Manuel Camytzes

Manuel Camytzes (in Greek, Manuel Kamytzes) was a Byzantine warrior in the late 12th century AD. He was the son of Constantine Camytzes and Maria Angelina, who, through her mother Theodora, was the granddaughter of the Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus and Irene Doukaina. He was therefore a first cousin of the emperors Isaac II Angelos and Alexios III Angelos, and of Michael I Ducas, who was to be despot of Epirus. He was probably born about 1150, and died at some unknown date after 1202.

He led Imperial troops in 1189, when the Third Crusade crossed Byzantine territory.

Manuel's daughter, whose name is unknown, was forced by the emperor Alexius III Angelus to divorce her husband and marry the Vlach leader Dobromir in 1198.

Manuel afterwards fought against a rival Bulgarian leader, Ivanko, and was captured. The emperor took no steps to ransom him. Manuel therefore asked his son-in-law, Dobromir, to pay the ransom, and joined him in fighting against the Empire. He is last heard of in 1202.

Manuel's wife's name is unknown. He is known to have had a daughter, mentioned above, and a son named John Camytzes (Ioannes Kamytzes).

ources

*"O city of Byzantium: annals of Niketas Choniates" tr. Harry J. Magoulias (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1984) especially pp. 221-224, 282-283, 293-294.
*K. Varzos, "I genealogia ton Komninon" (Thessalonica, 1984) vol. 2 pp. 690-713.