Alexios Komnenos seizes Byzantine throne
April 4, 1081
After a sharp revolt supported by his mother and brother, the young general entered Constantinople and had himself crowned emperor. Over thirty-seven years Alexios I would stabilize Byzantine finances, drive back Normans and Pechenegs, and by inviting Western help inadvertently set in motion the First Crusade. His daughter Anna Komnene would later chronicle his reign in the Alexiad, one of the great works of medieval historiography.
In context
Also in 1081 (3 other events on record)
- Song Dynasty Develops Early Paper Currency Systems · East Asia · Technology
- Battle of Dyrrachium · Europe · War
- Ly Dynasty Vietnam Repels Champa Incursion · Southeast Asia · War
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Politics
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.