Everything about Michael Viii Palaiologos totally explained
Michael VIII Palaiologos or
Palaeologus (
Greek: Μιχαήλ Η΄ Παλαιολόγος,
Mikhaēl VIII Palaiologos) (
1223 –
December 11,
1282) reigned as Byzantine emperor
1259–
1282. Michael VIII was the founder of the
Palaeologan dynasty that would rule the
Byzantine Empire until the
Fall of Constantinople in
1453. He recovered
Constantinople from the
Latin Empire in
1261 and transformed the
Empire of Nicaea into a restored
Byzantine Empire.
Road to the throne
Michael VIII Palaiologos was the son of the
megas domestikos Andronikos Doukas Komnenos Palaiologos by Theodora Angelina Palaiologina, the granddaughter of Emperor
Alexios III Angelos and
Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamaterina. Even with our imperfect knowledge of Byzantine genealogy, no less than eleven emperors may be traced among his ancestors. He was one of the noblest men among the Byzantine aristocracy, and might have succeeded to the throne in regular fashion if the
Fourth Crusade hadn't been diverted to
Constantinople in
1203. At an early age he rose to distinction, and ultimately became commander of the Latin mercenaries in the employment of the emperors of
Nicaea. A few days after the death of Emperor
Theodore II Doukas Laskaris in
1258, Michael Palaiologos replaced the influential bureaucrat George Mouzalon (when the latter was murdered), becoming joint guardian for the eight-year old Emperor
John IV Doukas Laskaris together with the patriarch
Arsenios. Michael was invested with the titles of
megas doux and, in November
1258, of
despotēs. On
January 1,
1259 Michael VIII Palaiologos was proclaimed co-emperor at Nymphaion with the help of the
Republic of Genoa.
Reign
On
July 25,
1261, Michael VIII's general
Alexios Strategopoulos captured
Constantinople from its last Latin Emperor,
Baldwin II. Michael VIII entered the city on
August 15 and had himself crowned together with his infant son
Andronikos II Palaiologos. When Michael VIII entered the city, its population was people, but he succeeded in increasing it to people by the end of his reign. In December John IV, who had been left behind at Nicaea, was blinded and relegated to a monastery. In 1263, the emperor sent men (which included
Seljuk mercenaries) to conquer
Achaia, then a mixed imperial and Genoese fleet of 48 ships was defeated by a smaller Venetian force at the
Battle of Spetsai. Patriarch Arsenios excommunicated Michael VIII, and the ban wasn't removed until six years later (
1268) on the appointment of new patriarch
Joseph I. After rendering John IV ineligible for the throne, Michael VIII quickly married off John's sisters to foreigners, so their descendants couldn't threaten his own children's claim to the imperial succession. On his entrance in Constantinople, Michael VIII Palaiologos abolished all Latin customs and reinstated most Byzantine ceremonies and institutions as they'd existed before the
Fourth Crusade, repopulating the capital and restoring damaged churches, monasteries, and public buildings. He was acutely aware of the danger posed by the possibility that the Latin West, particularly his neighbors in
Italy (
Charles I of Sicily,
Pope Martin IV, and the
Venetians) would unite against him and attempt the restoration of Latin rule in Constantinople.
In
1259 Michael VIII had defeated the alliance of
William II Villehardouin,
Prince of Achaea, and Michael II of
Epirus at the
Battle of Pelagonia. After a severe naval defeat, Michael VIII dismissed the 60 Genoese galleys that he'd hired earlier. With the help of
Pope Urban IV Michael VIII concluded peace with his former enemies in
1263 and
1264, respectively. By the terms of the treaties, William II was obliged to cede
Mystras,
Monemvasia and Maina in the
Morea to the Byzantines. Michael VIII relied on an alliance with Genoa against Venice and the Latin states of the
Aegean Sea, but in the end made treaties with both Genoa and Venice, seeking to maintain a balance of power advantageous to the Empire. He also signed a treaty in 1263 with the Egyptian
Mamluk sultan
Baibars, and the
Mongol Khan of
Kipchak.
To drive a wedge between the pope and supporters of the Latin Empire, Michael VIII decided to unify the
Orthodox and
Catholic Churches. A tenuous union between the Greek and Latin church was signed at the
Second Council of Lyons in
1274. Michael VIII's concession was met with determined opposition at home, and prisons filled with many opponents to the union. At the same time the unionist controversy helped drive Byzantium's Orthodox neighbors
Serbia and
Bulgaria into the camp of Michael VIII's opponents. This threat didn't materialize in a significant way during Michael VIII's reign, and the emperor took advantage of a civil war in Bulgaria to conquer the Bulgarian portion of
Thrace in the late
1270s and to temporarily impose his son-in-law
Ivan Asen III on the Bulgarian throne. For a while the diplomatic intent of the union worked out in the West, but in the end
Pope Martin IV, an ally of Charles of Anjou,
excommunicated Michael VIII. In 1275, Michael VIII sent a fleet of 73 ships to harass the Latin states in Greece.
As a rare manifestation of truly "
Byzantine" diplomacy, Michael VIII secretly incited the
Sicilian Vespers, a rebellion against Charles of Anjou in
Palermo, and the invasion of the
Sicily by the
Catalans of King
Peter III of Aragon. Michael VIII was forced to drain the treasury to pay the enormous bribe of gold pieces to King Peter III. This halved the kingdom of Charles of Anjou, who was forced to spend the remainder of his life unsuccessfully trying to reassert his control over Sicily.
In reconstituting the Byzantine Empire Michael VIII restored the old administration without endeavouring to correct its failures. In recovering Constantinople and investing in the defense of his
European provinces, Michael VIII began to denude the
Anatolian frontier of its troops and was forced to lower their pay or cancel their tax exemptions. This policy led to the gradual collapse of the frontier, which was infiltrated by Turkish bands even before the death of Michael VIII in Pachomios village, Thrace in December
1282. The Palaiologan dynasty he established ruled the Byzantine Empire for almost two centuries, longer than any other in Roman history. Also, during his reign there was a temporary naval revival in which the Byzantine navy consisted of 80 ships.
Relations with the Mongols
Michael VIII Palaiologos established an alliance with the Mongols, who themselves were highly favorable to Christianity, many of them being
Nestorian Christians. He signed a treaty in 1263 with the Mongol Khan of the Kipchak (the
Golden Horde), In 1282, Nogai Khan provided Michael VIII with
Mongols whom he sent against
Thessaly. His alliance with the Mongols would also benefit his son Andronicus II; in 1305
Ilkhan Oljeitu promised Andronicus II men, and in 1308 dispatched men to recover many Byzantine towns in
Bithynia.
Family
In
1253, Michael VIII Palaiologos married
Theodora Doukaina Vatatzina, a grandniece of
John III Doukas Vatatzes,
Emperor of Nicaea. Orphaned in childhood, she was raised by her great-uncle John III, who was said to have "loved her like a daughter", and who arranged for her marriage to Michael. Their children were:
By a mistress, a Diplovatatzina, Michael VIII also had two illegitimate daughters:
Euphrosyne Palaiologina, who married Nogai Khan of the Golden Horde
Maria Palaiologina, who married Abaqa Khan of Ilkhanid PersiaFurther Information
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