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Andronicus I (Andronicus Comnenus)[andrunI´kus komnE´nus] Pronunciation Key, 1120?–1185, Byzantine emperor (1183–85), nephew of John II. He acceded to the throne by strangling his cousin Alexius II. Though notorious in his younger years for his scandalous morals, he was a competent, if cruel, ruler. He took strict measures to protect the peasants against the great landowners, enforced honesty on the tax collectors, and was the terror of corrupt officials. His severity and his failure to stop the rapid advance of William II of Sicily against the capital led to his overthrow and the elevation of Isaac II. Andronicus was tortured to death by the rabble. He was the last of the Comneni to hold the throne of Constantinople.
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