Byzantine Revolt: Isaac Angelos Seizes the Throne
Isaac II Angelos killed the imperial bodyguard Stephen Hagiochristophorites on September 11, 1185, triggering a popular uprising that overthrew the tyrannical Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos. Andronikos had seized power in 1182 through a campaign of mass murder, executing the previous emperor's family and purging the aristocracy. When Hagiochristophorites came to arrest Isaac, the young nobleman killed him with his sword and fled to Hagia Sophia, where he rallied the citizens of Constantinople. The mob stormed the palace. Andronikos was captured while attempting to flee by boat and was tortured to death by the crowd over three days. Isaac II's reign brought relative stability but his weak military leadership set the stage for the catastrophic Fourth Crusade of 1204.
September 11, 1185
841 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Byzantine Empire
Wikipedia
Isaac II Angelus
Wikipedia
Stephanus Hagiochristophorites
Wikipedia
Andronicus I Comnenus
Wikipedia
Andronikos I Komnenos
Wikipedia
Isaac II Angelos
Wikipedia
Stephen Hagiochristophorites
Wikipedia
Isaac II Angelos
Wikipedia
Stephen Hagiochristophorites
Wikipedia
Andronikos I Komnenos
Wikipedia
Byzantine Empire
Wikipedia
Basileos
Wikipedia
1130
Wikipedia
What Else Happened on September 11
Three Roman legions — roughly 20,000 soldiers — walked into the Teutoburg Forest and didn't walk out. Germanic chieftain Arminius had served in the Roman army, …
Three Roman legions vanish into the Germanic woods, shattering Augustus's dream of a unified empire east of the Rhine. This catastrophic defeat compels Rome to …
Bishops of Visigothic Gaul gathered at the Council of Agde to codify forty-seven canons governing church discipline and clerical conduct. By standardizing rules…
Before 1226, the Eucharist was kept in locked tabernacles — venerated privately, not displayed publicly in parishes. King Louis VIII of France requested the pra…
A powerful earthquake struck southern Great Britain, leveling the original St. Michael’s Church atop Glastonbury Tor and claiming multiple lives. The collapse f…
William Wallace and Andrew Moray exploited a narrow wooden bridge across the River Forth to annihilate a much larger English army at Stirling on September 11, 1…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.