On This Day In Roman History, January 31
Theodore II Eirenikos, more commonly known as Theodore II of Constantinople, dies in exile on January 31, 1216 CE. Theodore II served as a high-ranking official, mostly during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos. During the fourth crusade, sometime in summer of 1203, Theodore fled Constantinople for the Empire of Nicaea, where he would continue to serve as a Patriarch of Constantinople.
Did you know?
The sacking and conquest of Constantinople during the fourth crusade was carried out mostly due to the commercial rivalry between the Republic of Venice and the Byzantine Empire, with the religious side of the crusade against the Byzantines being a guise. However, religious rivalries did fuel some aspects of the attack, especially the occurrence of The Massacre of the Latins. This happened in April of 1182, and some 60,000 Roman Catholics (known as Latins) were either killed or fled. This event was aggravated to the point of violence not due to religion alone, but because of increasing financial tension. The Latins controlled the majority of the maritime trade and financial sector, which was probably the root of the problem.
Pictured: Theodoros II Eirenikos, the Levite. Hypatos philosophon, early 13th century - Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Opinion
Welcome to my daily opinion! This is one of the more minor characters I think I have blogged about so far, but the period that Theodore II lived in was pretty crazy and maybe just a bit more interesting than him. The Republic of Venice was becoming insanely rich, connecting the Levant to Europe and taxing every trade between them. Also, during the fourth crusade mentioned above, the famous four bronze horses that are currently on top of St Mark's Basilica were stolen as plunder during the sack of Constantinople. This sack is known to history as "one of the most profitable and disgraceful sacks of a city in history."
Sources
Brand, C. M. (1968). Byzantium confronts the west: 1180-1204. Cambridge: Harvard university.
Fossier, R., Airlie, S., & Marsack, R. (1997). The Cambridge illustrated history of the Middle Ages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Phillips, J. (2004). The Fourth Crusade and the sack of Constantinople. New York: Viking.
Further Reading:
Special Thanks: Michael Houghan
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