Everything about the Latin Empire totally explained
The
Latin Empire or
Latin Empire of Constantinople (original
Latin name:
Imperium Romaniae, "
Empire of Romania") is the name given by historians to the
Crusader state founded by the leaders of the
Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the
Byzantine Empire after their sack of
Constantinople in 1204 and ended in 1261. The Empire was intended to supplant the Byzantine Empire as titular successor to the
Roman Empire in the east, with a Western
Catholic emperor enthroned in place of the
Byzantine Greeks.
Baldwin IX,
Count of Flanders, was crowned Emperor as Baldwin I on
16 May,
1204.
During the Middle Ages, the Latin Empire was one factor increasing tensions between Eastern and Western Christianity.
Byzantines under Emperor
Michael VIII Palaiologos recaptured the city and sent its leadership into exile in 1261.
History
Creation of the Latin Empire
By arrangement among the crusaders, Byzantine territory was divided, in the
Partitio terrarum imperii Romanie, signed on
1 October 1204, with three eighths - including
Crete and other islands - going to the
Republic of Venice. The Latin Empire claimed the remainder, and did exert control over areas of
Greece, divided into
vassal fiefs: the
Kingdom of Thessalonica, the
Principality of Achaea, the
Duchy of Athens, the
Duchy of the Archipelago and the short-lived
duchies of Nicaea,
Philippopolis, and
Philadelphia. The Doge of Venice didn't rank as a vassal to the Empire, but his position in control of 3/8 of its territory and of parts of Constantinople itself, ensured Venice's influence in the Empire's affairs. However, much of the former Byzantine territory remained in the hands of rival
successor states led by Byzantine Greek aristocrats, such as the
Despotate of Epirus, the
Empire of Nicaea, and the
Empire of Trebizond, which were bent on reconquest from the Latins.
The crowning of Baldwin and the creation of the Latin Empire had the curious effect of creating three so-called Roman Empires in Europe at the same time, the others being the
Holy Roman Empire and the remnants of the Byzantine Empire, none of which actually controlled
Rome.
The Empire in Asia Minor
The initial campaigns of the crusaders in Asia Minor resulted in the capture of most of
Bithynia by 1205, with the defeat of the forces of
Theodore I Lascaris at Poemanenum and Prusa. Latin successes continued, and in 1207 a truce was signed with Theodore, newly proclaimed Emperor of Nicaea. The Latins inflicted a further defeat on Nicaean forces at the Ryndakos river in October 1211, and three years later the treaty of Nymphaeum recognized their control of most of Bithynia and
Mysia.
The peace was maintained until 1222, at which point the resurgent power of Nicaea felt sufficiently strong to challenge the Latin Empire, by that time weakened by constant warfare in its European provinces. At the
battle of Poemanenum in 1224, the Latin army was defeated, and by the next year Emperor
Robert of Courtenay was forced to cede all his Asian possessions to Nicaea, save
Nicomedia and the territories directly across Constantinople. Nicaea turned also to the
Aegean, capturing the islands awarded to the Empire. In 1235, finally, the last Latin possessions fell to Nicaea.
The Empire in Europe
Unlike in Asia, where the Latin Empire faced only an initially weak Nicaea, in Europe it was immediately confronted with a powerful enemy: the
Bulgarian tsar
Kaloyan. When Baldwin campaigned against the Byzantine lords of
Thrace, they called upon Kaloyan for help. At the
Battle of Adrianople on
14 April 1205, the Latin heavy cavalry was lured into an ambush by Kaloyan's troops, and Emperor Baldwin was captured. He was imprisoned in the Bulgarian capital Tărnovo until his death later in 1205. Luckily for the new Latin Emperor,
Henry of Flanders, Kaloyan was killed a couple of years later (1207) during a siege of
Thessalonica, and the Bulgarian threat conclusively defeated with a victory the following year, which allowed Henry to reclaim most of the lost territories in Thrace until 1210, when peace was concluded with the marriage of Henry to Maria, tsar
Kaloyan's daughter.
At the same time, another Greek successor state, the
Despotate of Epirus, under
Michael I Komnenos Doukas, posed a threat to the Empire's vassals in Thessalonica and Athens. Henry demanded his submission, which Michael provided, giving off his daughter to Henry's brother Eustace in the summer of 1209. This alliance allowed Henry to launch a campaign in
Macedonia,
Thessaly and
Central Greece against the rebellious
Lombard lords of Thessalonica. However, Michael's attack on the Kingdom of Thessalonica in 1210 forced him to return north to relieve the city and to force Michael back into submission.
In 1214 however, Michael died, and was succeeded by
Theodore Komnenos Doukas, who was determined to capture Thessalonica. On
11 June,
1216, while supervising repairs to the walls of Thessalonica, Henry died, and was succeeded by
Peter of Courtenay, who himself was captured and executed by Theodore the following year. A regency was set up in Constantinople, headed by Peter's widow,
Yolanda of Flanders until 1221, when her son
Robert of Courtenay was crowned Emperor. Distracted by the renewed war with Nicaea, and waiting in vain for assistance from Pope
Honorius III and the King of France
Philip II, the Latin Empire was unable to prevent the final fall of Thessalonica to Epirus in 1224. Epirote armies then conquered Thrace in 1225-26, appearing before Constantinople itself. The Latin Empire was saved for the time by the threat posed to Theodore by the Bulgarian tsar
Ivan II Asen, and a truce was concluded in 1228.
Decline and Fall
After Robert of Courtenay died in 1228, a new regency under
John of Brienne was set up. After the disastrous Epirote defeat by the Bulgarians at the
Battle of Klokotnitsa, the Epirote threat to the Latin Empire was removed, only to be replaced by Nicaea, which started acquiring territories in Greece. Emperor
John III Doukas Vatatzes of Nicaea concluded an alliance with Bulgaria, which in 1235 resulted in joint campaign against the Latin Empire, and an unsuccessful siege of Constantinople the next year. In 1237,
Baldwin II attained majority and took over the reins of a much-diminished state. The Empire's precarious situation forced him to travel often to Western Europe seeking aid, but largely without success. In order to gain money, he was forced to resort to desperate means, from removing the lead roofs of the
Great Palace and selling them, to handing over his only son, Philip, to Venetian merchants as a guarantee for a loan.
By 1247, the Nicaeans had effectively surrounded Constantinople, with only the city's strong
walls holding them at bay, and the
Battle of Pelagonia in 1258 signaled the beginning of the end of Latin predominance in Greece. Thus, on
July 25,
1261, with most of the Latin troops away on campaign, the Nicaean general
Alexios Strategopoulos found an unguarded entrance to the city, and entered it with his troops, restoring the Byzantine Empire for his master,
Michael VIII Palaiologos.
Titular claimants
For about a century thereafter, the heirs of Baldwin II continued to use the title of Emperor of Constantinople, and were seen as the overlords of the various remaining Latin states in the
Aegean. They exercised effective authority in Greece only when actually ruling as
princes of Achaea, as in 1333–1383. Although they're generally regarded as titular emperors, the continued existence of Latin states in the Aegean that recognized them as their suzerains makes the term a misnomer; a more accurate description would be emperors-in-exile.
Organization and Society
Administration
The empire was formed and administrated on Western European feudal principles, incorporating some elements of the Byzantine bureaucracy. The Emperor was assisted by a council, composed of the various barons, the Venetian
podesta and his six-member council. This council had a major voice in the governance of the realm, especially in the periods of regency, where the Regent (
moderator imperii) was dependent on their consent to rule. The podesta, likewise, was an extremely influential member, being practically independent of the Emperor. He exercised authority over the Venetian quarters of Constantinople and the Venetian dominions within the Empire, assisted by a separate set of officials. His role was more that of an ambassador and
vicegerent of Venice than a vassal to the Empire.
Society
The elite of the empire were the Frankish and Venetian lords, headed by the Emperor, the barons and the lower-ranking vassals and liege lords, including many former Byzantine aristocrats. The bulk of the people were
Orthodox Greeks, still divided according to the Byzantine system in income classes based on land ownership.
Church
As with all Latin states, the Orthodox hierarchy was replaced by
Catholic prelates, but not suppressed. An expansive Catholic hierarchy was established, under the dual supervision of the Latin
archbishop of Constantinople and the
Papal legate, until the two offices were merged in 1231. Catholic monastic orders, such as the
Cistercians, the
Dominicans and the
Franciscans were established in the Empire. The Orthodox clergy retained its rites and customs, including its right to marriage, but was demoted to a subordinate position, subject to the local Latin bishops.
List of Emperors
Latin Emperors of Constantinople, 1204–1261
- Baldwin I (1204–1205)
- Henry (1206–1216), his brother
- Peter (1216–1217)
- Yolanda (1217–1219), Henry's sister
- Robert I (1219–1228), crowned 1221, their son
- Baldwin II (1228–1261), crowned 1240, died 1273, his brother, with...
Latin Emperors of Constantinople in exile, 1261–1383
Baldwin II (1261–1273), in exile from Constantinople
Philip I (1273–1283), his son
Catherine I (1283–1308), his daughter, with...
Charles of Valois (1301–1308), her husband
Catherine II (1308–1346), their daughter, with...
Philip II (1313–1332), her husband
Robert II (1346–1364), their son
Philip III (1364–1373), his brother
James of Baux (1373–1383), his nephew
James willed his titular claims to Duke Louis I of Anjou, also claimant to the throne of Naples, but Louis and his descendants never used the title.Further Information
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