was granted had not been respected and because the three original holders of the pronoia had died in the meantime. They presented to Kontostephanos the document of Xiphilinos on the earlier dispute between Lavra and the three pronoia-holders which had been settled by Konstantinos Doukas, the doux and praktor of Boleron, Strymon and Thessalonike. They argued that, since Archontochorion had been granted to the Loukitai only and not to their successors (like Pankratios), and the clause on the paroikoi had been broken, it should now be returned to Lavra. Kontostephanos also received the periorismos of Archontochorion made earlier by Konstantinos, the vestarches and logariastes
Certainty: 2 Enmity between Andronikos Euphorbenos & Toros.
Certainty: 2 Frederick Barbarossa captured Milan & interfered in papal affairs: only Manuel opposed him.
Certainty: 3 Solution by Ioannes Kontostephanos of the dispute over Lavra's property of Archontochorion. Ioannes Kontostephanos, doux of Thessalonike, agreed with the demand of Barlaam the hegoumenos and the Lavra monks that Archontochorion should be returned, because the original pronoia-holders had died and the clause concerning the paroikoi had been breached. He therefore instructed his subordinate Heliopolis to take action, which was confirmed by an imperial edict of Manuel I. Heliopolis went to Archontochorion and ordered the eight named paroikoi who had moved to the adjacent estate of Pankratios Anemas to return. Anemas promised not to allow a repeat of the problem. Kontostephanos issued a document under his seal to settle the dispute, and it was signed by Basileios Masiakos, chartophylax of the metropolitan see of Thessalonike, and Demetrios, that see's hypomnematographos
Certainty: 0 Nikephoros Basilakes issued a collected volume of his works, indexed in its preface.
Certainty: 3 Baldwin III of Jerusalem died childless, succeeded by his brother Amalric I.
Certainty: 2 Amalric wrote to Manuel, seeking, among other things, a Byzantine bride: a girl was later provided.
Certainty: 2 Bohemond III of Antioch was captured by Nur al-Din near Harim. Bohemond III, prince of Antioch, fought Nur al-Din of Aleppo outside Harim. Nur al-Din took Bohrmond prisoner
Certainty: 2 Istvan III openly broke agreements with Manuel over Bela's lands: he also again defeated Istvan IV.
Certainty: 0 Thomas the eunuch returned from Palestine & gained Manuel's favour.
Certainty: 2 Andronikos (I) escaped from prison in Constantinople & fled to Russia.
Certainty: 2 Death of Yaghi-Basan of Sebasteia; his wife chose his replacement, but was killed.
Certainty: 2 Konstantinos Kalamanos, attacked by Nur al-Din, defeated him but lost the victory by rashness.
Certainty: 2 Nur al-Din captured Harim, setting up fire signals for Muslim prisoners escaping from Frankish lands. Nur al-Din captured Harim from the Franks after a strenuous battle, in order to take revenge for his defeat at Yaghra. After the capture, he set two signal fires burning all night to show the way to Muslim prisoners escaping from Frankish territory. Frankish rulers offered him 20,000 dinars for removing the signals, but the offer was not accepted
Certainty: 2 Nur al-Din gave Harim to Majd al-Din b. al-Daya, who passed it to Badr al-Din b. al-Daya. Nur al-Din had taken Harim from the Franks, and passed it on to his milk brother Majd al-Din b. al-Daya. Majd al-Din himself gave it to his half-brother, Badr al-Din b. al-Daya, who kept it until Nur al-Din's death
Certainty: 2 Manuel, distressed at successes of Nur al-Din, was stopped from personal intervention by Hungarian crisis.
Certainty: 2 Manuel sent a defensive army to Cilicia, but set out himself for the Danube.
Certainty: 2 Manuel wrote to Istvan III, complaining of seizure of Bela's lands & treatment of Istvan IV.
Certainty: 2 Manuel was welcomed to Hungary by the Hungarian populace, & saved a boat in crossing the Danube.
Certainty: 2 Manuel prepared for battle with Istvan III, while testing the resolve of his Czech ally.
Certainty: 2 Manuel accepted Istvan III's terms, restoring land to Bela but sidelining Istvan IV.
Certainty: 2 First Nikephoros Chalouphes, then Michael Gabras were left to protect Sirmion & Istvan IV.
Certainty: 2 Manuel restored the arm of the martyr Prokopios from Sirmion to Nis.
Certainty: 2 Istvan III again took Sirmion & attacked Zeugminon, having Istvan IV murdered. When Istvan III again took Sirmion from the Byzantines and threatened Zeugminon, Manuel I sent him a letter threatening to avenge his breaking of oaths by repeating the successes he had achieved against Geza II. When the king ignored the letter and besieged Zeugminon, Manuel prepared for war. The constant offences of Istvan III made the emperor think again of putting Istvan IV on the throne, a policy he had abandoned. Istvan III and other Hungarian opponents of Istvan IV decided to put a stop to the years of warfare he had caused. They enquired for somebody in Zeugminon, where he was under siege, to poison him, and found Thomas, one of his attendants, unprincipled enough to take money to murder his master. When the ex-king was being bled, he soaked in poison the bandage which was placed on the wound. The poison spread throughout his body and he died
Certainty: 2 Manuel sent another Manuel Komnenos as ambassador to Russian princes.
Certainty: 2 Alexios Axouchos was sent as supreme commander to Cilicia against Nur al-Din & Toros.
Certainty: 2 Axouchos visited Kilic Arslan & showed himself a partisan of his, despite counselling from Manuel.
Certainty: 2 Axouchos later visited a Latin wizard, to condemn Manuel to lack of an heir.
Certainty: 2 Vladislav, a major Russian refugee, received property on the Danube once owned by another Vladislav.
Certainty: 2 Frederick of Germany, Heinrich of Austria, the Venetians & the sultan of Ikonion joined against Istvan.
Certainty: 2 Manuel sent an army under prominent commanders with a Danube fleet to relieve Zeugminon.
Certainty: 2 Despite illness of empress, Manuel reached the Danube, crossing by a ruse & personal example.
Certainty: 2 Capture of Zeugminon by the Hungarian king.
Certainty: 2 Ioannes Doukas conquered most of Dalmatia for the Byzantines.
Certainty: 2 Careful siege of Zeugminon by Manuel, balancing maintenance of siege with defence against relief force.
Certainty: 2 Andronikos Doukas played a heroic role in the capture of the city.
Certainty: 2 Manuel refused surrender of Zeugminon by zupans - though later they were imprisoned, not executed.
Certainty: 2 Andronikos (I) returned from Russia & was accepted in time to fight in the siege.
Certainty: 2 Manuel resettled Hungarians from Zeugminon, eventually made peace & returned home.
Certainty: 2 Manuel celebrated a triumph from the Akropolis to Hagia Sophia, not using the solid gold chariot.
Certainty: 2 Manuel bound the birth of a male child to his theological rectitude: Alexios (II) was born soon after.
Certainty: 2 Demetrios of Lampe stirred up the controversy over John 14.28.
Certainty: 1 Stone from the ruins of Zeugminon used to fortify Belgrade (a kind of revenge).
Certainty: 1 Soon after, an anticipatory march from Manuel forestalled another Hungarian outbreak.
Certainty: 2 After the death of William I of Sicily, Manuel kept the peace, refusing aid to help his brother usurp.
Certainty: 3 Manuel introduced a system to avoid delays to the courts caused by saints' days & holidays.
Certainty: 2 Andronikos (I) was sent to solve problems in Cilicia, with extra revenue from Cypriot taxes.
Certainty: 2 Andronikos' life of seduction & sedition on Byzantium's eastern frontier.
Certainty: 3 Church council on Christ's words, "My father is greater than I": sessions in early March.
Certainty: 3 Council of 1166: sessions from mid-March till May.
Certainty: 2 The Hungarian general Dionysios won a small victory, commemorated by a large mound. Istvan III, king of Hungary, again broke a peaceful status quo by sending his general Dionysos to reclaim Sirmion. Dionysios won a minor victory due to rivalry between the Byzantine commanders. Then he gathered the few casualties and raised a large mound over them to commemorate their memory
Certainty: 2 Dionysios' success was partly due to clashes between the generals Michael Branas & Michael Gabras.
Certainty: 2 Manuel made a complex, three-pronged attack to teach the Hungarians a lesson.
Certainty: 2 Further evidence on the Danube of the treachery of Alexios Axouchos.
Certainty: 2 Chrysobull of Manuel I for Mone Areias (Peloponnesos).
Certainty: 2 Heinrich of Austria's peace mission to Sardike & marriage diplomacy in Hungary.
Certainty: 2 Frederick Barbarossa was conciliatory when in difficulties but agressive when more confident.
Certainty: 2 The ban of Hungary failed to recapture Dalmatia, but seized Nikephoros Chalouphes, its governor.
Certainty: 1 Manuel used varied diplomacy against Frederick Barbarossa, especially Nikephoros Chalouphes in Venice.
Certainty: 2 Manuel's polo accident & convalescence.
Certainty: 2 Arrest, interrogation & punishment of Alexios Axouchos.
Certainty: 2 Preparations for Hungarian campaign, under Manuel's instructions.
Certainty: 2 Alexios Kontostephanos' decisive victory over the Hungarians.
Certainty: 3 Synod at Ephesos to publicise the results of the Council of 1166. A synod was held at Ephesos to publicise the results of the council of 1166. 28 local bishops in all signed the document, which was presented by the metropolitan of Ephesos on behalf of the patriarch Loukas. More than half of the bishops were present on July 10, the official day of the synod; however a substantial number arrived late and signed only on arrival. The latest recorded signature was on August 3
Certainty: 0 Manuel repaired walls of Constantinople, cleaned water-pipes & built a new cistern at Petra.
Certainty: 2 Death of Toros of Armenia: accession of Mleh who continued his anti-Byzantine stance.
Certainty: 2 Nur al-Din gave 'Ayn Tab to Muhammad b. Asad al-Din Shirkuh in exchange for Hims & Rahba.
Certainty: 2 Nur al-Din gave the citadel of Tell Bashir to Uthman b. al-Daya.
Certainty: 2 Transport from Ephesos to Constantinople of the stone of Christ's Deposition: ceremonial reception.
Certainty: 3 Merging of the Athonite monasteries Xylourgou & Hagios Panteleemon Thessalonikeos.
Certainty: 3 Andronikos Kontostephanos' unsuccessful Egyptian expedition, with poor collaboration from Amalric I.
Certainty: 3 Birth of Alexios (II) Komnenos.
Certainty: 3 Manuel held a second council on John 14.28, to solve problems remaining from 1166. The Council of 1166 ended in unanimity and the church was quiet. Manuel I thought that problems over John 14.28 had ended, but they began again at the death of the patriarch Loukas Chrysoberges. Konstantinos, metropolitan of Kerkyra, who had publicly retracted his heretical views, now proclaimed them again, and even spoke of Loukas as a heretic. Manuel therefore, with the new patriarch Michael III of Anchialos, called another council in the Great Palace, first in the new throne room as before, then in the pronaos of the church in the Great Palace. The emperor presided over the two main sessions, but this time he left most of the business of the council to Michael III and the other clerics. On January 30 the heretic Konstantinos made an address, but was unanimously condemned. Another suspect, Ioannes Eirenikos, had been disappointed by the conclusions of the council of 1166 and began to spread opposing views in his monastery; he told his neighbouring hegoumenos Paulos of Hagia Triada that those who had imposed these conclusions would regret it - obvious treachery. He was brought to the capital by the emperor and interviewed by the patriarch, then confronted by the evidence of Paulos the hegoumenos. A heretical tract he had written was found by enquiry in his cell and read (in part) before the council on February 18. As concealment was impossible, Ioannes defended himself boldly. But under questioning by the patriarch, the emperor and the other churchmen he became confused and spoke obvious heresy. Michael of Anchialos postponed punishment, hoping for repentance. Besides the emperor, sixteen distinguished laymen and 55 senior churchmen are recorded as having taken part in at least one session of the council
Certainty: 2 Venetians in Constantinople destroyed Genoese property & refused to make restitution. A division had arisen between Venetians living outside the Venetian quarter (often with Byzantine wives) as against the impermanent traders; the former were called Âburgesses and had pledged lifelong obediance to the Byzantines. Both categories quarrelled with the Genoese, destroyed their houses and did other damage. Manuel demanded restitution, but they refused and hinted at reprisals like those 50 years earlier against Ioannes II: thus Manuel thought of expulsion
Certainty: 1 Bela-Alexios lost the Byzantine succession but was named kaisar & married the empress' sister Agnes.
Certainty: 3 Manuel by concerted action arrested all Venetians in the empire.
Certainty: 3 Amalric I of Jerusalem visited Constantinople, made petitions, & left having sworn subjection.
Certainty: 2 A Venetian noble, in charge of of a huge ship, arranged for many fellow-citizens to escape.
Certainty: 1 Lands from imperial episkepseis of Crete granted to locals.
Certainty: 2 Venetian reprisals in Euboea, Chios & Lesbos did not go well: Manuel mocked them.
Certainty: 2 Aaron the akolouthos revealed Manuel's plan for counter-reprisals, which thus also failed.
Certainty: 2 Response of the synod to a question from Manuel I on matrimonial law.
Certainty: 2 Visit to Constantinople of Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony.
Certainty: 2 Manuel stopped rebellion of Serb zupan Dese; Dese's theatrical repentance was eventually accepted.
Certainty: 2 At death of Istvan III, Hungarians asked for Bela; he was installed as king with his Antiochene wife.
Certainty: 2 Alexios (II) crowned co-emperor.
Certainty: 2 German attack on Ancona beaten off with the aid of Manuel's ally Aldruda Frangipane.
Certainty: 2 Nur al-Din received a large sum to prevent an attack on the Armenian kingdom. Nur al-Din of Aleppo crossed the Syrian passes while he was on his way to conquer Armenia. However the ruler of Armenia offered him 50,000 dinars in exchange for his country: Nur al-Din accepted the deal
Certainty: 2 Nur al-Din took Mleh into his service, gave him troops, & took cities from the Byzantines. Mleh, the ruler of Cilician Armenia, entered the service of Nur al-Din of Aleppo, who assisted him with a contingent of soldiers. Mleh entered Adana, Tarsus and Mopsuestia and took these towns from the Byzantine emperor; he then sent to Nur al-Din a huge quantity of booty together with thirty Greek notables
Certainty: 2 Common front of eastern enemies brought Manuel from the west to Philadelphia: his threats worked. Kilic Arslan II, the Seljuk sultan of Ikonion and Shahan-Shah his brother, Mleh, the ruler of Cilician Armenia and Nur al-Din of Aleppo joined in a common plan to attack Byzantium, bringing Manuel I from the west to Philadelphia to face them. Manuel wrote censoriously to Kilic Arslan, asking why he had suddenly attacked. The reply was that the caliph disapproved of friendship with the Byzantines. With a second embasy Manuel threatened to attack in 15 days. The enemy, terrified, began peace negotiations, allowing Manuel to return to the capital to claim a bloodless victory
Certainty: 2 Encouraged by Manuel's bloodless victory, the rulers of Antioch & Jerusalem did damage to Aleppo.
Certainty: 2 Aaron the akolouthos was blinded for devotion to the devil.
Certainty: 0 Manuel himself (not the asekretis) composed the speech for the silention.
Certainty: 2 Nur al-Din & Kilic Arslan exchanged control of Bahasna. Kilic Arslan II, the sultan of Ikonion, reconquered Bahasna from Nur al-Din of Aleppo. However Nur al-Din counter-attacked in Northern Syria. A peace was eventually made between them, in which Bahasna, together with its surrounding fortresses, was assigned to Nur al-Din
Certainty: 2 Manuel's subsidies enabled Kilic Arslan to dominate his neighbours.
Certainty: 2 Kilic Arslan refused to hand over conquered cities while Manuel was busy in the West.
Certainty: 2 Manuel turned east, sending garrisons for cities to be handed back; but there were still none.
Certainty: 1 Michael of Anchialos presided over the transfer of Michael, metropolitan of Ankyra to the see of Kerasous.
Certainty: 2 Death of Nur al-Din made Manuel give refuge to the sultan's relatives & prepare for war.
Certainty: 2 Ismail, son of Nur al-Din, rearranged control of some fortresses after his father's death. After the death of Nur al-Din, his son al-Malik al-Salih Isma'il took Harim from Badr al-Din Ibn al-Daya and gave control of it to Sa'd al-Din Kumushtukin. He confirmed Nasir al-Din Muhammad in possesion of 'Ayn Tab, which had been granted to him by Nur al-Din
Certainty: 2 Manuel postponed punitive action against Kilic Arslan, in favour of building & of acquiring Amaseia.
Certainty: 2 Treason & punishment of Manuel Kantakouzenos.
Certainty: 2 Rebuilding of Dorylaion.
Certainty: 2 Failed mission of Shahan-Shah to areas east of Ikonion.
Certainty: 2 Missed opportunities at Amaseia.
Certainty: 3 The Parthenon inscriptions record the death in June of Nikolaos Hagiotheodorites, metropolitan of Athens. Nikolaos Hagiotheodorites, metropolitan of Athens and hypertimos, was reported in the Parthenon inscriptions as having died in June
Certainty: 2 Failed mission of eunuch Thomas to Kilic Arslan.
Certainty: 2 Brutality of Ishaq-Michael.
Certainty: 2 Trial & punishment of Michael Gabras.
Certainty: 2 Fruitless mission to Manuel of Kilic Arslan's nobleman Gabras.
Certainty: 2 Before leaving Constantinople, Manuel sent 150 ships against Egypt, manning them with difficulty.
Certainty: 2 As Neokaisareia wanted to defect to Manuel, he sent Andronikos Batatzes there.
Certainty: 3 Salah al-Din, while marching against Aleppo, besieged 'Azaz. After taking Damascus, he moved against Aleppo. He made a halt in the surroundings of 'Azaz, put the town under siege and dressed the mangonels against it
Certainty: 2 Salah al-Din survived an attempt at assassination in a tent outside 'Azaz. An Assassin made an attempt on the life of Salah al-Din in the tent of one of his amirs outside 'Azaz; he assaulted him and repeatedly stabbed him in the head, but his helmet protected him and Yazkuj, governor of Aleppo, was able to come to his aid by seizing the killer's knife
Certainty: 2 Salah al-Din captured 'Azaz & besieged Aleppo, till agreement was reached. Salah al-Din after a fierce struggle captured 'Azaz, taking it from al-Malik al-Salih Isma'il, who had inherited it from his father Nur al-Din. He then approached Aleppo and put that under siege, until a peace was agreed between himself and Isma'il
Certainty: 3 Manuel I exempted Theologos of Patmos from tax on goods purchased on Crete.
Certainty: 2 Manuel assembled his forces at Ryndakos - but late, delayed by late arrival of Hungarians & Serbs.
Certainty: 2 Manuel marched through Laodikeia & Maiander valley to settle down to siege of Ikonion.
Certainty: 2 Foreshadowing of Myriokephalon.
Certainty: 3 Defeat of Manuel I at Tziblimane (battle of Myriokephalon).
Certainty: 1 Death of Ishaq-Michael, soon after meting out brutal punishments.
Certainty: 1 Eunuch Thomas fell again into disfavour & suffered lifelong imprisonment.
Certainty: 2 Peace between Frederick I Barbarossa & pope Alexander III.
Certainty: 2 The vizier Shihab al-Din ibn al-'Ajami was assassinated near the great mosque of Aleppo. Sinan, leader of the Isma'iliyya (Assassins) sect, murdered 'Abd al-Rahim, the vizier of Nur al-Din's son al-Malik al-Salih Isma'il, believing that he was complying with an order coming from Isma'il himself. But it was Sa'd al-Din Kumushtukin who had sent the letter to Sinan, using a blank sealed paper he had obtained from Isma'il, so as to pretend that the order came from the latter. 'Abd al-Rahim was assassinated as he left the Great Mosque of Aleppo on a Friday. Isma'il later wrote to Sinan reproaching him for the murder
Certainty: 2 Ismail, son of Nur al-Din, seized & punished Kumushtukin for trying to sell Harim to the Franks.
Certainty: 2 Frankish attacks on al-Ramla & Shayzar.
Certainty: 2 Patriarch Chariton annulled the prohibitions on Athos made by his predecessor Nikolaos Grammatikos.
Certainty: 2 Negotiations over a safe-conduct for the people of Harim, in case of capture by the Franks.