John II Komnenos ruled over the Byzantine Empire from 1118 to 1143. His contemporaries often describe him as the best emperor of his dynasty, the Komnenoi, and 'one of the best emperors of all time' (so wrote the famous historian Niketas Choniates). However, today John remains the least famous of the Komnenian emperors, overshadowed by his celebrated father, Alexios, and his legendary son, Manuel. How can the relative obscurity of this Emperor be explained in the light of his military successes, Byzantine territorial expansion in Asia Minor, and the construction of the most important monastic complex of twelfth-century Constantinople? Why has John been neglected by modern historians? What new historical evidence can lead to a reassessment of the achievements his reign?

This book sets out to answer these questions. It includes contributions both by leading experts on the period and by scholars at an earlier stage of their careers, combining overviews of the reign with detailed analysis of events and problematic issues. Coverage is interdisciplinary, from art history to literature, from theology to diplomatic history.

The contributions are aimed in the first place at an academic readership but have also been written with a view to university students of history and the general public. For this wider purpose the volume is enriched by a chronology of the major events, a series of maps and a historiographical essay aimed at guiding the reader to the rediscovery of this fascinating emperor and his reign.