The Horizons of 1118

Abstract Where the previous chapter focused on the state of the Byzantine Empire before and at the moment John rose to sole rule in 1118, this chapter introduces the reader to the state of the empire’s neighbours, near and far, at this time, which will all impact upon the developments in John’s reign. This chapter gives the reader a tour of the horizons seen from Constantinople, following the model of the tenth-century De Administrado Imperio in describing the geography, recent political history, and rulers of each of the peoples around the empire’s core. It starts in the Balkans before looking north across the Black Sea, and then across to the Caucuses and Anatolia. The Crusader and Islamic powers of the Levant, Egypt, and central Asia are then introduced, and even the western Liao dynasts of Chinese descent beyond that. Then we look west towards Italy, the Germanic empire to the north-west, and other European powers beyond. After this tour, the foreign engagements undertaken by Alexios and John in the earlier 1110s are discussed, such as the war with the Normans in southern Italy, and how Bohemond was beaten through John’s marriage with the Hungarian Princess Piroska and Alexios’ trade concessions to Venice. Interventions in the Serb polities are also outlined, and Alexios’ last campaigns in Anatolia against the Turks. We then see how John continued these policies in his first years: advancing the imperial cause in Anatolia while maintaining alliances with the Rus and Georgia.