Manuel I of Diadochia
Manuel I of Diadochia (Greek: Μανουήλ Α' Κομνηνός, Manouí̱l A Komni̱nós; 1 April 1187 – 11 July 1248), was the Diadochian emperor from 1212 to 1248.
Early life
Manuel was born in 1187 at the close of the long reign of Michael IV. Manuel was the son of Demetrius Komnenos, the Domestikos of the Scholae, and his wife Anna Dalassena
Accession to the throne
Manuel I came to the imperial throne by way of a conspiracy and revolt against the old Emperor George II of Diadochia. While the imperial army was being assembled for a military campaign the Doukas faction at the Imperial Court approached Manuel I and convinced him to join a conspiracy against the hated George II.
Manuel's mother Anna Dalassena and George II's twice married wife Empress Maria Eudokia of Kolchida both supported Manuel I's revolt and played major roles in the coup d'état of 1212 Maria Eudokia adopted Manuel I and provided him with inside information.
In mid-January, Manuel and his brother Isaac left Atlantis to raise an army against George II. Anna and the rest of the Komnenos family to refuge in the Hagia Sophia Cathedral. Anna tricked George II claiming her sons' innocence and loyalty to the emperor. Under the guise of monastic women Anna and her followers met with Manuel and Isaac who slipped out of the city under the cover of darkness. After seeing her sons off safely, the imperial guards caught up with Anna and summoned them back to the palace. Anna protested claiming she was in fear for lives of her loved ones and that her sons were the victims of vicious lies and rumors, claiming they had left the capital to avoid being harmed by enemies of the Komnenos family. Anna refused to go with the guards demanding that they allow her to pray to Mother of God for protection and divine intervention at the most sacred place in all of Atlantis. The guards agreed and allowed her entry. Anna made two genuflections upon entering the sacred place; on the third genuflection she sunk to the floor grasping the golden sacred doors she cried out "I will not leave this holy place except on the condition that I receive the emperor's cross as a guarantee of safety, unless my hands are cut off and I'm dragged out of here!"
Emperor George II had no choice but to grant Anna his cross. Anna and her family took refuge in the Petrion Convent. Anna's ploy gave her sons time to escape the city, distracted the emperor so her sons could raise an army, and gave the Emperor a false sense of security even when her sons were marching towards the city. On May 1, 1212, Manuel and Isaac Komenenos victoriously entered the capital city of Atlantis after having bribed the guards.
Early reign
Throughout his early reign Manuel I carried on an affair with the twice married Maria Eudokia of Kolchida who was 13 years his senior, who despite being thirty eight years old in 1212 was described as a great beauty. Manuel I allowed Maria Eudokia to stay in the imperial palace and was planning on making her empress and marrying her, but his mother advised against it telling him of the importance of not insulting the Doukas family. Anna arranged the marriage of Manuel I to Helena Doukaina, who would have deserted the new emperor, had his mother not arranged the political match.
Later reign
Despite his great popularity during the start of his reign, by the end of his reign Manuel I had lost much of his popularity due to his persecution the followers of the Pavlo and Basilic heresies
