Maniakes was a
Greek general of the Byzantine Empire, Also with him were
Norman mercenaries under
William de Hauteville, who earned his nickname
Iron Arm by defeating the
Emir of
Syracuse in single combat. However, he soon ostracized his admiral, Stephen, whose wife was the sister of
John the Eunuch, the highest-ranking man at court. He then publicly humiliated
Arduin, the leader of the
Lombard contingent, causing them to desert along with the Normans and Norsemen. In response, he was recalled by Emperor
Michael IV, who was also Stephen's brother-in-law. Although the Arabs soon recaptured the island, Maniakes' successes there later inspired the Normans to invade Sicily themselves. Maniakes' achievements in Sicily were largely ignored by the emperor, and he revolted against
Constantine IX in 1042, despite having been appointed
catepan of Italy. The person most responsible for inciting Maniakes to revolt was one Romanus Sclerus. Sclerus, like Maniakes, was one of the immensely wealthy landowners who owned large areas of Anatolia - his estates bordered Maniakes', and the two were rumored to have attacked each other in a dispute over land. Sclerus owed his influence with the emperor to his famously charming sister,
Maria Skleraina, who had a very positive influence on Constantine in most areas. Finding himself in a position of power, Sclerus used it to poison Constantine against Maniakes - ransacking his house and even seducing his wife, using the charm for which his family was famous. Maniakes' response to Sclerus' demand that he surrender command of the Empire's forces in Apulia was to torture him brutally; sealing his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth with excrement. Maniakes was then proclaimed emperor by his troops (including the Varangians) and marched on
Constantinople. In 1043 his army clashed with troops loyal to Constantine near
Thessalonica, and although initially successful, Maniakes was killed in the melee after receiving a fatal wound (according to Psellus' account). Constantine's extravagant punishment of the surviving rebels was to parade them in the hippodrome, sitting backwards on donkeys. His death put an end to the rebellion. In Sicily, the town of
Maniace and the Syracusan fortress
Castello Maniace are named after him. ==In popular culture==