NGC MS 4/5 5/5 1118-1143 BYZANTINE EMPIRE John II Comnenus AV hyperpyron (4.33g) ex Choudhury Collection.

BYZANTINE EMPIRE: John II Comnenus, 1118-1143, AV hyperpyron (4.33g), Constantinople, S-1941, Christ seated on throne without back, holding the book of Gospels // John standing left, wearing chlamys, St. George right, holding his sword, both holding the patriotic cross with small globus at base, strike 4/5, surface 5/5, NGC graded Mint State, ex Choudhury Collection.

Emperor John II the Good (1057-1143) was the emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 15 August 1118 to 8 April 1143, succeeding Alexius I of Byzantium and preceding Manuel I of Byzantium.
Biography

John Comnenus was the son of Alexius I of Byzantium and his wife Irene Doukaina, and was known as "The Moor" due to his dark complexion and ugly face. However, he was later praised as "The Beautiful" or "The Good", because he was faithful to his wife and affectionate for his family; he was called the "Marcus Aurelius of the Byzantine Empire".

His first military campaign was fought against Panagiotes of Smyrna and his Anatolian rebels in 1082, besieging Smyrna (Izmir). In 1084 he stormed the castle and Panagiotes was killed, but John chivalrously spared the castle from populace extermination or sacking, instead occupying the motte and bailey. John's chivalry increased when he built public benefit buildings, such as markets and town squares. Because he was loved by the people, he was everyone's choice for the next Byzantine emperor.

John II became the new emperor of the Byzantine Empire in 1118, and he was wedded to Piroska of Hungary. He allied with the Holy Roman Empire to defeat Pechenegs, the Kingdom of Hungary, and Serbs in the Balkans and the Turks in Asia Minor. John II restored many towns, fortresses, and cities across the Golden Horn to Byzantine control and extended control from Maeander to Tarsus and Cilicia. However, when he led an army into Muslim Syria with crusader troops on his side, the crusaders deliberately refused to attack at the right time, and the Roman army was defeated. The Byzantine Empire's population rose to 10,000,000 people throughout his domains under his rule. John died in 1143 and was succeeded by Manuel I of Byzantium.