Georgy Maniak ( Greek By origin Armenian [2] .
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Content
Personality
The personal impression from the meeting with Maniak was left by Mikhail Psellos :
| Its growth reached almost three meters, and to look at it, people had to throw their heads, as if they were looking at the top of a hill or a high mountain; his manners were not soft or pleasant, but reminded of the storm; his voice sounded like thunder; and his hands seemed to fit to tear down walls or smash bronze doors. He could jump like a lion, and his frown was terrible. And everything else in it was excessive. Those who saw him found that any description of him that they heard was an understatement. |
George Maniak first advanced during the campaign of 1031 , when the Byzantines took Edessa , but were defeated at Aleppo . With the coming to power of Michael IV , the preparations for the expedition to conquer Sicily resumed, begun by Vasily II Bulgarian Bulgar . Maniak was appointed as its head.
Expedition to Sicily
In 1038, the Byzantine flotilla Maniaka sailed to Sicily , en route to Salerno . The expedition, in addition to the Greeks, was attended by Apulian Lombards , Varangians, led by the future King of Norway, Harald, and Normans who were in the service of Prince Salerno . Little is known about the military campaign: in 1038 Messina was taken, in 1040, Syracuse . Thus, in 1038-1040, the eastern coast of Sicily with the predominant Greek population returned under the rule of Byzantium. From the chroniclers it is known only about the battle at Troine , in which Maniak defeated the army of the Syracuse emir Abdullah. Abdullah himself fell from the hands of Norman Wilhelm Otville , whose fame began with this feat.
After the capture of Syracuse during the expedition there has been a turning point. The Varangian squad and the Normans, led by Arduine , quarreled with Maniac and left Sicily. George Maniak himself insulted fleet commander Stefan , who was married to Michael IV's sister. Stephen informed the emperor about the alleged treason of the commander, Maniak was recalled to Constantinople and, unable to justify himself, was thrown into prison. After the departure of Maniak, the Arabs quickly regained the east coast of Sicily conquered by Byzantium.
Campaign in southern Italy and rebellion against the emperor
Geogry Maniak was released only after the overthrow ( 1042 ) of the next emperor Michael V , the son of the naval commander Stefan insulted by him. By this time, Byzantium had a catastrophic situation in southern Italy: the insurgent Lombards, with the support of the Normans, had beaten off almost all of Apulia , with the exception of the “heel” and the city of Trani . Maniak was appointed a catapan (viceroy) in southern Italy and arrived there with a fresh army. During the summer, Maniak, acting with unparalleled cruelty, conquered much of Apulia, but at that time again fell victim to court intrigue.
During the absence of Maniak, his wife was seduced by Roman Skleer, brother of the all-powerful favorite Constantine IX . Sklier, wanting to destroy the deceived husband, slandered him before the emperor, and the latter called Maniak to Constantinople . Maniak, once already entrusted to imperial justice, refused to obey orders, declared himself emperor, and with his army crossed over to the Balkans . Before his departure, Maniak executed a new catapan appointed by Constantine, stuffing his ears, nose, and mouth with manure. On the way to Thessaloniki, George Maniak defeated the army of Constantine IX at Ostrovo , but he himself died in battle ( 1043 ).
Trail in history
In the Sicilian history, George Maniak remained, mainly, as the kidnapper of the relics of St. Lucia , the patron saint of Syracuse . The saint was buried in the Syracuse catacombs bearing her name. Taking Syracuse, Maniak broke into the wall covering the tomb, took the body, which, according to Amathus from Monte Cassino , remained incorruptible and fragrant, and sent the relics to Constantinople . In the church of Santa Lucia-fuori-le-Muri , Maniak’s hole in the wall through which the relics were stolen is still preserved.
Maniak's name is also worn:
- Castello Maniace - a fortress in Syracuse, closing the entrance to the city harbor,
- Santa Maria Maniace is a Greek monastery near Bronte (near Etna ), founded on the site of one of Maniak’s victories over the Arabs, then richly decorated with funds from Queen Margherita of Navarre , secularized and transferred in 1799 by Ferdinand III to Admiral Nelson .
Notes
- ↑ P.Haranis // Studies on the demography of the Byzantine empire: collected studies // Variorum Reprints, 1972 - p. 230 (360)
In 1047 one of them, Leo Tornikios. attempted to seize the throne. His failure was less heroic than that of another Armenian, George Maniakes. who had tried several years earlier (1042)
- ↑ Peter Charanis. The Armenians in the Byzantine Empire . - Lisbon : ed. Galouste Gulbenkian Foundation , 1963. - p. 46. - 63 p.
Literature
- Norwich J. Normans in Sicily. The second Norman conquest. 1016-1130 / Trans. from English L. A. Igorevsky. - M .: Tsentrpoligraf , 2005. - 367 p. - 5 000 copies - ISBN 5-9524-1751-5 .