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Michael VIII Palaiologos's Byzantine Rule (1270s)
In the 1270s, Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, after recovering Constantinople, worked to consolidate his regime, resist Bulgarian and Lat…
Timeline
- 1274Lyon · FranceMichael VIII sent representatives to the Second Council of Lyon, where the Byzantine emperor formally recognized papal sovereignty and agreed to certain doctrinal accommodations, in exchange for Western recognition of the Byzantine imperial title and the isolation of remaining Latin Empire forces.
- 1275–1277Thrace · ThraceBulgarian tsar Constantine Tikh invaded Thrace; Michael VIII took the field in person, defeating Bulgarian forces at Devnya and Eski Zağra, among other places, and checked the Bulgarian threat to Byzantium's northern frontier.
- 1278–1280Constantinople · ByzantineFacing the threat of Charles I of Anjou recovering Constantinople, Michael VIII bought off his claims to the Kingdom of Sicily for some 30,000 ounces of gold, and allied with Aragon, Byzantine vassals, and others to contain Latin forces, winning strategic breathing space for Byzantium.
Sources
- A History of the Byzantine State and Society — Warren Treadgold (1997)
- The Last Centuries of Byzantium, 1261–1453 — Donald M. Nicol (1993)