Update! Apologies for the delay, but my shifts were changed for a second time, and various other things came up. Anyway, here is more on the civil war.
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'The civil war in the Constantinopolitan Empire continued to rage as tensions rose between the maritime city-states. In 1209, the rebel Theodore Laskaris suffered his first major defeat against the Sultanate of Rum with the fall of Ancyra to the Turks. Though his seat of power was at Nicaea (indeed, some historians label Laskaris' territories 'the Empire of Nicaea'), the loss of the city displaced all Greek forces, of any allegiance, from the Anatolian Plateau, severely weakening his grip on Asia Minor. The siege and capture of Attaleia, a city loyal to the Emperor Alexios, by the Turks proved small compensation for the rebels, merely serving to give the Sultanate a foothold on the southern littoral.
However, in other theatres of the war, Laskaris proved more successful. The region of Troad* fell under Nicaea's control with the capture of Dardanellia in late 1209, and the Thracian Chersonese** also joined the rebellion against the Angeloi with the Callipolitan Revolt of 1211, cutting Constantinople off from the Mediterranean. This dislocated the loyalist forces and caused a fracturing of political power in Hellas and Macedonia, giving the western states an opportunity to carve out spheres of influence in those territories. Nicomedia fell to the 'Laskarids' in early 1210, leaving Chaldecon as the only Loyalist toehold in Asia by 1213.
Major foreign involvement in the real conflict of the civil war began in 1210, with the beginning of the Long Siege of Ephesus (1210-1213). The Turks used their new stronghold at Attaleia to march west towards the Aegean, isolating the the Dodecanese islands*** in early 1210 before arriving at Ephesus in the August of that year. Though Ephesus itself had declined in importance ever since its fall to the Goths in 263, the infamous Siege is frequently attributed to that city rather than its more important neighbour Smyrna because of the vaunted tale of its defence, and its future significance.
Theodore Laskaris, unable to lend sufficient aid to his forces in the two besieged cities, requested assistance from his supporters in the Republic of Pisa and the League of Dalmatia. It materialised in October 1210 with the arrival of a Pisan relief force from that city's 'ally', Cyprus, and a Zaratin fleet under the command of the famed Domaldus, who had won great prestige during the Istrian War and the Dalmatian victory over the Republic of Venice. Zara opened the sea lanes between Ephesus and the northern port of Kydonies, allowing a more constant traffic of supplies that the Imperial Navy of the Angeloi was unable to interrupt, given the Emperor's incompetence and mishandling of the military. He and his predecessors had all but outsourced the Greek navy to the Venetians, and with their fall, they had no-one to turn to but a predatory Genoa. The help of Pisa and Zara ensured the defence of the cities through the winter of 1210 and the spring of 1211.
The other neighbouring powers did not sit idle during those years. Genoa consolidated its influence in Hellas and Crete, using Athens as a receptacle for the aid sent to Constantinople. When the City itself was cut off from its allies after the fall of the Thracian Chersonese in 1211, the Republic instead turned its attention towards setting up a pro-Genoese state in Greece proper, nominally 'Loyalist' (to Alexios) rather than 'Nicene', but under the sway of Genoa. Local nobility were empowered and elevated to positions of great influence, ruling over their petty-domains as sovereigns rather than as representatives of the Emperor. To the Genoese instead was their loyalty owed.
Bulgaria, shorn of many of its provinces and its sphere of influence in Serbia by the
Igemona Haemus****, Emeric of Hungary, sought to increase its influence in Thrace and Macedonia. In times past, Tarnavo would have sought the conquest of Greek territories in Constantinople's moment of weakness. In this instance, however, Bulgaria feared bringing the wrath of Buda down upon their heads while alienating their one remaining non-adversarial neighbour. Instead, subtly but pointedly, they sent a force to garrison and protect the region around the city of Mosynopolis commanded by Stefan of Serbia, displaced former-Grand Prince of that Principality. In return for Bulgaria's aid and support, Alexios III agreed to ultimately accept Stefan as King of Serbia, crowned by his brother Sava, and to assent to a future autocephalous Serbian Church within the elevated Kingdom. The timing of such acts would be set at a later time. Together, the two countries hoped to displace Hungarian influence in the southern Haemus.'
Extract from -
The History of Haemus (Germanic)
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*Biga peninsular.
**Gallipoli peninsular.
***Held by the Gabalas family at this time. As IOTL, Rhodes swears nominal allegiance to the alt-Nicaea, but is a
de facto independent state.
****'Haemic (Balkan) Hegemon'.
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Situation in Byzantium at the end of 1211:
Orange = League of Dalmatia; Dalmatian client states; Dalmatian spheres of influence
Purple = Republic of Genoa; Genoese spheres of influence
Red = 'Loyalist' Constantinopolitans, supporters of Emperor Alexios III
Blue/White = Rebels and supporters of Theodore Laskaris (a.k.a 'Nicenes', 'Laskarids').
Green = Republic of Pisa; Pisan spheres of influence
Yellow = Sultanate of Rum
Dark Red = Empire of Trebizond
A few things to mention:
1) Alexios III, having lost access to the Mediterranean, no longer controls the Aegean. Genoa and Laskaris have risen to fill the void.
2) Pisa has lost its influence in Thrace and Constantinople because it supports Laskaris. Alexios has not moved against the Pisan, Zaratin, Ragusan or Spalatro 'Quarters' in Constantinople for fear of bringing a direct assault on the City.
3) Cyprus is strongly influenced by Pisa but is not yet a 'client state' as Arbanon is to the League of Dalmatia.
4) Genoa now dominates the economies of the Peloponnese, Athens, Thessaly, and Epirus.
5) Dalmatia now dominates the economy of Macedonia.
6) The situation in Thrace is now so chaotic that the Bulgarian 'Garrison' are largely responsible for the maintenance of law and order, making the region look more and more like a Bulgarian province.
