Bertha of Sulzbach (died 1159) was the first wife and Empress of Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus. Jump to: navigation, search Events In the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinals are given the right of election of the Pope. ... This is a list of Byzantine Emperors. ... Fresco of Manuel I Manuel I Comnenus Megas (November 28, 1118? - September 24, 1180) was Byzantine Emperor from 1143 to 1180. ...

Bertha was the daughter of Berengar II of Sulzbach, and a sister of Gertrude, who married Emperor Conrad III of Germany. Emissaries of the Byzantine Emperor John II Comnenus arrived in Germany, seeking an alliance against Roger I of Sicily. To seal the alliance, the emissaries requested that Conrad send a princess of his family to be married to the emperor's son, Manuel. Instead, Conrad selected his sister-in-law, Bertha, and sent her to Greece escorted by Emicho von Leiningen, the Bishop of Würzburg. By the time Bertha arrived at the Imperial court in Constantinople, the emperor John was dead, and his son Manuel was now the reigning emperor. Manuel delayed marrying her for three years, until shortly after Epiphany 1146, at which point she became empress and was renamed "Eirene". King Conrad III (Miniature, 13th century) Conrad III (1093-1152), the first German king of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was the son of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia. ... Mosaic of John II John II Comnenus (September 13, 1087 - April 8, 1143) was Byzantine emperor from 1118 to 1143. ... Jump to: navigation, search Roger I (1031 – June 22, 1101), Norman ruler of Sicily, was the youngest son of Tancred of Hauteville. ... The Bishopric of Würzburg was an ecclesiastical principality in the Holy Roman Empire, located in Lower Franconia, around the City of Würzburg. ... Jump to: navigation, search Map of Constantinople. ... Epiphany (Greek: επιφάνεια, the appearance; miraculous phenomenon) is a Christian feast intended to celebrate the shining forth or revelation of God to mankind in human form, in the person of Jesus. ... Events Saint Bernard of Clairvaux preaches the Second Crusade at Vezelay, Burgundy First written mention of Bryansk. ...

Bertha-Eirene was noted for shunning the frivolity of the luxurious Byzantine court; Basil of Ochrid, the archbishop of Thessalonica, praised her for her modesty and piety. The patriarch of Constantinople, Cosmas II Atticus, who had been accused of heresy, allegedly cursed Bertha-Eirene's womb in 1147 to prevent her bearing a son. She and Manuel had two daughters: Events King Afonso I of Portugal and the Crusaders capture Lisbon from Muslims First written mention of Moscow. ...

1. Maria Comnena (1152-1182), not to be confused with the Queen of Jerusalem by that name who was a relative.
2. Anna Comnena (1154-1158)

Bertha-Eirene died in late 1159. Her husband Manuel was described as "roaring like a lion" in grief at her death. He remarried, in 1161, to Maria of Antioch. Jump to: navigation, search Events March 4 - Frederick I Barbarossa is elected King of the Germans Eleanor of Aquitaine has her marriage to Louis VII annulled May 18 - Eleanor of Aquitaine marries Henry of Anjou Church of Ireland acknowledges Popes authority Almohad Dynasty conquers Algeria Establishment of the archbishopric... Events Canute VI crowned king of Denmark Serbia allies itself with Hungary to gain independence First Sejm, or Polish Parliment, convenes at Łęczyca Jews expelled from Paris by Philip Augustus Maronites reestablish their affiliation with Catholicism Venetians massacred during a riot in Constantinople Raynald of Chatillon instigates another war between... Events King Stephen of England dies at Dover, and is succeeded by his adopted son Henry Plantagenet who becomes King Henry II of England, aged 21. ... Events January 11 - Vladislav II becomes King of Bohemia End of the formal reign of Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan, also the beginning of his cloistered rule, which will last to his death in 1192. ... Jump to: navigation, search Events In the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinals are given the right of election of the Pope. ... Jump to: navigation, search Events Bartholomew Iscanus becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... Maria of Antioch (1145-1182) was the daughter of Constance of Antioch and her first husband Raymond of Poitiers. ...

Sources

• Otto of Freising, Deeds of Frederick Barbarossa
• Garland, Lynda. Byzantine Empresses, 1999