Andronicus I definition of Andronicus I in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Andronicus I (Andronicus Comnenus) (ăndrənī`kəs kŏmnē`nəs), 1120?–1185, Byzantine emperor (1183–85), nephew of John II. He acceded to the throne by strangling his cousin Alexius II Alexius II (Alexius Comnenus), 1168–83, Byzantine emperor (1180–83), son and successor of Manuel I. His mother, Mary of Antioch, who was regent for him, alienated the population by favoring the Latin element in Constantinople.
..... Click the link for more information. . 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 William II (William the Good), c.1153–1189, king of Sicily (1166–89), son and successor of William I. He married (1177) Joan, daughter of Henry II of England.
..... Click the link for more information. of Sicily against the capital led to his overthrow and the elevation of Isaac II Isaac II (Isaac Angelus) (ăn`jələs), d. 1204, Byzantine emperor (1185–95, 1203–4).
..... Click the link for more information. . Andronicus was tortured to death by the rabble. He was the last of the Comneni to hold the throne of Constantinople.