Poison Pride and the death of an Empire.

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Magnus Maximus, Mar 4, 2017.

  1. Magnus Maximus

    Magnus Maximus Dulce et Decorum est....

    Alexios III was born in 1153 to the extended Imperial clan in Constantinople. Most of Alexios's childhood is unknown, but it certain that he helped overthrow Andronicus I in 1185. When his brother Isaac became Emperor after Andronicus's death, Alexios quickly rose to prominence in the Imperial court; he was made Sebastokrator and held sway over much of the court.

    In a twist of Shakespearian drama, Alexios would betray his brother while he was on a hunting trip and away from the capital. The only reasons why historians think that Alexios would betray and blind his brother is that he was a very narcissistic and greedy individual. Anyhow, Alexios had his brother blinded and imprisoned in Constantinople. As you may know from my last post, Issac was a piss poor Emperor who gave up on actually governing the Empire after the bulgarian uprising of 1185/6. Thus the Empire that Alexios inherited was already on the decline with the turks overrunning the east and the hungarians and slavs scooping up territory in the Balkans. The only good news for the Empire was that their mortal nemesis, the Sicilian-Normans, were effectively destroyed after their disastrous defeat in 1185. Somehow Alexios managed to screw things up even worse for Byzantium. He did this by bankrupting the already cash strapped treasury on lavish gifts for his court and self. He cared little for governance and often stayed at the palace and held lavish banquets, he also bribed local governors and military men in the provinces to remain loyal to him. This technically had the desired effect, but greatly undermined Imperial authority in the long run as the local inhabitants turned to the local military strongman for help instead of the Imperial Government.

    The only reason why Alexios's sorry butt is as well known to us as he is, is because of his role in the Fourth Crusade. A large crusading army was assembling in Venice at the time for an expedition to Egypt when the son of Issac II, confusingly named Alexios, arrived and asked them to help him regain his throne. The crusaders accepted the offer and made their way to Constantinople. Alexius III made no attempted to resist the slow moving crusader army entering his territory, and didn't even prepare the city of Constantinople for a siege. When the crusaders arrived at the Theodosian walls in the summer of 1203, Alexios III attempted to bribe them but failed. After a siege, the crusaders breached to outer walls and burned down entire sections of the city, leaving 20,000 people homeless. Alexios didn't lift a finger to help. Finally with his generals and advisers pleading with him to defend the city, Alexios took up arms against the crusaders. He lead a large detachment of men and Imperial guards, that vastly outnumbered the crusaders, out of the inner city to fight of the crusaders off but at the last moment he lost heart and fell back to the palace and collected his belongings and fled to Thrace. After not being paid for thier services to Alexios IV, the crusaders sacked the city and formed the latin empire. As for Alexios III, he traveled through Greece and Asia trying to gain support to reconquer his throne. Some how he arrived in the court of the seljuk turks who were more than glad to help him get his throne in exchange for favorable concessions. The turks were defeated by the Empire of Nicea, the successor state to the Eastern Roman Empire, and Alexios fell into their hands and was sent to a monastery to live out the rest of his pathetic life. He died in 1211 at the age of 58 and had ruled the Eastern Roman Empire badly for 8 horrible years.

    Well, that's it! I've completed my collection of Trachies that start from Alexios I Comnenos and end with Alexios III Angelos. With that collection complete I can now start on my Dukes of Normandy set!;)
    Hard to believe that the Byzantine resurgence began with an Alexios and ended with one.
    As for Alexios III, well need I say more? I think his atrocious record speaks for himself far better than I can.
    s-l1600.jpg
    s-l1600-1.jpg

    Alexius III angelus-Comnenus. 1195-1203 AD. AE Trachy. Constantinople. , IC-XC to left and right of nimbate bust of Christ facing, right hand raised, holding scroll in left / ALEZIW DECP O KWNTANTI, Alexius, crowned, and St Constantine, nimbate, each wearing divitision and loros, both standing facing, each holding a labarum and the two holding a cross on globe (sometimes a patriarchal cross on globe) between them(Three figures was mint error)
    25mm 3.41gr

    The Empire that Alexios inherited.
    sea1200.jpg

    And the one he left behind.:rage:
    Sack-Of-Constantinople-Pope-Latin-Byzantine-Map-1204-1261.jpg

     
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  3. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    WOW, great write-up, and CONGRATS on completing a Collection! Would you be able to post a group shot of the Collection??? Cool!
     
    gregarious likes this.
  4. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    I recently got this little guy as the capstone and final gasp of the Roman Empire:

    Ottoman Turks Sultan Mahmed II 1451-1481 took Constantinople in 1453 Serez mint AR 1.2g.jpg
    Ottoman Turks
    Sultan Mahmed II 1451-1481
    took Constantinople in 1453
    Serez mint
    AR 1.2g
     
  5. Orfew

    Orfew Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus

    I would also love to see some photos of the collection.
     
    gregarious likes this.
  6. randygeki

    randygeki Coin Collector

    Great post
     
    gregarious likes this.
  7. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    Congratulations for completing your set :)
     
    gregarious likes this.
  8. David@PCC

    David@PCC allcoinage.com

    Another great write up! Congratulations on the set.
    b005.jpg
    Alexius III
    Billon Aspron Trachy
    1195 to 1203 AD
    Obvs: IC XC + KЄ ROHΘЄI, Christ wearing nimbus.
    Revs: AΛЄЭIω, Alexius and St. Constantine holding globus.
    25mm, 3.1g.
    Constantinople mint
     
  9. Magnus Maximus

    Magnus Maximus Dulce et Decorum est....

    @Alegandron @Orfew
    Sure, I'll post them later tonight when I get home.
    In the meantime feel free to post your Trachies or seljuk coins.
     
    gregarious and Alegandron like this.
  10. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    Nice write up and coin.

    [​IMG]
    Alexius III (1195 - 1203 A.D.)
    Billon Trachy
    O: IC-XC, + KE HQEI Bust of Christ facing, beardless, wearing nimbus cross, holding scroll & raising hand in benediction.
    R: [ALEZIW ECP TW KWCTANTI] Alexius & St. Constantine standing facing, holding labara, globe cross between.
    Constantinople mint
    2.62g
    30mm
    Sear 2013
     
    Mikey Zee, chrsmat71, icerain and 6 others like this.
  11. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Thanks! My only Trachy:

    upload_2017-3-4_12-39-15.png
    BZ Manuel I Comnenus 1143-1180 CE Aspron Trachy 35mm 4-6g Christ Gospels Labaran globus cruciger Virgin maphorium SB 1966.JPG

    I believe those are @John Anthony 's grubby paws!
     
  12. Orfew

    Orfew Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus

    I would love to...but I have none:arghh:
     
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  13. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    Very nice!
     
    Alegandron likes this.
  14. gregarious

    gregarious E Pluribus Unum

    i have this one of Mehmed ll. it is indeed a candidate for itty bitty @ around 10mm. Mehmed ll was able to breach the walls of the city by Urban (Orban)the cannon master from Brasso Transylvania . Urban had offered his services to Constantine Xl in 1452, but the Byzantine didn't for whatever reasons(CXl should have made a corporate move and did away with Urban, but hindsights always 20/20). Urban then went to Mehmed silver coin of Mehmed ll 001.JPG silver coin of Mehmed ll 002.JPG ll and was promised 6 times more money than was asked, but he never got his gold for he was blown to smithereens by one his own devices in the siege in 1453.
     
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  15. gregarious

    gregarious E Pluribus Unum

    i like those cup coins, but don't have any.
     
    Alegandron likes this.
  16. ro1974

    ro1974 Well-Known Member

    great coins i like them all
     
    gregarious likes this.
  17. gregarious

    gregarious E Pluribus Unum

    it's another avenue in the ancients to be taken by we travelers in coins.
     
  18. chrsmat71

    chrsmat71 I LIKE TURTLES!

    Another nice write up MM!

    Here's a Latin Empire coin...

    [​IMG]


    and an Alex III...

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  19. Mikey Zee

    Mikey Zee Delenda Est Carthago

    Congrats @Magnus Maximus !! Completing a series/project is always a great feeling!

    As always, TERRIFIC write-up!!!
     
    Magnus Maximus likes this.
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