Manuel V Comnenus

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Emperor Manuel V "le Franc"
manuelVholdscourt.jpg
Birth
15 March 1692
Accession
8 October 1699
Death
19 November 1731
Titles
By the Grace of God, Emperor of Pantocratoria, Autocrator of the Romans, Caesar Augustus, Equal of the Apostles, God's Vicegerent on Earth, the Most Pious, Sebastocrator, King of Kings Ruling over those who Rule, Porphyrogenitus

His Imperial Majesty Emperor Manuel V (called le Franc) came to the throne at the age of 7. His reign was ended in its prime, and had probably the single most profound impact on Pantocratorian culture since the nation was established. Manuel V came to the throne as a mere child of 7 - his mother Maria Comnenus ruled as regent until 1710, when Manuel reached the age of 18 and proclaimed himself an adult.

Manuel's youth was a period of great change and modernisation in Pantocratoria - full contact had been re-established with much of Europe through chance encounters with France and Spain at sea. In the halls of the Imperial Court of Christ Pantocrator, built in the Byzantine style of 1000 years before, excitement filled the air as the Old Palace was suddenly abuzz with foreign ambassadors, exotic spices, and new fashions. On nobody did this have a greater impact than the young Manuel, who was so taken with this new wave that he developed a disdain for the old Byzantine way of doing things.

When he proclaimed himself an adult, his first task was to send ambassadors to the courts of Europe. He ordered that Pantocratorian sailors adopt Spanish navigation techniques so that they could actually find their way through their own archipelago and into the open seas, establishing trade routes. He was amazed at the sketches of styles and fashions from the French court of Versailles, and hired French architects to redesign the Imperial Court of Christ Pantocrator, creating the style of architecture Pantocratoria is (in)famous for - that clash of Byzantine with Baroque, of Gothic with Rococo. He created a dazzling court, and was determined that he should be dazzling to match - imported French master painters depicted him as various gods of Ancient Rome (in the box to the right, he is depicted as Apollo, holding court, with his wife, Empress Isabelle, depicted as Venus).

In 1712, he made a decision that perhaps only a man of his youth and inexperience could've made - he decreed that Greek be abandoned, and that French become the national language. This decision's repercussions are still felt today, with a large minority of Pantocratoria's population still only speaking Greek.

He was deeply unpopular for his attempts at modernisation, and was called "that Barbarian" or "the Frank" by his Greek subjects. He revelled in the title, feeling that being called "le Franc" was recognition of his modernising reforms. Still, he employed the new styles of art as a form of 18th century propaganda in an effort to improve his image.

manuelVfamily.jpg

Manuel V with his wife and young son, receiving a petition from a poor woman representing the poor of Pantocratoria, whilst overhead an angel carries the bounty of Heaven, God's gift to Manuel and his Empire.

He was assassinated by poisoned tobacco, dying with his pipe in his mouth in the midst of the massive baroque ballroom which was still under construction in his new Imperial Court of Christ Pantocrator. Some say he haunts those few parts of the Old Palace which are still left, pipe in his mouth, spewing profanity in French about how they've not been pulled down yet.

Preceded by:
Manuel IV Comnenus
Emperor of Pantocratoria
1699-1731
Succeeded by:
Manuel VI Comnenus