Timeline of the Latin Empire explained

The timeline of the Latin Empire is a chronological list of events of the history of the Latin Empire—the crusader state that developed on the ruins of the Byzantine Empire after the Fourth Crusade in the 13thcentury.

Background

Towards the Fourth Crusade

Fourth Crusade

1198

15 August. Pope Innocent III proclaims the Fourth Crusade.

1199

28 November. Theobald III, Count of Champagne, Louis I, Count of Blois, and Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders, take the crusading oath at a tournament at Asfeld. Their vassals follow their suit.

1200

Summer. The crusader leaders meet at Compiègne to make preparations for the crusade.

1200

Revolts against AlexiosIII: his illegitimate cousin, Michael Komnenos Doukas makes raids in the valley of the Maeander River in western Anatolia with Seljuk support; the Anatolian aristocrat Theodore Mangaphas seizes the Thracesian Theme; Leo Sgouros rises up in the Peloponnese.

1201

April. Doge Enrico Dandolo concludes a treaty with the crusader leaders' delegates. The Venetians contract to build a fleet to carry 4,500 knights, 9,000 squires and 20,000 footsoldiers for 85,000 marks. The crusaders and the Venetians also agree that they will divide all conquered lands equally between them.
May. InnocentIII forbids the crusaders and the Venetians to invade Christian lands when confirming their treaty. Theobald of Champagne, the designated commander of the crusading army, dies.
August. Boniface I, Marquess of Montferrat is elected as the new commander of the crusading army.
Autumn. IsaacII'son, Alexios Angelos, escapes from prison and a Pisan ship carries him to Italy.
Winter. The young Alexios Angelos meets with his brother-in-law, Philip of Swabia, and Boniface of Montferrat. He seeks their support to regain his father's imperial throne from AlexiosIII.

1201/1202

AlexiosIII concludes a peace treaty with the younger brother and successor of Theodore and Asen, Kaloyan of Bulgaria, establishing the Balkan Mountains as the frontier between the two countries.

1202

Early. Alexios Angelos cannot convince InnocentIII to acknowledge his claim to the Byzantine throne.
24 June. The Venetians complete the crusaders' fleet, but the crusader leaders can only pay 60% of the agreed price, because many crusaders departed for the Holy Land from other ports. Enrico Dandolo proposes a compromise, offering to delay the payment of the missing amount in return for the crusaders' support to conquer Zadar, a Dalmatian town accepting the suzerainty of Emeric, King of Hungary.
22 July. The crusader leaders accept Dandolo's offer. They also agree to invade Egypt after wintering in Dalmatia.
1 October. InnocentIII prohibits the crusaders to besiege Christian towns, particularly Zadar.
16 November. InnocentIII urges AlexiosIII to achieve the Church union and acknowledge the papal supremacy.
24 November. The crusaders capture and sack Zadar.
15 December. InnocentIII forgives the crusaders for their attack on Zadar, but refuses to absolve the Venetians. The papal legate, Peter of Capua, departs the crusade for the Holy Land.

1203

1 January. Alexios Angelos's envoys offer 200,000 marks, 10,000 soldiers and the Church union in return for the crusaders' assistance against AlexiosIII. The crusaders (or Latins) accept the offer.
April. Alexios Angelos joins the crusaders at Zadar.
6 July. Crusaders capture Galata and the Venetian fleet forces an entry to the Golden Horn.
17–18 July. The crusaders attack Constantinople and capture some towers. AlexiosIII flees the city. IsaackII is released and restored to the throne. He confirms his son's promises.
1 August. The younger Alexios is crowned his father's co-emperor as Alexios IV. He announces the Church union, but he can pay only 100,000 marks to the crusaders. He makes a new agreement with the crusaders, promising further payments to them in return for their support against AlexiosIII who still holds Thrace.
Autumn. Clashes between the crusaders and the Greeks in Constantinople. The Catholics flee from Constantinople to seek asylum in the crusaders' camp. AlexiosIII's son-in-law, Theodore Laskaris flees to Bithynia (in western Anatolia).

1204

January–February. Byzantine aristocrats and commoners are plotting against IsaacII and AlexiosIV. IsaacII dies and the discontented Byzantines elect the crusaders' enemy, Alexios Doukas, or AlexiosV, emperor. The new emperor had AlexiosIV murdered. The new emperor refuses to pay the sum that AlexiosIV promised to the crusaders and sends fire-ships to destroy their fleet.
Spring. Greek landowners of the Opsician Theme acknowledge Theodore Laskaris as AlexiosIII's lieutenant.

Latin Empire

Establishment

1204

March. The crusader leaders and the Venetians make a pact about the conquest of the Byzantine Empire. They pledge to elect an emperor and a patriarch. They also make an agreement about the division of the booty and the conquered territories.
13 April. After the crusaders breach the walls of Constantinople, AlexiosV and the Orthodox Patriarch, John X Kamateros escape to Thrace.
13–16 April. The crusaders sack Constantinople, seizing treasure valued more than 3,6 million hyperpyra. The Venetians receive more than 85% of the booty in compensation for the crusaders' debt.
April. Boniface of Montferrat marries IsaacII's widow, Margaret of Hungary, to strengthen his claim to the imperial throne, but the Venetians do not support him. Kaloyan offers military assistance to the Latins in return for the division of Thrace, but the Latins arrogantly decline his offer.
9 May. Baldwin of Flanders is elected the first Latin Emperor of Constantinople.
16 May. Nivelon de Cherissy, Bishop of Soissons, crowns and anoints BaldwinI emperor in the Hagia Sophia. Greek courtiers and commoners attend the ceremony, because they are willing to acknowledge him as the lawful emperor, but he holds only Constantinople and the neighboring lands.
May. AndronikosI's grandsons, Alexios and David Komnenos conquer Trebizond with the assistance of Queen Tamar of Georgia. Alexios assumes the title of emperor, establishing a Byzantine successor state, the Empire of Trebizond, in northeastern Anatolia. Bohemond IV of Antioch swears fealty to Baldwin's wife, Marie of Champagne, at Acre. BaldwinI grants Anatolia—still to be conquered—to Boniface in fief to placate him, but Boniface claims Thessalonica.
May–June. BaldwinI invades Thrace, still held by the deposed emperors, AlexiosIII and AlexiosV. AlexiosV seeks an alliance with AlexiosIII, but AlexiosIII had him captured and blinded. Most Thracian towns yield to BaldwinI.
August. BaldwinI captures Thessalonica, outraging Boniface who attacks Adrianople. Boniface offers his stepson—Emperor IsaacII's son—to the burghers of Adrianople as their ruler, but they refuse. Boniface sells his claim to Crete to the Venetians and appeals to the council of the crusader leaders against BaldwinI. BaldwinI and Boniface reach a compromise whereby Boniface is acknowledged as king of Thessalonica.
September. A commission of 12crusaders and 12Venetians decide on the distribution of the Byzantine Empire, including territories still under the rule of Byzantine claimants. In accordance with their March pact, one-quarter of the land is assigned to the emperor, while the remaining territory is divided between the Venetians and the Latin aristocrats. The Venetian Thomas Morosini is elected the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople.
October–November. Boniface invades Greece and captures AlexiosIII. Boniface grants Boeotia and Attica to a Burgundian knight, Othon de la Roche. Michael Komnenos Doukas deserts Boniface's army and flees to Arta (in Epiros). Michael takes command of the local Greeks' resistance, establishing the Byzantine successor state, now known as Despotate of Epiros.
November. Coming from the Holy Land to the Latin Empire, a storm forces Geoffrey of Villehardouin to land at Modon. He concludes an alliance with a local Greek archon (or aristocrat) to conquer the Morea. BaldwinI's brother, Henry of Flanders, invades western Anatolia; Renier of Trit occupies Philippopolis; and Venetian troops capture Adrianople.
7 November. InnocentIII confirms BaldwinI's imperial title. A papal legate crowns Kaloyan of Bulgaria king and ordains Basil as primate of the Bulgarian Church, ignoring Kaloyan's claims to the title of tsar (or emperor) for himself and to the rank of patriarch for Basil.
December. AlexiosV is publicly executed in Constantinople.

1204/1205

Enrico Dandolo's nephew, Marco Sanudo, conquers islands in the Cyclades.

1205

Early. Geoffrey of Villehardouin seeks Boniface's assistance for the conquest of the Morea. Boniface appoints William of Champlitte to accompany him back to the Morea. They conquer Elis and Messenia without facing resistance and allow the local Greek archons to keep their estates in fief.
January. Boniface defeats Leon Sgouros and captures most towns in the northeastern Peloponnese.
Spring. The Greek archons rose up in Thrace to defend their estates against the Latin aristocrats' claims. They seek assistance from Kaloyan who invades Thrace, forcing BaldwinI to withdraw the Latin troops from western Anatolia. Theodore Laskaris assumes the title of emperor, establishing a new Byzantine successor state, the Empire of Nicaea. A Venetian flotilla captures Durazzo, Corfu, Modon and Coron.
March. InnocentIII invalidates Morosini's uncanonical election, but appoints him to the patriarchate, granting him the right to crown kings and to alienate Church property.
14 April. Battle of Adrianople: Kaloyan annihilates BaldwinI's army. Baldwin is captured and the Latin aristocrats and Enrico Dandolo elect his brother, Henry, regent for him.
May. Battle of Koundoura: Champlitte and Villehardouin defeat the united forces of Arcadian and Laconian Greeks and the Slavic tribe of Melingoi.
June. While marching towards Thessalonica, Kaloyan besieges Serres. He offers a safe conduct to the defenders, but after they surrender, he had hundreds of townspeople captured. His act alienates many Greeks who desert his camp. The Byzantine aristocrats, Alexios Aspietes and Theodore Branas, expel the Latins from Philippopolis, but they deny to cede it to Kaloyan. Kaloyan lays siege to Thessalonica, but Boniface hurries back from the Peloponnese and releases his capital.
Late Autumn. William of Champlitte assumes the title of Prince of Achaea.
Autumn-Winter. Kaloyan captures Philippopolis and other Thracian towns. He orders the execution of their Greek leaders and sends thousands of captured Greeks to Bulgaria.
19 November. InnocentIII sanctions the election of a Latin Archbishop of Patras, Antelmus, thus acknowledging the establishment of the first Catholic archdiocese outside Constantinople in the Latin Empire.

1206

Early. The Thracian Greeks seek Henry of Flanders' assistance against Kaloyan.
June–July. News about the death of Emperor BaldwinI's death in Bulgaria reach Constantinople.
20 August. Henry of Flanders is crowned the second Latin Emperor of Constantinople.
September. Kaloyan captures Demotika and destroys its fortification. He captures thousands of Greeks, but Henry forces him to release them.
Autumn. Kaloyan captures and destroys Thracian forts, facilitating his Cuman allies to pillage the region and capture local Greeks. Henry makes an alliance with AlexiosI and David of Trebizond against TheodoreI of Nicaea. Latin troops force TheodoreI to abandon his invasion of Trebizond.

1206–1207

Winter. Boniface recaptures Serres from the Bulgarians and fortifies Drama. Henry invades Anatolia and captures Nicomedia and Cyzicus from Nicaea.

1207

Spring. Marco Sanudo swears fealty to Henry and assumes the title of Duke of Naxos. He and his (mainly) Venetian allies conquer new islands in the Cyclades and he grants them to his fellows in fief.
April–May. Kaloyan and TheodoreI make an alliance. TheodoreI invades northwestern Anatolia, but Kaloyan unsuccessfully besieges Adrianople. Henry and TheodoreI sign a two-year truce, acknowledging TheodoreI's conquests in Bythinia, but also enabling Henry to retain some fortresses.
August. Boniface pays homage for his kingdom to Henry at Cypsela.
4 September. Bulgarian raiders murder Boniface in a skirmish. Boniface's infant son, Demetrius, succeeds him under the regency of his mother, Margaret of Hungary.
September–October. Kaloyan besieges Thessalonica, but he dies unexpectedly.
Autumn. Hubert of Biandrate and other Lombard aristocrats elect a regency council to rule the Kingdom of Thessalonica. They intend to replace the underage Demetrius with his elder half-brother, William VI, Marquess of Montferrat. They also claim lands assigned to Venice, including Epirus. Henry summons Biandrate to Constantinople, but Biandrate does not obey to him.

1208

Holy Week. TheodoreI holds a Church council in Nicaea. The Orthodox prelates who attend the council elects Michael Autoreianos the new Ecumenical Patriarch.
Eastern Sunday. Patriarch Michel crowns TheodoreI emperor in Nikaea.
Summer. Boril of Bulgaria invades Thrace. Henry makes an alliance with Boril's rebellious cousin, Alexius Slav. The Latins inflict a crushing defeat on the Bulgarians at Philippopolis and capture the town. Alexius Slav swears fealty to Henry through the traditional Byzantine ceremony of proskynesis (involving a kiss on Henry's feet and hand). Alexius marries Henry's illegitimate daughter.
December. Henry marches to Thessalonica, but Biandrate allows him to enter the city only after he acknowledges the Thessalonican monarchs' suzerainty over Thessaly, Boeotia, Attica and Euboea. Henry and Margaret of Hungary made an alliance and force Biandrate and his allies to flee.

1209

Early. Henry defeats a Lombard army at Drama.
1–2 May. First Parliament of Ravennika: the Thessalonican monarch's most vassals—including William of Champlitte, Geoffrey of Villeharduin and Othon de la Roche—pay homage to Henry.
Early May. Henry forces the Lombard aristocrats who did not attend the parliament at Ravennika to swear fealty to him.
Late Summer. MichaelI of Epirus launches an invasion of Thessalonica.

Consolidation

1209–1210

Winter. Henry forces MichaelI to withdraw the Epirote troops from Thessalonican territories. He also captures territories in Epirus and Macedonia from MichaelI and MichaelI's Bulgarian ally, Strez.

1210

20 June. MichaelI of Epirus acknowledges Venetian suzerainty and grants trading privileges to the Venetians.

1211

Spring. TheodoreI's troops besiege Constantinople, forcing Henry to return to his capital. Boril invades Thrace, but he cannot prevent Henry from reaching Constantinople. Henry persuades the Seljuk Sultan of Rum Kaykhusraw I to invade Nicaea and TheodoreI abandons the siege of Constantinople to repel the Seljuks.
October. Henry defeats TheodoreI and occupies Bythinian fortresses.

1213

Henry and Boril make peace and Henry marries Boril's stepdaughter (Kaloyan's daughter), Maria.
Henry invades Nicaean territory and captures northwest Anatolia.
MichaelI captures Durazzo from the Venetians.

1214

Latin and Bulgarian troops invade Serbia, but they could not capture Niš.

1214–1215

Winter. MichaelI is murdered. His brother, Theodore Komnenos Doukas, who succeeds him, adopt an expansionist foreign policy, aimed at the reconquest of Constantinople from the Latins.

1216

Spring. TheodoreI of Epirus conquers Ohrid and Pelagonia, establishing his control of the western part of the Via Egnatia. Henry assembles the Latin troops at Thessalonica in preparation for a campaign against Epirus.
11 June. Henry dies in Thessalonica. His kinsman, Conon de Béthune, is elected regent.

Sources

- Book: Jacoby, David. Shepard. Jonathan. The Cambridge History of the Byzantine Empire, c. 500–1492. Cambridge University Press. 2017. 2008. 759–778. The Latin Empire of Constantinople and the Frankish states. 9781409410980.
Book: Lilie, Ralph-Johannes. Ralph-Johannes Lilie. 1993. 1981. Byzantium and the Crusader States 1096-1204. Oxford University Press. 0-19-820407-8.
Book: Lock, Peter. 1995. The Franks in the Aegean, 1204–1500. Longman. 0-582-05139-8.
Book: Lock, Peter. 2006. The Routledge Companion to the Crusades. Routledge. 9-78-0-415-39312-6.
Book: Nicol, Donald M.. Donald Nicol. 1999. 1988. Byzantium and Venice: A Study in Diplomatic and Cultural Relations. Cambridge University Press. 0-521-42894-7.
Book: Richard, Jean. Jean Richard (historian). 2001. 1996. The Crusades, c. 1071–c. 1291. Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-62566-1.