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to attach himself, at the same time he killed the son of Isaacius and at the same time took as his wife the daughter of the emperor Alexius, Eudocia, she being the last of his daughters. For he had three, and the first was named Irene, whom he had also joined in marriage to a man, Alexius Palaiologos, whom he had also honored as a despot, but this one had passed away before the capture of Constantinople; the second was called Anna, to whom he gave Theodore Laskaris as a son-in-law; the third, Eudocia, whom her father had previously joined in marriage to the Kral of Serbia, but this one, having detected her in some misdeed, as they said, sends her back to her father; and so it was. This one the aforementioned Alexius Doukas Mourtzouphlos had taken, having left his own wife. When, then, Constantinople was taken by the Italians, this one also fled from there, taking with him also his spouse Eudocia. But having learned that his father-in-law, the emperor Alexius, was staying in Mosynopolis, he confidently went to him. But he loathed this one for many other reasons and no less on account of his daughter. So, having put on the mask of a relative by marriage, he receives Alexius, and having prepared a bath, he ordered this one to bathe together with his daughter. So when Alexius was inside the bath-chamber, the servants of the emperor Alexius suddenly rush in upon him and there they gouge out his eyes. And those who were present said that the daughter, standing by the door of the bath, showered her father with insults, and he in turn reviled her for her shamelessness and licentious love. So having become blind, Alexius Doukas wandered about the regions of Mosynopolis, passing through those parts as a vagrant. But the emperor Alexius, departing from there, proceeded toward the regions of Thessalonica. But when the Italians set out from Constantinople and came to Mosynopolis, finding Mourtzouphlos there, they led him away to Constantinople; and avenging the pollution which he had committed against the son of Isaacius, they hurl him from the column of Taurus.

6

So the Italians, having become masters of Mosynopolis, gave permission to its inhabitants for those wishing to both remain and be under their hand, and for others to depart without hindrance wherever they might wish. Therefore they departed, some openly and others even secretly, as many as happened to be of the more distinguished. But Theodore Laskaris together with his wife Anna had already departed from Constantinople, having been honored as a despot by him. Having departed then with his daughters Irene, Maria, and Eudocia to Nicaea, he beseeched the Nicaeans to receive him inside the city. But they would not receive him. But he, importuning them to receive at least his wife, with difficulty persuaded them. So having left his wife, he went through the surrounding areas, both Prousa and the areas around it, so that he might bring these under his hand and as emperor in place of his father-in-law Alexius might rule over them. And this indeed he achieved. For in the meantime he also went to the Persian satrap, who was on familiar terms with him, and gained an alliance, and accomplished his purpose.

7

So when two years had passed and Laskaris was being proclaimed by all as despot, since a gathering of both distinguished men and the leading men of the church had occurred at Nicaea, a deliberation took place among them how the despot Theodore might be proclaimed emperor. But with the patriarch not being present there—for John Kamateros, who adorned the patriarchal throne when the Italians took control of Constantinople, departed for Didymoteichon and was staying there, and having been summoned by Laskaris and the others, he refused to come to them, having made his resignation in writing. Therefore Michael Autoreianos is elected patriarch, being a learned man and experienced in all literature, both our own and that from without, who also crowns the despot Theodore with the diadem of emperorship. From then on Laskaris, having been proclaimed emperor, took hold of affairs more vigorously, but by battles

3

προσαρμόσασθαι, ἅμα τε τοῦ Ἰσαακίου υἱὸν πεφόνευκε καὶ ἅμα τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀλεξίου θυγατέρα Εὐδοκίαν προσηγάγετο εἰς γυναῖκα, ὑστάτην οὖσαν τῶν θυγατέρων ἐκείνου. τρεῖς γὰρ ὑπῆρχον αὐτῷ, καὶ ἡ μὲν πρώτη Εἰρήνη κατωνομάζετο, ἣν καὶ ἀνδρὶ συνέζευξεν Ἀλεξίῳ τῷ Παλαιολόγῳ, ὃν καὶ δεσπότην τετίμηκεν, ἀλλὰ προῴχετο οὗτος τῆς Κωνσταντίνου ἁλώσεως· ἡ δὲ δευτέρα ἐκαλεῖτο Ἄννα, εἰς ἣν Θεόδωρον τὸν Λάσκαριν ἐπεγάμβρευσεν· ἡ δὲ τρίτη Εὐδοκία, ἣν πρὸ καιροῦ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῆς τῷ κράλῃ Σερβίας συνέζευξεν, ἐπί τινι δὲ πάθει, ὡς ἔφασκον, ταύτην οὗτος φωράσας ἐπὶ τὸν πατέρα πάλιν ἐκ πέμπει· καὶ ἦν οὕτως. ταύτην εἰλήφει ὁ εἰρημένος Ἀλέξιος ∆ούκας ὁ Μούρτζουφλος, τὴν οἰκείαν καταλιπὼν γαμετήν. ὡς γοῦν παρὰ τῶν Ἰταλῶν ἑάλω ἡ Κωνσταντίνου, ἀπέδρα καὶ οὗτος ἐκεῖθεν, ἐπιφερόμενος καὶ τὴν σύζυγον Εὐδοκίαν. μαθὼν δὲ ὡς ἐν Μοσυνουπόλει τὰς διατριβὰς ποιεῖται ὁ πενθερὸς αὐτοῦ βασιλεὺς Ἀλέξιος θαρρούντως πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπῄει. ὁ δὲ τοῦτον πολλῶν τε ἄλλων χάριν καὶ οὐδὲν ἧττον τῆς θυγατρὸς ἐμυσάττετο. κηδεστείας γοῦν ὑποδὺς προσωπεῖον ὑποδέχεται τὸν Ἀλέξιον, καὶ λουτρὸν εὐτρεπίσας ἅμα τῇ θυγατρὶ λουθῆναι τοῦτον προστέταχεν. ἐντὸς οὖν γενομένου τοῦ λουτῆρος τοῦ Ἀλεξίου ἐπεισπίπτουσιν ἀθρόως αὐτῷ οἱ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀλεξίου ὑπηρέται κἀκεῖσε τοὺς ὀφθαλ μοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐξορύττουσιν. ἔφασκον δὲ οἱ ξυντυχόντες ὡς ἡ θυγάτηρ ἑστῶσα παρὰ τὴν θύραν τοῦ λουτροῦ τὸν πα τέρα ὕβρεσιν ἔπλυνε, κἀκεῖνος ταύτην τῆς ἀναιδείας καὶ τῆς ἀσελγοῦς ἀγαπήσεως ἐλοιδόρει. τυφλὸς οὖν γεγονὼς ὁ ∆ούκας Ἀλέξιος περὶ τὰ τῆς Μοσυνουπόλεως ἐπλανᾶτο μέρη, ἀλήτης διερχόμενος τὰ ἐκεῖσε. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Ἀλέξιος ἀπάρας ἐκεῖθεν περὶ τὰ μέρη τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης ἐχώρει. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐξώρμησαν τῆς Κωνσταντίνου οἱ Ἰταλοὶ καὶ ἀπῆλ θον περὶ τὴν Μοσυνούπολιν, εὑρόντες ἐκεῖσε τὸν Μούρ τζουφλον εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντίνου ἀπήγαγον· τοῦ δὲ μιάσματος ἀμυνόμενοι, ὃ εἰς τὸν Ἰσαακίου πεποίηκεν υἱόν, ἐκ Ταύρου κρημνίζουσι κίονος.

6 Τῆς οὖν Μοσυνουπόλεως κυριεύσαντες οἱ Ἰταλοὶ ἄδειαν δεδώκασι τοῖς ταύτης οἰκήτορσι τοὺς θέλοντας μένειν τε καὶ ὑπὸ χεῖρα εἶναι αὐτῶν, τοὺς δὲ ἀκωλύτως ἀπέρχεσθαι ὅπῃ ἂν βούλοιντο. ἐξήρχοντο τοίνυν οἱ μὲν φανερῶς οἱ δὲ καὶ κρύφα, ὅσοι τῶν περιφανεστέρων ἐτύγχανον. ὁ δὲ Λάσκαρις Θεόδωρος ἅμα τῇ γαμετῇ Ἄννῃ προεξελθεῖν πέφθακε Κωνσταντίνου, δεσπότης ὑπ' ἐκείνου τετιμημένος. ἀπελθὼν τοίνυν μετὰ καὶ τῶν θυγατρίων Εἰρήνης Μαρίας καὶ Εὐδοκίας εἰς Νίκαιαν παρεκάλει τοὺς Νικαεῖς, εἴσω τῆς πόλεως δέξασθαι τοῦτον. οἱ δὲ οὐκ ἐδέχοντο. ὁ δὲ καὶ κἂν τὴν γυναῖκα δέξασθαι δυσωπῶν, μόλις ἔπεισεν. ἀφεὶς οὖν τὴν γυναῖκα διήρχετο τὰ πέριξ, Προῦσάν τε καὶ τὰ περὶ αὐτήν, ὅπως ὑπὸ χεῖρα ταῦτα ποιήσαιτο καὶ ὡς βασιλεὺς ἀντὶ τοῦ πενθεροῦ Ἀλεξίου τούτων κατάρξειεν. οὗ δὴ καὶ τετύχηκεν. καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ καὶ περὶ τὸν περσάρχην ἀφίκετο, συνήθη τούτῳ τελοῦντα, καὶ συμμαχίαν προσείληφε, καὶ τὰ πρὸς σκοπὸν διεπράξατο.

7 ∆ύο γοῦν παραδραμόντων ἐνιαυτῶν καὶ ὡς δεσπότου φημιζομένου παρὰ πᾶσι τοῦ Λασκάριος, ἐπεὶ συνδρομὴ γέγονε κατὰ Νίκαιαν ἀπό τε περιφανῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ τῶν λογάδων τῆς ἐκκλησίας, σκέψις τούτοις ἐγένετο, ὅπως βασιλεὺς φημισθείη ὁ δεσπότης Θεόδωρος. πατριάρχου δὲ μὴ παρόντος ἐκεῖσε -ὁ γὰρ Καματηρὸς Ἰωάννης, ὃς τὸν πατριαρχικὸν ἐκόσμει θρόνον, ἡνίκα τῆς Κωνσταντίνου ἐκράτησαν Ἰταλοί, περὶ τὸ ∆ιδυμότειχον ἀπῆρε κἀκεῖσε τὰς διατριβὰς ἐποιεῖτο, καὶ διαμηνυθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ Λασκάριος καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀπηνή νατο τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἄφιξιν, ἔγγραφον τὴν παραίτησιν ποιησάμενος. ψηφίζεται γοῦν πατριάρχης Μιχαὴλ ὁ Αὐτω ρειανός, λόγιος τυγχάνων καὶ πάσης γραφῆς ἔμπειρος, τῆς τε ἡμετέρας καὶ τῆς θύραθεν, ὃς καὶ τὸν δεσπότην Θεό δωρον τῷ τῆς βασιλείας διαδήματι ταινιοῖ. Ἐντεῦθεν βασιλεὺς ὁ Λάσκαρις ἀναγορευθεὶς συντονώ τερον ἐφήψατο τῶν πραγμάτων, μάχαις δὲ