Manuel I Komnenos

Manuel I Komnenos (1118–1180), fourth son of John II, was proclaimed emperor in Cilicia in 1143 after his father's death. He led the Komnenian restoration to its height.

He managed the passage of the Second Crusade, invaded Norman Italy without lasting success, established a protectorate over the Crusader states, and defeated Hungary at Sirmium in 1167, extending Byzantine power over the Balkans.

In the east his ambitions suffered a serious setback against the Seljuk Turks at Myriokephalon in 1176, though he later made peace with the Seljuk sultan. He died in 1180, succeeded by his young son Alexios II.