Picture: Silver Coin (Aspron trachy) of John III Vatatzes
With the Bulgarians and Turks hobbled by the Mongols the field is clear for Nicaea. John Vatatzes annexes a huge swathe of European territory and is widely recognised as the true Roman Emperor.
Period: 1237-54
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The History of Byzantium 
A minor error I noticed in this episode that I can’t help but point out, St. Constantine the Great wasn’t the only emperor until John III Doukas Vatatzes was canonized. Others include:
Theodosius I (feast day celebrated on January 17)
Theodosius II (July 29th)
Marcian with his wife Pulcheria (February 17)
Leo I (January 20th)
Justinian I with his wife Theodora (November 14th)
Constantine IV (September 3)
Theodora, mother of Michael III (February 11)
Nikephoros II Phocas (December 11)
Constantine XI Palaiologos – depends on who you ask (May 29)
Thank you for such quality episodes, it’s always great pleasure to listen.
Hey, as usual when it comes to Orthodoxy I should have been more precise with my wording. No other Emperor since Constantine I had an active Saintly cult. You are probably from an Orthodox background yourself and so know that there is no official process of canonisation in the Orthodox church. So the Emperors you list are commemorated or have vita written about them. But none were actively remembered as Saints by the Byzantines at the time.