Byzantine Recapture of Constantinople

Timeline

1. 1259–1261Nicaea · AnatoliaAfter seizing the Nicaean throne in 1259, Michael VIII Palaiologos actively planned the recovery of Constantinople, held by the Latins for over half a century. He signed the Treaty of Nymphaion with Genoa (March 1261) to gain naval support, and dispatched his general Alexios Strategopoulos with an army to Thrace for reconnaissance and probing.
2. 1261Walls of Constantinople · ThraceIn the early hours of 25 July 1261, Alexios Strategopoulos learned that the Latin Empire's main fleet had sailed away on expedition and the city's defenses were extremely weak. He decided at once to lead a night assault; Byzantine residents and sympathizers inside helped open the gates. The Latin garrison was caught off guard and quickly routed. Latin Emperor Baldwin II fled in panic to the Golden Horn and escaped by ship, and the Latin Empire perished.
3. 1261Constantinople, Hagia Sophia · ThraceOn 15 August 1261 (Feast of the Assumption), Michael VIII Palaiologos entered Constantinople in triumph, held a grand coronation in Hagia Sophia, and formally proclaimed the restoration of the Byzantine Empire. The capital was moved back from Nicaea to Constantinople, and the Palaiologan dynasty was founded, but the empire was badly weakened, with greatly shrunken territory and strained finances, and declined steadily thereafter.