Manuel III Comnenus

Emperor Manuel III Comnenus
Birth 7 July 1640 Accession 17 November 1662 Death 2 December 1671 Titles By the Grace of God, Emperor of Pantocratoria, Autocrator of the Romans, Caesar Augustus, Equal of the Apostles, God's Vicegerent on Earth, Sebastocrator, Porphyrogenitus, King of Kings Ruling over those who Rule

His Imperial Majesty Emperor Manuel III was the only son of Emperor John IX and Empress Maria. He grew up at his father's country palace of Subeita, and was an extremely ill child, afflicted by a rare muscle wasting disease. He wasn't expected to live to adulthood, but did. The disease left his body weak, but his will was unbreakable. He insisted on taking a wife in 1660 despite the overwhelming political opinion that given he would be dead soon anyway, it would be better if he died without producing rival claimants to the throne, marrying Princess Irene Comnena, the daughter of Emperor Constantine XX and Empress Irene Angela.

His protestations at the death of his father at plans to pass him over in favour of Co-Emperor Demetrius VIII were convincing enough to ensure his accession and his own coronation at the Cathedral of Christ Pantocrator, New Rome, in early 1663. It was the last public appearance the ailing emperor made. He reigned from Subeita rather than from the Imperial Court of Christ Pantocrator, and was active in the administration of his realm for the rest of his life (most notably starting the disastrous First War of Insolence with the United Provinces of Knootoss), although confined to bed from 1668 until his death.

His wife, Irene proved to be a devoted nurse, and tended to her husband throughout his agonising final years. There was significant doubt about whether Manuel III was capable of sexual intercourse, but when Irene fell pregnant in November 1671, the Emperor didn't express the outrage one might have expected from a cuckholded man - it is apparent then that Manuel III was confident that the child was his. He wouldn't live to see the child's birth - dying just weeks after the beginning of the pregnancy. His will specified that he be succeeded by his child, but given the child had not yet been born, Demetrius VIII was finally proclaimed senior emperor. Six months after Manuel III's death, Irene gave birth to a girl, baptised Maria Comnena, who would go on to become the wife of Manuel IV Comnenus, Demetrius VIII's son, and the mother of Manuel the Frank. While she would never reign, despite her father's will, she ruled for a time as her son's regent.