Maniakes

Maniakes the Second was the son of the famed cavalry general Maniakes and the successor of Avtokrator Genesios.

Maniakes' clan was of Vaspurakaner heritage as his father proudly proclaimed but Maniakes the younger was more Videssians than he admitted to his father.His mother died giving birth and was brought up by his father, who he imitated by joining the Videssian imperial army.

Like his father, he was assigned to install Sharbaraz King of Kings on the throne during the Makuraner civil war, he decision he would come to regret, by Avtokrator Likinios. During that job, he became friends with Abivard, Sharbaraz's highest general. When Sharbaraz was installed on his throne, he along with his father was exiled in Kalavria, because Likinios thought the Maniakai a threat to his throne.

After six years in Kalavria, which the Maniakai spent watching in horror as Genesios tore the Empire of Videssos apart, he decided to take the throne for himself.After gathering a small fleet from the island and being joined by thousands of men who reviled Genesios, he overthrew the latter and executed him himself.He was attacked by Genesios' wizard, Rhavas,but was saved by his mage's protection, at Opsikion.

Things looked really bleak for Videssos when he came to the throne, as the country was invaded by the Makuraners in the west and the Kubrat Waroi in the east. While he defeated the Kubratoi in the east, against the Makuraners he was less successful.The Makuraners overran the suburbs called Across despite his best attempts to delay them.

But he soon decided to attack the with an strategy he used to defeat the Kubratoi.