Editing John II Komnenos (section)

==Accession to the throne==
[[File:Jan2 Alexios1.jpg|thumb|right|John&nbsp;II (left) and his eldest son Alexios, crowned by Christ. Byzantine manuscript, early 12th century]]

John II succeeded his father as ruling ''basileus'' in 1118.  Despite his earlier coronation as co-emperor, the accession of John was contested. That Alexios&nbsp;I favoured John to succeed him is made obvious by the elevation of his son to the position of co-emperor. However, Alexios' influential wife, [[Irene Doukaina|Irene]], favoured  the ''[[Caesar (title)|Caesar]]'' [[Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger|Nikephoros Bryennios]], the husband of her eldest child [[Anna Komnene]].<ref name="Magdalino, p. 207">Magdalino, p. 207</ref> Anna, who in infancy had been betrothed to her father's first co-emperor [[Constantine Doukas (co-emperor)|Constantine Doukas]], herself harboured obvious aspirations to power and the throne. During Alexios' final illness both wife and daughter exploited his physical weakness to apply pressure on him in support of their agenda for the succession. Alexios endured these constant demands without formally changing his intended successor. As Alexios lay dying in the monastery of the Mangana on 15 August 1118, John, relying on trusted relatives, especially his brother [[Isaac Komnenos (son of Alexios I)|Isaac Komnenos]], gained entry into the monastery and obtained the imperial signet ring from his father. He then assembled his armed followers and rode to the [[Great Palace of Constantinople|Great Palace]], gathering the support of the citizenry on the way. The palace guard at first refused to admit John without clear proof of his father's wishes, however, the mob surrounding the new emperor simply forced an entry. In the palace John was acclaimed emperor. Irene, taken by surprise, was unable either to persuade her son to step down, or to induce Nikephoros to contend for the throne.<ref>Choniates, p. 6</ref><ref>Angold (1984), pp. 152–153</ref> In a recent biography of Anna, however, this account of events has been disputed, in particular the involvement of John's sister in any palace coup attempt during the days around Alexios' death, has been questioned.<ref>Neville (2016), pp. 22</ref> The weight of historical opinion remains that Anna tried at least twice to usurp her brother's throne, resulting in her eventual perennial 'house arrest'. Anna later complained that John and his successor, her nephew Emperor Manuel, kept her isolated from society for 30 years.<ref>Stathakopoulos, p. 1</ref>

Alexios died the night following his son's decisive move to take power. John refused to attend his father's funeral, despite the pleas of his mother, because he feared a counter-coup. However, in the space of a few days, his position seemed secure. Within a year of his accession, however, John&nbsp;II uncovered a conspiracy to overthrow him which implicated his mother and sister.<ref>Magdalino, pp. 192–193</ref> Anna's husband Nikephoros had little sympathy with her ambitions, and it was his lack of support which doomed the conspiracy. Anna was stripped of her property, which was offered to the emperor's friend [[John Axouch]]. Axouch wisely declined and his influence ensured that Anna's property was eventually returned to her and that John II and his sister became reconciled, at least to a degree. Irene retired to a monastery and Anna seems to have been effectively removed from public life, taking up the less active occupation of historian. However, Nikephoros remained on good terms with his brother-in-law.<ref>Choniates, pp. 8–9</ref><ref name="Angold 1984, p. 152">Angold (1984), p. 152</ref> One of the very few records of John's own words concerns the plot against him; he says that after ascending the throne, God "destroyed the cunning plots of my visible and invisible enemies and rescued me from every trap subjecting all my enemies under my feet".<ref>Stathakopoulos, p. 6</ref> To safeguard his own succession, John [[Coronation of the Byzantine emperor|crowned]] his young son [[Alexios Komnenos (co-emperor)|Alexios]] as co-emperor around September 1119.{{efn|The coronation of Alexios as co-emperor is usually dated to 1122, but contemporary documents indicate that he was crowned between 12 July and 7 October 1119.{{sfn|Hendy|1999|p=244}}}}