bby_602071 - JOHN II COMNENUS Aspron trachy (scyphate)

JOHN II KOMNENOS

(15/08/1118 - 8/041143)

Jean II, eldest son of Alexis Comnenus succeeded him on the throne of Byzantium on August 15, 1118 despite the opposition of his sister Anne. His reign marks a return of the empire to the international scene. Antioch was taken over while John II's Balkan policy allowed him to win diplomatically over the Serbs. He allied himself with the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in order to counterbalance the growing power of the Normans in southern Italy and Sicily. Domestically, he tried to reduce the commercial advantages of the Venetians granted by his father, Alexios. After twenty five years of reign, he died in a hunting accident.