Twilight of the Byzantine Lascarid Basileia in Anatolian Exile, 1254-1258: Continuity and Change in Imperial Geopolitical Strategy

Abstract

“Twilight of the Byzantine Lascarid Basileia in Anatolian Exile, 1254–1258: Continuity and Change in Imperial Geopolitical Strategy.” In 1254 the new basileus Theodore II Lascaris inherited the relentlessly coherent geopolitical strategy of his warrior predecessor John III for the restoration of the Byzantine oecumene from her Anatolian exile. In the last year of his reign John III had for a second time come tantalizingly close to reaping the ultimate prize of Latin-controlled Constantinople—despite the many regional geopolitical currents buffeting his waxing empire—only to be forestalled yet again by the renewed advent of the dreaded Mongol storm. The aim of the current essay is to assess Theodore’s success in revising his predecessor’s policies so as to continue the dynasty’s grand strategies—as he coped with a debilitating terminal illness and the growing unrest of key Byzantine aristocrats. Theodore’s regional policies vis-a-vis Turks, Franks, Bulgars, and Epirotes are framed within the context of the...