Manuel 1 was a native of Armenia: Theoph. Cont. III 19 (p. 110) (cited below), cf. I 9 (p. 18) (cited below). He was protostrator under Michael I (Michael 7) in 813, became patrikios under Leo V (Leo 15) and was first appointed strategos of the Armeniakoi and then strategos of the Anatolikoi under Leo 15. Said to have been a well-known figure by the time of Theophilos (Theophilos 5), since he had frequently held command against the enemy and had formerly been protostrator under the emperor Michael I Rhangabe (Michael 7): Zon. XV 27. 21 (πολλάκις τε στρατηγήσας καὶ πρωτοστράτωρ τοῦ βασιλέως Μιχαὴλ τοῦ Ῥαγγαβὲ γεγονώς). In 813 he was protostrator under the emperor Michael I (Michael 7); he was a close adviser of the emperor and joined the empress Prokopia 1 in pressing Michael I (Michael 7) to take military measures against the rebel Leo 15: Theoph. Cont. I 9 (p. 18) (Μανουήλ τινος τῶν ἐξ Ἀμαληκιτῶν πρωτοστράτορος τηνικαῦτα τυγχάνοντος), I 12 (p. 24) (cited below), III 19 (p. 110) (cited below). Under Leo V (Leo 15) he was enrolled among the patrikioi and appointed strategos of the Armenians (presumably of the Armeniakoi); in a supposed exchange of words between him and the new emperor, Leo 15 remarked that as an adviser of Michael I (Michael 7) and Prokopia 1 Manuel 1 should not take up arms against him, to which Manuel 1 retorted that Leo 15 should not have revolted against his benefactor and synteknos (perhaps godfather to his children), i.e. Michael 7: Theoph. Cont. I 12 (p. 24) (καὶ Μανουὴλ δὲ τὸν Μιχαὴλ πρωτοστράτορα πατρικίοις ἐγκαταλέξας καὶ στρατηγὸν τιμήσας τῶν Ἀρμενίων). Later Manuel 1 was appointed strategos of the Anatolikoi by Leo 15: Theoph. Cont. III 19 (p. 110) (ἀλλ' ὁ Μανουὴλ δεινὸς ἐπ' ἀνδρείᾳ, καὶ τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἅπασι γνώριμος. ἐξ Ἀρμενίων γὰρ τὴν γένεσιν ἦν, καὶ τοῦ στρατοῦ τῶν Ἀνατολικῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ Λέοντος προηγούμενος, καὶ τοῦ πρὸ αὐτοῦ Μιχαὴλ ἱπποκόμων ὁ πρῶτος. πρωτοστράτορα τοῦτόν φασιν), cf. Scyl., p. 65, lines 53-56 (ὁ μὲν Μανουὴλ δῆλος ἦν ἐπ' ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἐναντίοις, τοῦ στρατοῦ τῶν Ἀνατολικῶν κατάρξας ἐπὶ τοῦ Λέοντος καὶ τοῦ πρὸ αὐτοῦ Μιχαὴλ ἱπποκόμων ὁ πρῶτος γενόμενος πρωτοστράτορα τοῦτόν φασι).

Under the emperor Theophilos (Theophilos 5) Manuel 1 and Theophobos 1 were the two leading military commanders; both are described as brave and experienced soldiers: Theoph. Cont. III 19 (pp. 109-110), Zon. XV 27. 21. 25. Manuel 1 is described as the most famous soldier (ὀνομαστότατος στρατιώτης or στρατηγός or similar) of all those honoured in the East by the emperor Theophilos (Theophilos 5); he is said to have quarrelled with Myron 2 who then spread rumours that Manuel 1 was plotting against Theophilos 5; Manuel 1 was defended by the protovestiarios Leo 18 but, to escape the slanders and the emperor's anger, Manuel 1 fled from the city to the frontier with Syria, maiming the posthorses behind him to prevent pursuit; he then took refuge with the Arabs, in return for guarantees of his safety and promises that he could remain a Christian, and was welcomed by them as if he were an emperor himself (προσεδέξαντο ὡς βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων): Leo Gramm. 218-219, Georg. Mon. Cont. 796, Ps.-Symeon 632. According to the Syriac tradition, Manuel 1 (`mnw'yl) the patrikios fled with fifty horsemen to al-Ma'mun 1 because of hostility between himself and the emperor Theophilos 5; shortly afterwards he encouraged al-Ma'mun 1 to invade Roman territory, in year 1140 Sel. and AH 214 (i.e. in 829), promising to help him to conquer the Roman Empire, and accompanied him on the expedition: Chron. 1234, §211 (II, pp. 22-23). In AH 215 (i.e. in 830) al-Ma'mun 1 captured seventy-two Roman towns and placed Manuel 1 in authority over them, extracting oaths of loyalty from them and leaving a substantial army of Persians and Arabs under the command of Manuel 1: Chron. 1234, §212 (II, pp. 23-24). In the following year, however, (i.e. 831), Manuel 1 broke his word to al-Ma'mun 1; he dismissed the army left under him and returned to join Theophilos 5, who allegedly gave him "the interior regions of Byzantine territory": Chron. 1234, §213 (II, p. 24). The story of his exile is placed in Theophanes Continuatus and Zonaras, and in Genesius, later in his career, after he had earned the emperor's gratitude by saving his life (see below); he then fell victim to false slanders; informed by one of his former servants (Anonymus 195), who was now the emperor's cupbearer, of Theophilos 5's intention to have him blinded, Manuel 1 escaped to live among the Arabs where he held military commands and achieved such success that he was held in great favour; he is said to have formed an army from Roman captives held by the Arabs and with them to have subdued Chorasan to the rule of the caliph: Theoph. Cont. III 25 (p. 118), Zon. XV 28. 17-21. A comment in Theoph. Cont. III 26 (pp. 120-121) notes that the date of Manuel 1's exile was put by some authors under Theophilos 5, by others under Theophilos 5's father, Michael II (Michael 10), and attributed to hatred of Michael 10 or to longstanding enmity between them. The emperor Theophilos 5 is said to have contacted Manuel 1 secretly in exile through Ioannes 5 (at his house in Baghdad; Theoph. Cont. III 26) and promised him his safety if he agreed to return; Manuel 1 then obtained the caliph's permission to lead an expedition against a hostile tribe, with a large army and the caliph's son, and won a big victory; in high favour with the Arabs, he next undertook to lead a large army against the Empire and subdue it to the caliph; once near the frontier of the Anatolic theme, however, he took the opportunity to bid farewell to the son of the caliph and announced his return to the emperor and his homeland; he sent a messenger on ahead to the emperor Theophilos 5 (he had earlier forewarned the strategos of Cappadocia, Anonymus 196, of his intentions; Theoph. Cont. III 26) and followed; the emperor welcomed him warmly (Manuel 1 returned to Constantinople and first went to the Church at Blachernai; Theoph. Cont. III 26) and immediately appointed him magister and domestikos of the Scholai (μάγιστρον εὐθὺς καὶ δομέστικον τῶν σχολῶν ποιησάμενος or similar), and became godfather to his children: Leo Gramm. 219-221, Georg. Mon. Cont. 796-798, Ps.-Symeon 632-634, Theoph. Cont. III 25-26 (pp. 118-120) (μάγιστρος τιμᾶται, καὶ σύντεκνος ἔκτοτε χρηματίζει αὐτοῦ, καὶ δομέστικος προβιβάζεται τῶν σχολῶν), Zon. XV 28. 22-31 (Theophilos 5's envoy was a monk; Manuel 1 after his return became godfather to the emperor's son, Michael 11). Manuel 1 then went on an expedition led by the emperor against the Arabs, which captured the cities of Zapetron (Sozopetra) and Samosata and returned with great booty: Leo Gramm. 219-221, Georg. Mon. Cont. 796-798, Ps.-Symeon 632-634 (the last expedition is dated in Ps.-Symeon to the seventh year of Theophilos 5, 835, but the chronology is highly suspect). Manuel 1 and Theophobos 1 accompanied the emperor Theophilos 5 on a campaign against the Arabs under Ibraem (Ibrahim 3); they gave conflicting advice about fighting, but that of Manuel 1, to fight by day, was followed, though his suggestion that the emperor himself remain aloof from the battle was apparently not accepted; the Romans were routed and the Scholai fled, with their domestikos (i.e. Manuel 1); the outcome was that the emperor Theophilos 5 thereafter gave his preference to Theophobos 1: Theoph. Cont. III 22 (pp. 113-114). In the following year a Roman campaign to Charsianon under the emperor Theophilos 5 was successful, and apparently the domestikos (i.e. Manuel 1) received the credit; it brought back many captives, among them one whom Manuel 1 (the unnamed commander of the Scholai - ὁ τῶν σχολῶν προεστὼς: Theoph. Cont. III 23 (p. 115); ὁ τῶν σχολῶν δομέστικος: Zon.) knew to be an unusually strong man and an exceptionally capable horseman and he wrote in his praise to inform the emperor of this fact; chariot races were later held in honour of Manuel 1's victory (ὁ τοῦ δομεστίκου θρίαμβος) and the captive was made to perform for the emperor Theophilos 5: Theoph. Cont. III 23 (p. 115), Zon. XV 28. 2 (and see Theodoros 67 Krateros). In the following spring Manuel 1 was again with the emperor Theophilos 5 on campaign against the Arabs; in Theophanes Continuatus he is styled Μανουὴλ ὁ στρατηγέτης; during a battle in which the Arabs had the upper hand Manuel 1 saw the emperor Theophilos 5 surrounded and in danger and, supposedly regarding his capture as too awful to contemplate, Manuel 1 went to his aid and with difficulty escorted him to safety; Manuel 1 was afterwards showered with honours and gifts: Theoph. Cont. III 24 (pp. 116-118) (on this last event, see further below), Zon. XV 28. 11-16. As domestikos, Manuel 1 accompanied the emperor Theophilos 5 together with the fugitive Persians (see Theophobos 1) (the emperor went ἅμα τοῖς πρόσφυξι Πέρσαις καὶ Μανουὴλ δομεστίκῳ or similar) on a campaign against the Arabs; the Byzantine army was defeated and the emperor Theophilos 5 sought safety among the Persians, but Manuel 1, suspecting their loyalty, forced him at sword point to leave them: Leo Gramm. 222, Georg. Mon. Cont. 802-803, Ps.-Symeon 636-637, Zon. XV 29. 12. This story is told more fully in Theophanes Continuatus; the armies of Theophilos 5 and of the Arabs approached one another at Anzen near Dazemon; Manuel 1, styled ὁ δομέστικος τῶν σχολῶν, escorted the emperor up onto a piece of higher ground to survey the size of their respective forces, and realised the need for a bold strategy; Manuel 1 and Theophobos 1 both pressed for a night attack but the emperor Theophilos 5 accepted the advice of others and the Romans attacked by day; after initial successes they were routed by the Turkish archers in the Arab army and all fled apart from the emperor Theophilos 5, Manuel 1, some leading figures and the Persians under Theophobos 1; they were surrounded and fought until night fall; while doing the rounds of the watches Manuel 1 overheard the Persians debating whether to surrender the emperor and save themselves; he compelled the emperor to escape with him and so saved him: Theoph. Cont. III 31-32 (pp. 126-129), cf. Scyl., p. 68, lines 50-51, p. 75, line 57 (τοῦ δομεστίκου τῶν σχολῶν ... Μανουὴλ, at Anzes). A similar story is told at Theoph. Cont. IV 24 (pp. 177-179) and Zon. XVI 3. 18 about the rescue of the emperor Michael III (Michael 11) at a battle on the hill of Anzen by a Manuel; this could not be Manuel 1 (dead long since) and Manuel 6 is possible but unlikely (on the grounds of age; he was the uncle of the empress Theodora 2, and so great-uncle of the emperor); in all probability the episode under Michael III (Michael 11) is a doublet of the earlier one and of no historical value. During this campaign Manuel 1 was allegedly wounded, fell ill and died; his body was taken back to Constantinople and interred in the monastery which he had founded, known as the Monastery of Manuel, close to the reservoir of Aspar: Leo Gramm. 222, Georg. Mon. Cont. 802-803, Ps.-Symeon 636-637 (dated in year nine of Theophilos 5, 837, in Pseudo-Symeon's suspect chronology). Manuel 1 was possibly the owner of a seal, dateable to the ninth century, published in Konstantopoulos, JIAN 9, 187a, where the name and title are read as: Μανουὴλ πατρικίῳ καὶ δομεστίκῳ τῶν βασιλικῶν [σ]χωλῶν, but see Seibt, Bleisiegel, p. 125 with n. 14, who reads the last two lines as:- δο[μεστίκῳ] τ[ῶν] Θ[εοφυλάκτων] β[ασιλικῶν] σχωλ[ῶν]. Manuel 1's story is also told in Genesius. One of Theophilos 5's helpers in his wars against the Arabs, Manuel 1 was a native of Armenia and of noble birth (Μανουὴλ τὸν γεννάδαν τὸν ἐξ Ἀρμενίων), whose reputation for courage was widely known in Syria and the Roman empire, as well his reputation for piety; he and Theophobos 1 once saved the life of Theophilos 5 in battle: Genesius III 2. Once when Theophilos 5 was in danger in battle against the Arabs, Manuel 1 rescued him at the fourth attempt; afterwards, back in Constantinople he received honours and rewards; however there was envy towards him and accusations were made of treachery (λοιδοροῦσι ψευδῶς καθοσίωσιν στρατηγοῦντι), and he fled for refuge to the Arabs, among whom he was showered with honours, while the emperor regretted listening to the false accusations: Genesius III 9. He was visited in exile by Theophilos 5's envoy Iannes (Ioannes 5) and given secret promises, as a result of which he left Syria and returned to the emperor: Genesius III 10. He had recently returned from Syria when the caliph mounted an expedition to avenge the sack of Sozopetra; Manuel 1 had by then been reappointed to his former office as domestikos of the Scholai (τῆς πρὸ τῆς φυγῆς στρατηγήσεως τὸτε τῶν σχολῶν προστασίας μεταποιούμενος); Manuel 1 accompanied Theophilos 5 on the expedition to counter the caliph; at Anzes Manuel 1 and Theophobos 1 advised the emperor to use his numerical superiority over the Arab troops and engage them in battle by night, but Theophilos 5 followed other advice, joined battle by day and was defeated; the emperor was left with only the leaders of the tagmata, Manuel 1 and the Persians and was surrounded; Manuel 1 feared treachery by the Persians whom he heard discussing in Arabic (τῇ Σαρακηνικῇ γλώττῃ) what to do, and he persuaded the emperor to escape with a body of hand-picked men and save himself; the emperor Theophilos 5 met his other commanders at Chiliocomum: Genesius III 14. While living in Syria with the Arabs Manuel 1 distinguished himself both intellectually and by his exploits; he was highly regarded by the caliph and his advisers; he was successful in making war on neighbouring tribes, fighting them with his own troops recruited from Roman prisoners; he subdued Chorasan to the caliph; he also waged successful war against the wild beasts which infested the land and were causing problems for the inhabitants; he remained loyal to the Christian religion but was nevertheless trusted and entrusted with military commands; sent by the caliph eventually to campaign against the Romans, with the caliph's son, he made arrangements secretly to store his property in the fort of Geron and then when the opportunity arose he abandoned the Arabs, sending presents to the caliph's son (for which reason they remained well disposed towards him), and fled to the fort of Geron, before returning to Constantinople, where he took refuge in the Church of the Theotokos at Blachernai; the emperor welcomed his return and treated him with great honour; he was given the title of magistros (σεβασμιωθεὶς μαγιστρότητι): Genesius III 17.

A patrician, called `Amanu'il, he rebelled against the emperor Theophilos 5 and deserted to the caliph Mamun (al-Ma'mun 1), whom he encouraged to attack the lands of the Romans; later (in 832 or 833) he left the Arabs and returned to Theophilos 5: Bar Hebr., p. 132. Later on, after the capture of Amorion, al-Mu`tasim 1 demanded the return to him by Theophilos 5 of Nasr the Kurd (Theophobos 1) and Amanuil (sic) the patrician, a demand that was refused: Bar Hebr., p. 138.

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