On This Day In Roman History, February 8
The Byzantine civil war, often referred to as the Second Palaiologan Civil War, comes to a conclusion on February 8, 1347. The conclusion would essentially render the Byzantine Empire as a "rump state" and truly mark the period from decline to fall. The result of the war would reward large sums of territory for the Serbian and Bulgarian Empires under the leadership of Alexios Apokaukos. The beginning of this period is marked by a slight renewal of the Empire under Michael VIII Palaiologos, whose policies previously exhausted state resources. In 1341 following the death of Andronikos III Palaiologos, a dispute broke out regarding the guardianship of his 9-year old son. The rift in leadership was held primarily between John VI Kantakouzenos versus the combined Empress-Dowager Anna of Savoy, the Patriarch of Constantinople John XIV Kalekas, and the megas doux Alexios Apokaukos. John VI Kantakouzenos would go on to eventually win this civil-war, and becoming the senior Emperor of the Empire.
Did you know?
In October 1352 the Ottomans would secure their first ever victory in Europe. About 4,000 troops under Stefan Dušan were met and defeated by the Ottoman forces. This would be the Ottomans first steps on the road to conquering the Balkans, and again in 100 years the Byzantines. This battle, between Serbs and Ottomans, would directly affect the fate of the crumbling Byzantine Empire.
Pictured: Byzantine Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos presiding over a synod. The Hesychast Council of Constantinople, 1351. Constantinople, 1370-75, paint on parchment, Greek Manuscript 1242, fol.5 v, 33,5x24 cm, Biblioteque Nationale de France, Paris. Image by Wikipedia used Cplakidas, via Wikimedia Commons.
Found within the personal memoirs of John Kantakouzenos, in Book III: "Upon the death of the young Andronikos [III], the worst civil war that the Romans had ever known broke out. It was a war that led to almost total destruction, reducing the great Empire of the Romans to a feeble shadow of its former self."
Opinion
Welcome to my daily opinion! Today I would like to stress just how confusing the births of all these medieval states were and how confusing this civil war was. The Byzantine Empire would come out of this civil war and its resulting conflicts as an "Empire only in name". The resulting rise of the Ottomans as well as the medieval states of Serbia and Bulgaria would have a very lasting effect on the cultural outlook of these areas in the Balkans, and is still seen today. It is sad to see the last estranged vestiges of what history consider Romans so riddled with internal strife and near their end during this conflict. The transformation into an ever darker "dark age" becomes apparent as even in mainland Europe things are shaping up to be similar to the Balkans during this time. The rise of local powers through Duchies and Principalities. This "localization of power" happens throughout history and even today, when the bigger powers break down and those who can control more local forms of bordering powers take over.
Sources
Fine, J. V. (1987). The late medieval Balkans: a critical survey from the late twelfth century to the Ottoman Conquest. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Jeffreys, E., Haldon, J. F., & Cormack, R. (2008). The Oxford handbook of Byzantine studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Nicol, D. M. (1993). The last centuries of Byzantium, 1261-1453. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Further Reading:
Also on this day:
Special Thanks: Michael Houghan
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