Monthly Archives: April 2024

Michael Komnenos Doukas would have had a forgettable career if it wasn’t for the chaos which followed Manuel Komnenos’ death.

But the twists of fate allowed him to found a new state in Epirus (Western Greece) which would eventually seize huge parts of the Roman world.

Period: 1204-15

We follow Theodore Laskaris as he escapes from Constantinople and establishes a new state at Nicaea. Crowned as the new Roman Emperor he must face down rivals on every side including the Turks.

Map: The Empire of Nicaea

Period: 1204-12

With Baldwin and Boniface dead the Bulgarians run riot across Thrace. Their Tsar Kaloyan attempts to capture Thessalonica and ponders whether he could become the new Roman Emperor.

Picture: St. Demetrius Killing Kaloyan. Mosaic from Visoki Dečani Monastery in Kosovo

Period: 1204-07