The Angeli (1185-1204)

The imperial dynasty of the Angelus (1185-1204) ruled for the last two decades of the twelfth century. This was the period when the Byzantine Empire was at its peak.

At the start of the twelfth century, the Angelus family was linked to the reigning Comnenus dynasty by the marriage of Theodora, Alexius I Comnenus' youngest daughter, to Constantine Angelus. The Comnenus, on the whole, ably confronted the various menaces posed by the Seljuq Turks, Normans and Crusaders from the late eleventh century. After the death of Manuel I Comnenus in 1180, however, the situation became more complex. Independent states such as Serbia and Bulgaria came into being, while Cyprus fell into the hands of the Franks. During the brief reign of Alexius II Comnenus (1180–83), who because of his young age remained under the sway of his mother, Maria of Antioch, Andronicus Comnenus entered Constantinople on 1182 with the aim of overturning her. Riots broke out in support of Andronicus and the inhabitants massacred most of the city's Italian merchants. Once calm returned, Andronicus entered the capital and took power, sending Maria of Antioch to a convent. One year later, he foiled a plot against him, and on the pretext of a revolt in Anatolia, proclaimed himself emperor. His bloody reign was marked by the loss of Thessalonica, attacked by the Normans in 1185.

Isaac II Angelus (1185–95) became emperor at the age of twenty-nine. Within the empire, he proved incapable of preventing its disintegration as the feudal aristocracy began to rebel. Isaac II Angelus debased the coinage and increased taxes. He entrusted the leadership of the army to General Alexis Branas, who defeated the Normans at the Battle of Strymon on 7 September 1185. The marriage of the emperor to the daughter of King Béla was the equivalent of a peace treaty with Hungary; he also made an alliance with the Venetians. At the same time, the Bulgars and Vlachs broke out in the Danube region. As Isaac II Angelus began to defeat the Bulgars, the German emperor, Frederick Barbarossa, who had pillaged Thrace, arrived leading the Third Crusade. Isaac II Angelus made it his priority to negotiate peace with Frederick before going on to combating the Serbs and Bulgars.

In Asia Minor, revolts were breaking out more frequently and the imperial army proved incapable of containing them. Isaac II Angelus could not overcome Theodorus Mancaphas, the separatist who had established a territory that included Lydia and Philadelphia. The emperor called  on Basil Vatatzes, duke of the Thracians, to get rid of him. Theodore Mancaphus took refuge with the sultan of Iconia, from whom he obtained troops. He then laid waste to the Byzantine provinces. Isaac II finally succeeded in having Theodore Mancaphus delivered to him in exchange for a sum of money. This story testifies to the emperor's incompetence and the progressive dissolution of the empire. In 1195 Isaac II was dethroned and blinded by his brother Alexius.

Alexius III Angelus (1195–1203) took power at the age of forty. Under his reign a series of riots and conspiracies continued to ruin the empire. Entire regions were lost as their governors, one after another, broke away. The rebels were not seeking to take Constantinople, but simply to ensure that they controlled a given territory. In 1203, Constantinople was the target of the Fourth Crusade under the leadership of Venice. Alexius IV, son of Isaac II Angelus, convinced the city to overthrow Alexius III by promising to pay the Crusaders six times the sum due to the Venetians if they returned his father Isaac to the Byzantine throne. Despite the protests of the pope's legate, who reminded them that the Crusaders were forbidden to attack other Christians, the army of the Fourth Crusade and the Venetians, together with Alexius, set off in spring to conquer the Greek islands and ports. In July 1203 the first attack on Constantinople led to the fall and escape of Alexius III. Isaac II, now returned to the throne, took his son Alexius IV as co-emperor. To keep the promise he had made to the Crusaders, Alexius IV strictly enforced a policy of heavy taxes. The population rebelled against these new tax laws, and Alexius V Ducas Mourtzouphlus became emperor. He led a resolutely anti-Latin policy. The Crusaders concluded a treaty, signed in March 1204, sharing the Empire between the Venetians and the Crusaders. On 13 April 1204, the city of Constantinople was taken and sacked.

The Fourth Crusade, diverted from its aim by the sack of Constantinople, brought about the definitive rupture between East and West. The political choices of the Angeli led to the empire being broken up after 1204. Yet despite the political and military decline of the empire at this time, it still remained an economic and cultural centre. During the last decade of the twelfth century, small churches were constructed in the Balkans and the faraway provinces of the empire rather than in the capital itself (the church of Saint George in Kurbinovo, Yugoslav Macedonia in 1191 and the church of Lagoudera in Cyprus in 1192). Despite their small dimensions and single-nave architectural type, the churches are ornamented with rich painted decorations that reflect the changes in the iconography and style of the time.

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