Alexios I Komnenos

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/alexios-i-komnenos

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Alexios I Komnenos born?Circa 1057
2. Where was Alexios I Komnenos born?Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul)
3. What is the reign?1081 to 1118
4. What is the related topics?Byzantine Empire, Komnenian dynasty, First Crusade, Seljuk Turks, Normans
5. Who was Alexios I Komnenos and how did he become emperor?Alexios I Komnenos was a brave military commander who became emperor in 1081 after leading a rebellion against the previous ruler, Nikephoros III Botaneiates. He chose to take the throne to stop the empire from falling apart.
6. What did Alexios do to protect the empire from the Normans?Alexios fought the invading Normans in the western Balkans. After some early defeats, he worked with the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, which helped him push the Normans back and regain lost lands by 1085.

Byzantine Empire: The Eastern Roman Empire, a major power in the Mediterranean world from late antiquity through the Middle Ages.
Komnenian Restoration: A period of significant military, territorial, and economic recovery for the Byzantine Empire under the Komnenos dynasty, beginning with Alexios I.
First Crusade: A military expedition launched by Western European Christians in 1096, prompted in part by Alexios I's appeal for aid against the Seljuk Turks.
Usurpation: The act of unlawfully seizing and holding the power or position of another, especially a monarch.