Manuel I of Byzantium (1143-80) has been unfairly judged as misguided, reckless, and, ultimately, as a failure. This work endeavors to refute the claims that Manuel's imperial policy lacked any coherent strategy, and that Byzantium simply reacted to external stimuli. The most ambitious aim of this thesis is to present a cogent analysis of Manuel's imperial policy to demonstrate the emperor's efficacy and strategic flexibility. The perception, generally accepted by historians, that Manuel left his empire exhausted and vulnerable to outside aggression is also seriously challenged. Regardless of Manuel's defeat at Myriokephalon in 1176, he could claim that the empire was stronger than it had been in over a century.
","abstract_html":"<p>Manuel I of Byzantium (1143-80) has been unfairly judged as misguided, reckless, and, ultimately, as a failure. This work endeavors to refute the claims that Manuel's imperial policy lacked any coherent strategy, and that Byzantium simply reacted to external stimuli. The most ambitious aim of this thesis is to present a cogent analysis of Manuel's imperial policy to demonstrate the emperor's efficacy and strategic flexibility. The perception, generally accepted by historians, that Manuel left his empire exhausted and vulnerable to outside aggression is also seriously challenged. Regardless of Manuel's defeat at Myriokephalon in 1176, he could claim that the empire was stronger than it had been in over a century.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gentry, Darryl Keith, II"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in History (M.A.)","degree_level":"Thesis (open access)","degree_discipline":"Department of History","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Kathleen M. Comerford","Michael J. Decker"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2012,"date_issued":"2012-10-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2012-10-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:26:17Z","subjects":["ETD","Byzantine Empire","Manuel I Komnenos","Myriokephalon","Second Crusade","Byzantine and Modern Greek","History"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/22","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Kathleen M. Comerford","Michael J. Decker"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gentry, Darryl Keith, II"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2013-07-19T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of History"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis (open access)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in History (M.A.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ETD","Byzantine Empire","Manuel I Komnenos","Myriokephalon","Second Crusade","Byzantine and Modern Greek","History"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/22"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Manuel I of Byzantium (1143-80) has been unfairly judged as misguided, reckless, and, ultimately, as a failure. This work endeavors to refute the claims that Manuel's imperial policy lacked any coherent strategy, and that Byzantium simply reacted to external stimuli. The most ambitious aim of this thesis is to present a cogent analysis of Manuel's imperial policy to demonstrate the emperor's efficacy and strategic flexibility. The perception, generally accepted by historians, that Manuel left his empire exhausted and vulnerable to outside aggression is also seriously challenged. Regardless of Manuel's defeat at Myriokephalon in 1176, he could claim that the empire was stronger than it had been in over a century.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Exonerating Manuel I Komnenos: Byzantine Foreign Policy (1143-1180)"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Kathleen M. Comerford","Michael J. Decker"],"dc:creator":["Gentry, Darryl Keith, II"],"dc:date.available":["2013-07-19T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Manuel I of Byzantium (1143-80) has been unfairly judged as misguided, reckless, and, ultimately, as a failure. This work endeavors to refute the claims that Manuel's imperial policy lacked any coherent strategy, and that Byzantium simply reacted to external stimuli. The most ambitious aim of this thesis is to present a cogent analysis of Manuel's imperial policy to demonstrate the emperor's efficacy and strategic flexibility. The perception, generally accepted by historians, that Manuel left his empire exhausted and vulnerable to outside aggression is also seriously challenged. Regardless of Manuel's defeat at Myriokephalon in 1176, he could claim that the empire was stronger than it had been in over a century.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/22"],"dc:subject":["ETD","Byzantine Empire","Manuel I Komnenos","Myriokephalon","Second Crusade","Byzantine and Modern Greek","History"],"dc:title":["Exonerating Manuel I Komnenos: Byzantine Foreign Policy (1143-1180)"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of History"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis (open access)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in History (M.A.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:26:17Z"}