Editing Andronikos I Komnenos (section)

== Reign (1183–1185) ==
[[File:Hyperpyron of Andronikos I (reverse).jpg|thumb|''[[Hyperpyron]]'' coin of Andronikos I Komnenos, showing him (left) being crowned by [[Jesus]] (right)]]
Andronikos's assumption of sole power rapidly plunged the empire into further instability. The elimination of Alexios II made Andronikos dependent on a power base bound only to him through self-interest.{{Sfn|Magdalino|2008|p=660}} In Alexios's place, Andronikos in November 1183 named his son John as co-emperor and heir. The choice likely fell on the younger John rather than the older son, Manuel, since John was considered more loyal and his name adhered to the [[AIMA prophecy]].{{sfn|Varzos|1984b|pp=521, 529–530}} One of the only members of the previous immediate imperial family to survive Andronikos's rise to power was [[Agnes of France (empress)|Agnes of France]], Alexios II's young French wife.{{Sfn|Harris|2020|loc=12.1}} To increase his legitimacy,{{Sfn|Harris|2020|loc=12.1}} the elderly Andronikos controversially married the eleven-year-old empress.{{Sfn|Kaldellis|2024|p=700}}

Andronikos concentrated his political efforts on internal affairs{{Sfn|Kislinger|2019|p=77}} and was determined to curtail the power of the aristocracy and stop corruption,{{Sfn|Gregory|2010|p=309}} returning absolute control of the state to the hands of the emperor.{{Sfn|Kislinger|2019|p=77}} Under the preceding Komnenoi emperors, regional magnates had acquired vast power, managing their administrations at will and exploiting peasants and common citizens.{{Sfn|Kislinger|2019|p=77}} Although often brutal, Andronikos was generally successful in his anti-aristocratic measures and his policies had a favorable effect on the citizenry.{{Sfn|Gregory|2010|p=309}} Because the emperor directly endangered their positions, aristocrats were uncooperative and many rose in revolt, in turn being suppressed with cruelty and terror.{{Sfn|Kislinger|2019|p=77}} The situation soon evolved into a reign of terror where even suspicion of disloyalty could result in disgrace and execution.{{Sfn|Kislinger|2019|p=77}} There were imperial spies everywhere, night arrests, and sham trials.{{Sfn|Kaldellis|2024|p=700}} Andronikos's purges were not limited to Constantinople.{{Sfn|Harris|2014|p=129}} In the spring of 1184, the emperor marched into Anatolia to punish the cities of [[Nicaea]] and [[Prusa (Bithynia)|Prusa]], which opposed his accession.{{Sfn|Harris|2020|loc=12.1}} The rebels included the aristocrat [[Isaac II Angelos|Isaac Angelos]] and his family. During the siege, Andronikos had Isaac's mother [[Euphrosyne Kastamonitissa|Euphrosyne]] placed on top of a battering ram{{sfn|Choniates|1984|pp=156–157}}{{Sfn|Kaldellis|2009|p=94}} to deter the defenders from trying to destroy it.{{Sfn|Kaldellis|2009|p=94}} After Prusa was taken by storm, several of the defenders were impaled outside the city walls,{{Sfn|Harris|2014|p=129}}{{Sfn|Harris|2020|loc=12.1}} though Isaac was spared due to surrendering in return for immunity.{{Sfn|Treadgold|1997|p=654}}

Other than his brutal suppression of aristocrats, Andronikos attempted to put sensible policies in place to secure the well-being of the peasantry and provincial administration of the empire. The taxation system was overhauled in an attempt to root out corruption and ensure that only regular taxes were paid (and not surcharges imposed by tax farmers). He further legislated that offices for collecting revenue were to be awarded based on merit and not sold to the highest bidder.{{Sfn|Kaldellis|2024|p=700}}{{Sfn|Harris|2020|loc=12.2}} Andronikos was receptive to accusations against aristocrats by the common people and the prosperity of the provincial population increased under his rule.{{Sfn|Kaldellis|2024|p=701}} The emperor actively responded to complaints of inequality and corruption, and tried to shorten the gap between the provinces and the capital, seeking to solve problems that had originated in Manuel's pro-aristocratic reign.{{Sfn|Kaldellis|2024|p=701}}

The brutality enacted against the ruling class caused the alliances built up under Manuel in the Balkans to fall apart. Béla III of Hungary invaded the empire in 1183, posing as an avenger of Maria of Antioch, but was driven away in 1184. During this conflict, [[Stefan Nemanja]] managed to secure Serbian independence from the empire.{{Sfn|Gregory|2010|p=309}} The suppression of aristocrats and rivals, some of whom were Andronikos's family members, led to many Byzantine nobles fleeing the empire in search of aid.{{Sfn|Gregory|2010|p=309}} Komnenian princelings are recorded as having approached figures such as the king of Hungary, the sultan of Rum, the marquis of [[Montferrat]], the pope, the king of Jerusalem, and Holy Roman Emperor [[Frederick Barbarossa]] with pleas of intervention, stirring up further trouble against the empire.{{Sfn|Magdalino|2008|p=660}} In 1184, Andronikos's cousin [[Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus|Isaac Komnenos]] seized Cyprus and ruled there independently;{{Sfn|Kaldellis|2024|p=701}} in retaliation, Andronikos had two of Isaac's relatives stoned and impaled.{{Sfn|Treadgold|1997|p=654}}