Latin Empire

Timeline

1. 1204–1206Constantinople · ConstantinopleAfter the crusaders captured Constantinople they elected Baldwin I as Latin emperor and divided territory under the Treaty of Venice partition: the imperial core, Venetian colonies, and feudal vassals; part of the Byzantine administrative system was retained but the upper ranks were dominated by Latin nobles and Venetian merchants.
2. 1206–1216Thrace and the environs of Larissa · ThraceHenry I fought repeatedly in Thrace against Bulgaria, the Empire of Nicaea, and Epirus, at one point defeating the Bulgarian tsar; between 1211 and 1216 he contended with Nicaean emperor Theodore I Laskaris, and the Latin Empire maintained control of the straits and some inland corridors but expansion stalled.
3. 1216–1261Constantinople · ConstantinopleHenry I died in 1216; his successor Peter of Courtenay (crowned 1217) was soon captured by Epirus, and Queen Yolande served as regent until 1219; thereafter her son Robert reigned (1219–1228), with the young Baldwin II acceding only in 1228 (John of Brienne regent until 1237). The empire's finances depended on Venetian loans and western crusader aid, territory steadily shrank, and in 1261 Nicaean forces entered the city through a secret passage, the Latin emperor went into exile, and the Byzantine Empire was restored.