| Maniakes | |
| Fictional Character | |
| The Time of Troubles Videssos Series | |
| Type of Appearance: | Direct |
| Nationality: | Empire of Videssos |
| Race: | Vaspurakaner |
| Religion: | Phos-worship |
| Occupation: | Soldier |
| Spouse: | Niphone (widowed) Lysia |
| Children: | Likarios Symvatios Tatoules Evtropia |
Maniakes the Second or also known as Maniakes the Younger, was the son of the famed cavalry general Maniakes I and the successor of Avtokrator Genesios.
Maniakes' clan was of Vaspurakaner heritage as his father proudly proclaimed but Maniakes the younger was more Videssian than he admitted to his father. His mother died giving birth and he was brought up by his father, who he imitated by joining the Videssian imperial army.
Like his father, he was assigned to install Sharbaraz King of Kings on the throne during the Makuraner civil war by Avtokrator Likinios, a decision he would come to regret. During that job, he became friends with Abivard, Sharbaraz's highest general. When Sharbaraz was installed on his throne, he along with his father were exiled in Kalavria, because Likinios thought the Maniakai a threat to his throne.
After six years in Kalavria, which the Maniakai spent watching in horror as Genesios tore the Empire of Videssos apart, he decided to take the throne for himself. After gathering a small fleet from the island and being joined by thousands of men who reviled Genesios, he overthrew the latter and executed him himself. He was attacked by Genesios' wizard, Rhavas, but was saved by his mage's protection, at Opsikion.
Things looked really bleak for Videssos when he came to the throne, as the country was invaded by the Makuraners in the west and the Kubratoi in the east. While he defeated the Kubratoi in the east, against the Makuraners he was less successful. The Makuraners overran the suburbs called Across despite his best attempts to delay them.
Meanwhile he married his first cousin, Lysia. This caused a scandal all over Videssos, but mainly in noble and priestly circles. Maniakes bribed the ecumenical patriarch into marrying the couple but the marriage was not accepted by the clergy and nobles, who said that the relationship was incest. He realized that the only way to make the naysayers accept the marriage was by winning a major victory.
But he soon decided to attack with an strategy he used to defeat the Kubratoi. He attacked Makuran's heartland, the Thousand Cities, driving towards Mashiz but was stopped by his one-time friend, Abivard, the marshal of the Makuraner army. He made his army retreat and returned to Videssos.
When he attacked the Thousand Cities again, the Makuraners and Kubratoi attacked Videssos the City the same time. He then challenged the city to accept his marriage with his cousin if he saved the city. He did so, though some of the city's fickle mob didn't comply with the deal.
Maniakes felt guilty for the rest of his life about his failure to stop the Makuraners from overrunning the Videssian westlands and the damage that was caused.
See Also
- Herakleios, the historical Byzantine Emperor upon whom Maniakes II is based.
| Regnal titles (Videssos) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Genesios |
Avtokrator of Videssos | Succeeded by Unknown Next Known is Sermeios |
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