Editing Isaac II Angelos (section)

== First reign ==

Isaac II Angelos strengthened his position as emperor with dynastic marriages in 1185 and 1186. Isaac's sister Theodora was married to the Italian marquis [[Conrad of Montferrat]]. In January 1186, Isaac himself married [[Margaret of Hungary]] (renamed Maria), daughter of King [[Béla III of Hungary|Béla III]].{{sfn|Burkhardt|2016|p=50}} Hungary was one of the Empire's largest and most powerful neighbours, and Margaret also had the benefit of high aristocratic descent, being related to the royal families of [[Kievan Rus'|Kiev]]<!--See WP:KIEV-->, the [[Holy Roman Empire]], [[Italy]], [[Count of Provence|Provence]], and earlier Byzantine dynasties. Sometime after 1191, his niece [[Eudokia Angelina]] was married to [[Stefan Prvovenčani of Serbia|Stefan]], son of Grand Prince [[Stefan Nemanja]] of [[Serbia]]. 

Isaac inaugurated his reign with a decisive victory over the [[Normans|Norman]]<ref name=EB1911>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Isaac II. (Angelus) |volume=14 |page=858}}</ref> King of [[Kingdom of Sicily|Sicily]], [[William II of Sicily|William II]], at the [[Battle of Demetritzes]] on 7 November 1185. William had invaded the [[Balkans]] with 80,000 men and 200 ships towards the end of Andronikos I's reign.  Elsewhere Isaac's policy was less successful. In late 1185, he sent a fleet of 80 galleys to liberate his brother [[Alexios III Angelos|Alexius III]] from [[Acre, Israel|Acre]], but the fleet was destroyed by the Normans of Sicily. He then sent a fleet of 70 ships, but it failed to recover [[Cyprus]] from the rebellious noble [[Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus|Isaac Komnenos]], thanks to Norman interference. This fleet was misinterpreted by many in the Holy Land as naval support for the Muslim offensive in accordance with Isaac's alliance with [[Saladin]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Brand|first1=Charles M.|title=The Byzantines and Saladin, 1185–1192: Opponents of the Third Crusade|journal=Speculum|date=1962|volume=37|issue=2|pages=167–181|doi=10.2307/2849946|jstor=2849946|s2cid=162541416}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Neocleous |first=Savvas |date=2010 |title=The Byzantines and Saladin: Opponents of the Third Crusade? |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/28327861.2010.12220246 |journal=Crusades |language=en |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=87–106 |doi=10.1080/28327861.2010.12220246 |issn=1476-5276|url-access=subscription }}</ref> However the theory of a supposed alliance between Isaac and Saladin against the Third Crusade has been discredited by modern research.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Harris |first=Jonathan |title=Byzantium and the Crusades |date=2014 |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=978-1780937366 |edition=2nd |location=London |pages=140–141 |oclc=891400633 |author-link=Jonathan Harris (historian)}}</ref>

Isaac's administration was dominated by two figures: his maternal uncle [[Theodore Kastamonites]], who became virtually a co-emperor and handled all civil government until his death in 1193; and his replacement, [[Constantine Mesopotamites]], who acquired even more influence over the emperor.

The oppressiveness of his taxes, increased to pay his armies and finance his marriage, resulted in a [[Vlach-Bulgarian Rebellion|Vlach-Bulgarian uprising]]<ref name=EB1911/> late in 1185. The rebellion led to the establishment of the [[Second Bulgarian Empire|Vlach-Bulgarian Empire]] under the [[Asen dynasty]]. In 1187 [[Alexios Branas]], the victor over the Normans, was sent against the Bulgarians but turned his arms against his master and attempted to seize Constantinople, only to be defeated and slain<ref name=EB1911/> by Isaac's brother-in-law Conrad of Montferrat. Also in 1187 an agreement was made with [[Venice]], in which the Venetian Republic would provide between 40 and 100 galleys at six months' notice in exchange for favorable trading concessions. Because each Venetian galley was manned by 140 oarsmen, there were about 18,000 Venetians still in the Empire even after [[Manuel I Komnenos|Manuel I]]'s arrests.<ref name="AD 1187">J. Norwich, ''A History of Venice'', 121</ref>

The Emperor's attention was next demanded in the east, where several claimants to the throne successively rose and fell. In 1189 the Holy Roman Emperor [[Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick I Barbarossa]] sought and obtained permission to lead his troops on the [[Third Crusade]] through the [[Byzantine Empire]].<ref name=EB1911/> But Isaac was suspicious that Barbarossa wished to conquer Byzantium: the reasons for this suspicious attitude were the diplomatic contact of Frederick with the Bulgarians and the Serbians, foes of the Byzantine Empire during this period, and also Barbarossa's previous feud with Manuel. The rumors of 1160s about a German invasion in the Byzantine Empire were still remembered in the Byzantine court during Isaac's reign.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Byzantium and the Crusades |last=Harris |first=Jonathan |publisher=Bloomsbury |date=2014 |isbn=978-1780937366 |edition=2nd |location=London |page=142 |oclc=891400633}}</ref> In retaliation Barbarossa's army occupied the city of [[Philippopolis (Thrace)|Philippopolis]] and defeated a Byzantine army of 3,000 men that attempted to recapture the city.<ref name="Treadgold658">W. Treadgold, ''A History of the Byzantine State and Society'', 658</ref> The Byzantine troops managed to constantly and successfully harass the Crusaders but a group of Armenians revealed to the Germans the strategic plan of the Byzantines. The Crusaders, who outnumbered the Byzantines, caught them unprepared and defeated them.{{sfn|Choniates|1984|p=224}} Thus compelled by force of arms, Isaac II was forced to fulfill his engagements<ref name=EB1911/> in 1190, when he released imprisoned German emissaries who were held in Constantinople, and exchanged hostages with Barbarossa, as a guarantee that the crusaders would not sack local settlements until they departed the Byzantine territory. In March 1190, Barbarossa left [[Adrianople]] to [[Gallipoli]] at the [[Dardanelles|Hellespont]] to embark to Asia Minor.{{sfn|Freed|2016|pp=494–504}}

In 1191, Isaac II launched a military expedition against [[Grand Principality of Serbia|Serbia]]. The Byzantine army was victorious in the battle at [[South Morava]] (autumn 1191), that led to the recovery of [[Niš]] and the consequent peace treaty.{{sfn|Komatina|2018|p=105-110}}

By 1196, Isaac II had allowed the once powerful Byzantine navy to decline to only 30 galleys.{{full citation needed|date=November 2021}}

The next five years were disturbed by continued warfare with [[Bulgaria]], against which Isaac led several expeditions in person.<ref name=EB1911/> In spite of their promising start these ventures had little effect, and on [[Battle of Tryavna|one occasion]] in 1190 Isaac barely escaped with his life. The Byzantines suffered yet another major defeat in the [[Battle of Arcadiopolis (1194)|Battle of Arcadiopolis]] in 1194. Isaac organized yet another offensive against Bulgaria in 1195 in cooperation with the Kingdom of Hungary, but [[Alexios III Angelos|Alexios Angelos]], the Emperor's older brother, taking advantage of Isaac's absence from camp on a hunting expedition, proclaimed himself emperor and was readily recognised by the soldiers as Emperor Alexios III on 8 (or 9) April.<ref name=":1">Schreiner, Peter (1977). [[iarchive:kleinchroniken2/page/181|''Die byzantinischen Kleinchroniken'' '''2'''.]] [[Corpus Fontium Historiae Byzantinae]] '''XII'''(2). pp. 181–182.</ref><ref>[[Niketas Choniates|Choniates 1984]], pp. 299–314. [[Alexios III Angelos|Alexios III]] ruled "8 years, 3 months and 10 days"; [[Alexios IV]] (alongside '''Isaac II''') "6 months and 8 days" and [[Alexios V]] "2 months and 16 days". Regnal dates for these emperors are calculated reckoning from the fall of Constantinople on 12 April 1204.</ref> Alexios then canceled the expedition and ordered Isaac to be [[political mutilation in Byzantine culture|blinded]] and imprisoned in Constantinople.<ref name=EB1911/>