Isaac II Angel

Isaac II Angel (1155 † 1204) is a Byzantine emperor (1185-1195 and 1203-1204), wire of Andronic Ange and Euphrosyne Kastamonides. It is a back grandson of Alexis I {{er}} Comnène.

Accession with the throne

The September 11th 1185, whereas Thessalonique was attacked by the Siciliens, conspicuous had affirmed with his/her cousin Andronic {{Ier}} Comnène, then emperor, that Isaac was to succeed to him the throne. Isaac killed the soldier charged to stop it, ran to Holy-Sophie where he explained to the population what had occurred. Dissatisfied with the emperor, the population proclaimed Isaac Basileus and went on the imperial palace. Andronic flees, but caught up with, he was imprisoned then carried out.

However Isaac was not size to raise the task which awaited it. The empire was corroded interior, the work of first Comnènes had started with péricliter in hardly 5 years and Isaac confirmed this fall. The new emperor, contrary to his predecessors, did not have overall picture nor of plan to raise the Empire.

Interior administration

On the internal plan, Isaac II was unable to prevent the disintegration of the Empire and the feudal aristocracy showed rebel more and more. The basileus deteriorated the currencies, increased the taxes, badly paid the civils servant who thus paid themselves on the people. He had entrusted the administration of the treasure to his maternal uncle, Theodore Kastamonidès, excel financial but pitiless exactor. With its Isaac death replaced it by men unsuited to the crisis situation of the Empire and who completed to ruin the Treasury of the empire.

Foreign policy

During all its reign Isaac had to fight on the face of Balkans where the Serb ones progressed in a worrying way to the costs of the Empire and where the Bulgarian ones complaining about a too heavy tax were constituted with Valaches in an independent state (1187). But one of the events most important of the first reign of Isaac was the Third crusade carried out by Frederic Barberousse.

War against the Norman ones

As of its advent, Isaac II had to fight the Norman ones, which had had like project to invade the empire under Andronic and that the advent of new a basileus had not stopped in their policy warmonger. The new emperor named quickly the general Alexis Branas with the supreme command of the military forces. This one gained successes against the Sicilians who were pushed back and forced to conclude peace.

Revolt the Bulgarian ones

The bad administration of Isaac led to revolts. An extraordinary tax raised on the herds to finance the marriage of Isaac II with a Hungarian princess was the occasion of a revolt of the shepherds Valaques. This insurrection extended to all the Bulgaria. The revolt was directed by two boyards, Pierre and Ivan Asen.

Their requests were pushed back by Isaac. Bulgares and Wallachian thus decided to be combined. The new confederation made alliance with the Coumans and the Serb joupan Etienne Nemanja. During the years 1186 - 1187 Isaac prevented theBulgarian ones from being established in Thrace but could not subdue the revolt.

Shortly after the attempt at usurpation of Alexis Branas, the Wallachians and the Bulgarian ones plundered and invaded Thrace. It was necessary that Isaac the Angel enters to shift in 1188 for driving out some. According to the terms of a peace treaty, it granted to them the country located between the the Danube and Balkans. Bulgaria became again a dangerous country for the Empire, nearly two centuries after its almost total destruction by Basile II.

Nevertheless Isaac II, eager to restore the power of the Empire in Balkans, launched an offensive against Bulgarian shortly after that which it had launched successfully against the Serb ones in 1190. But this new attack did not have same fortune. In 1191, the basileus went to besiege Tirnovo, but a sudden invasion of Coumans forced it to beat a retreat and it undergoes a great rout by passing by again Balkans. But what prevented Isaac from setting out again with the offensive, it was the revolt of Constantin the Angel, governor of Philippopolis which was proclaimed emperor by his soldiers (1193); it was however stopped in Andrinople and one burst the eyes to him.

Asên benefitted from these events to pass Balkans and to devastate Thrace, beating two imperial generals close to Arcadiopolis (1194 - 1195). The emperor lacking troops spent all the winter to raising an army and requested from his son-in-law the king of Hungary of the helps. He ends up leaving to shift in spring 1195, but was to be reversed by a conspiracy carried out by his/her own Alexis brother.

War against the Serb ones of Stefan Nemanja

After the death of Manuel {{Ier}} Comnène in 1180 the Serb ones were considered released their promises towards Byzance and Stefan Nemanja took again its walk of invasion. It supported the valacho-Bulgarian revolt opportunely to be made new allies in its fight against Constantinople. In 1187, it succeeds in seizing place of Niš and sought to offer an outlet on the Adriatique by occupying the Dioclée in Dalmatie until the Bouches of Kotor. To stop the Serb ones, Isaac Ange had to be combined with the king Bela III of Hungary, from which he married the Marguerite girl in 1185 and with which he concludes an alliance directed against the Serb ones and the Bulgarian ones.

However in 1190, shortly after that the German crusade had left Byzantine territory, Isaac II made the project reconquer Balkans. It directed a forwarding against Stefan Nemanja and beat it on the Morava. This defeat obliged the Serb chief to sign a treaty by which it restored his last conquests, but which guaranteed the old ones to him. The second wire of the Serb joupan married a niece of the basileus and became sébastocrator. Thus finishes the fight between the Serb ones and the Byzantines under the reign of Isaac II Angel.

Crusade of Frederic Barberousse (1188-1190)

It is on March 27th, 1188, following the catch of Jerusalem by Saladin on October 2nd, 1187, that Frederic Barberousse decided to take the cross with Mainz. Frederic, like his predecessors, was to pass by the Byzantine Empire if he wanted to reach the Holy Land. He chooses the diplomatic channel to arrive at his ends. After exchanges of embassies an agreement was signed in September 1188 between the emperor of the Saint Germanic Roman Empire and Isaac II. This agreement authorized the Germanic armies to cross the Byzantine territory provided that they abstain from any violence. Unfortunately this crusade which should not have caused any problem had very harmful consequences for the Empire because of a decision of Isaac.

Treachery of Isaac II

Indeed, shortly after the departure of the Germanic army, Isaac II changed opinion for an unknown reason and signed with Saladin a treaty of alliance by which it was committed destroying the army of the cross .

On his arrival in Byzantine territory, Frederic Barberousse was taken with deprived, the roads which it was to borrow were blocked by the imperial army and the stopped convoys of vivres; , he learned moreover than its ambassadors in Constantinople had been made prisoners.

A similar treachery enragea Frederic which contacted with all the enemies of Byzance. Stefan Nemanja benefitted from it to capture of new fortresses to the Byzantine empire. Very quickly the conflict between the two emperors became an armed conflict and the Germanic forces forced the passage of Trajan kept by the imperial army. Letters full with recriminations were exchanged and Frederic devastated Thrace, informant whom it would stop the conflict only in the event of release of his ambassadors. Finally the governor of Philippopolis, Nicétas Khoniatès, went to inform the basileus of the situation and this last, after several exchanges of embassies, agreed to release the two ambassadors (October 19th, 1089).

But the conflict was not finished by it for all that, because the released ambassadors reflect Frederic Barberousse with the current of the agreement signed between Saladin and Isaac, of heinous preachings of the patriarch and the ill treatment which had been inflicted to them. The Germanic emperor was thus considered in a state of hostility with the Empire and after a bloody battle between its forces and the Byzantine Armée with Didymotika, went on Andrinople which it reached on November 22nd. In February 1190 the Germans were almost with the doors of Constantinople and occupied the majority of the fortified towns of Thrace and Eastern Macedonia after having set fire to Berrhoé and Philippopoli.

Compromise

Isaac the Angel, feeling lost, tried to mislead the enemy while making trail the negotiations in length. Finally the two emperors signed the treaty of Turkey-red cotton (February 1190) by which the basileus committed themselves making pass in Asia Frederic Barberousse and his army to Sestos and Gallipoli, to ensure them of the vivres, to pay an allowance with the two ambassadors who had been retained captive and not to punish those which had helped the Germans. It was a total capitulation.

The cross thus crossed the Hellespont (21 March 30th) and crossed Asia Mineure, not without Isaac not warning Saladin of their movement. The Germans attacked the sultan of Iconium Kılıç Arslan which was beaten and advanced towards the Holy Land. The arrival of Frederic Barberousse excited terror in the Muslim world but this last died in the passing of the Selef on June 10th, 1190. After this event the Germanic army dispersed.

Consequence

The direct consequence in Occident of animosity between Frederic Barberousse and Isaac II was the confirmation of the assumption according to which the main obstacle with the crusade was the Byzantine empire. That belonged to many the other causes which led to the catch of Constantinople by Latin in 1204.

Separatist movements

Since the reign of Andronic I the attempts at secession even of usurpation had been numerous and the advent of the new emperor was far from stopping them. However only three men were really dangerous for Isaac II.

Defection of Alexis Branas (1187)

The basileus had to fight against its general Alexis Branas, who, after having overcome the Bulgarian ones, was made proclaim emperor by his soldiers and establishes a blockade in front of Constantinople. The situation of Isaac was desperate when arrived a frank knight, Conrad de Montferrat, of passage to Constantinople. The load of the frank riders allowed the victory of the exit of Isaac. Conrad killed itself Alexis.

In Cyprus (1186)

Shortly after the peace treaty signed with Ivan Asen Ier, Isaac II Angel had to fight against the separatist movement of Isaac Comnène. The basileus sent a fleet against Cyprus, where this one was, but the imperial fleet undergoes a disaster vis-a-vis the sicilian fleet sent by Guillaume II to help Isaac Comnène. The victorious Norman admiral, Margaritone, accepted in stronghold of king de Sicile the territories conquered in 1185 which it still had and remained in possession of Zante and Céphalonie.

In Minor Asia.

In Minor Asia, Isaac II Angel could not come to end from the separatist Theodore Mancaphas who created for itself a territory including/understanding the Lydie and Philadelphia. For dislodging the emperor of it called upon the duke of Thracésiens, Basile Vatatzès, which drove out it. Theodore Mancaphas took refuge near the sultan of Iconium. He obtained from this last of the troops with which he devastated the Byzantine provinces. Isaac II ends up obtaining at price money that Theodore Mancaphas was delivered to him, but this episode in known as length on the impotence of the emperor and the progressive disintegration of the empire.

End of the reign

The April 8th 1195, Isaac II was détrôné and plugged by his/her brother Alexis III. Alexis, his son, took refuge with Venice and required the assistance of the republic. Benefitting from the occasion, the doge Enrico Dandolo diverted the Fourth crusade on Byzance in 1203 and restores Isaac II on the imperial throne associated with Alexis, crowned under the name of Alexis IV.

The occupation of the Frank and the policy followed by Alexis IV caused the dissatisfaction with the population, and a revolt led by Alexis Doukas Murzuphle burst (1204), causing the death of Isaac II and Alexis IV.

Assessment

Except for the second part of its reign where it had only one symbolic system role, the reign of isaac II was a catastrophe for the Byzantine empire, which definitively lost Balkans with the revolt of Bulgarian and the progression of the Serb ones. After two centuries of unit, Balkans became again a mosaic of dangerous States for the Byzantine empire. The integrity of the Empire thus was seriously threatened.

In addition, the movements of usurpation or separatists increasingly dangerous for Byzance are revealing impotence of the basileus.

A large error of Isaac was surely its estrangement with Frederic Barberousse who involved an open war between the two emperors which ended in a true capitulation of Isaac. This event of course was one of the factors which involved animosity between the Germanic empire and the Byzantine empire and more largely between the Occident and Byzance, and which will lead to the catch of Constantinople in 1204.

Random links: