In 1444, Byzantium finds itself surrounded by heretics and heathens on all sides with many of their old subjects now bending the knee to the Venetian Doge who sparked the end of their empire, and many others now firmly under the control of the Ottomans. The chaos created by the fall of the Byzantine Empire has given rise to the Ottoman Turks who now situate themselves on the Byzantine border with the ambition to claim Constantinople, the City of World’s Desire, for themselves. The Crusaders ravaged the city of Constantinople two times over, reducing the once glorious city to little more than ash and rubble, and reducing the Empire to little more still.Īlthough the House of Palaiolgos was able to restore much of what was lost, countless successor states such as the Theme of Epirus and Naxos have managed to evade reintegration with the Empire. ![]() ![]() In April 1204, guided by the vengeful spirit of the Venetians, the members of the Fourth Crusade defied the command of Pope Innocent III and turned their violence towards the Byzantine Empire which had promised them safe passage. In 1171, the rivalry between Byzantium and Venice reached a boiling point as the nations’ hostilities towards each other erupted into violent conflict. ![]() With the Roman Empire now a distant memory, countless Empires have dared to take the mantle as the true successors to Rome, but the Byzantines remain adamant that they hold the only legitimate claim to that ancient Empire.
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