WI:The Despotate of Epirus won the Battle of Klokotnitsa?Can it reconquer Constantinople?

Prior to the Battle of Klokotnitss,Epirus managed to conquer large parts of Greece.Should it win the battle,which it does have a fairly high chance of doing so,could it have conquered Constantinople?If so,what are the effects of this happening on other states in the region like Nicaea?
 
Perhaps. The Latins were on their way out at that point, and apparently Despot Theodore had the capability of mobilizing a "large army". However, the Bulgarians were allied to the Nicaeans, and who knows what sort of row would ensue between them and the Epirotes.
 
I think this is the best scenario for an epirote-united byzantine empire, although i still wonder what happens to the nicaeans.
 
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Taking Constantinople was not easy. The Nicaeans and the Bulgarians launched a joint attack in 1235, and got nowhere. As long as the Venetians held the sea lanes open, and barring an event like 1261, the city will hold. All the more so since Theodore's rear was not secure, with Bulgaria as a constant threat. The quick collapse of his "empire" after 1230 also shows that he should spend more time on consolidating it. What Theodore certainly can do (and almost did) is reduce the Latin Empire to a city-state doomed to fall. In addition he could go on to recapture the Latin states of southern Greece, although here he is bound to face some stiff opposition at this time.
 
I agree with you @Spatharios, though I wouldn't exactly so much as fault Theodore (or rather to say, partially place fault on him) for quick collapse of empire as I would his successors, Theo's less than able brother Manuel and his downright incompetent son Ioannes, who reversed the gains made by Theodoros.

Then again, Epirus is not exactly a secure place, if it's not the Bulgarians it's the Latins, if not them, the Nicaeans, if not them the Sicilians...

...honestly, I think Epirus was doomed from the get go.
 
He didn't have a son (Kaliman I & Michael II both were born after Klokotnitsa) at the time. I do not know for sure what would happen should Ivan die in battle. I'd be tempted to say the one who married Ivan's eldest daughter Maria would be the one to inherit...

...in this case that would be Theodoros' brother, the aforementioned Manuel Komnenos Doukas.
 

trajen777

Banned
It was luck that Nicaea conquered Constantinople. The Latins were out with their army on a raid and the city was basically undefended. If Epirus had done a similar situation AND had worked out terms to a dual arrangement (Epirus handles the Balkans & Nicaea handles Anatolia then that would be interesting.
1. Nicaea would focus on the reconquest of Anatolia and not be burdened with the rebuilding and defense of Const. from the western powers
2. They were doing well vs the Turks and had reconstituted some of the Thematic troops and had a solid Tagmatic force.
3. The invasion of the Mongols had destroyed the turkish states and i think they would been able to establish the borders to the mountains
 
It was luck that Nicaea conquered Constantinople. The Latins were out with their army on a raid and the city was basically undefended. If Epirus had done a similar situation AND had worked out terms to a dual arrangement (Epirus handles the Balkans & Nicaea handles Anatolia then that would be interesting.
1. Nicaea would focus on the reconquest of Anatolia and not be burdened with the rebuilding and defense of Const. from the western powers
2. They were doing well vs the Turks and had reconstituted some of the Thematic troops and had a solid Tagmatic force.
3. The invasion of the Mongols had destroyed the turkish states and i think they would been able to establish the borders to the mountains

Any chance of a marital alliance betwixt Nicaea & Epirus, or does the rivalry run too deep?
 
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