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they were doing in the sea. Nevertheless he recovered, and having arrived around Arta, since he found all the inhabitants attached to him, and saw the city of Bonditza held by this party, gathering all our men he drove them out of Arta, but also those besieging Ioannina. Therefore, the sebastokrator John and Tornikios his father-in-law returned to the emperor; whom he honored with the dignity of despot, and Tornikios with that of the sebastokrators, and he named his brother Constantine sebastokrator. But he also honored Alexios Strategopoulos with the title of caesar by letter.

83 But the emperor, when spring dawned, marched against Constantinople. He indeed advanced against it, having been deceived by his cousin Asel, who promised to hand it over to him, and he encamped in Galata and fought against the fortress of Galata. Therefore, as he was departing from there, envoys came from the Latins concerning a peace treaty, and one was made for a year.

84 He came therefore to Pegai, then to Nymphaion. He came also to Klazomenai, where the sebastokrator Tornikios also arrived and became a nuisance to the emperor on account of the former patriarch Arsenios. For the patriarchal throne was vacant, since the former patriarch Nikephoros, who was transferred from Ephesus to the patriarchal throne, had departed from here, not having lasted a whole year. But Arsenios was appointed by the emperor Theodore, who bore enmity against the emperor. And Arsenios was raised up again. 85 But the emperor sends the caesar Strategopoulos to the western parts, and ordered him to make an attempt on Constantinople. Then a very large fleet from Venice arrived at Constantinople and a podestà, who, having urged ** the Latins in Constantinople to proceed against Daphnousia in triremes and boats and skiffs and dromons. And so it happened, and the city was emptied of men, being guarded by its emperor Baldwin with a few men. Suddenly, therefore, the caesar advanced on Constantinople, having with him some men who were from there and knew its affairs precisely. And learning of a certain hole near the walls that a hoplite could enter, he went there. Therefore one man entered through this, and another, and another, and so on up to fifteen. And still more others entering found one guard near the walls, whom they climbed up and threw outside the walls, and forcing the gates with axes they made the entrance into it free for the army. Those inside, shaken by the suddenness, each contrived his own safety as he could. And Baldwin proceeded to the Great Palace. But the Latins who had gone to Daphnousia and the podestà, since they had not been strong enough to do anything against them, were returning to the city; for God also helped them. And approaching the city they rushed to enter. But the Roman troops, knowing this, threw fire on the houses of the Latins lying along the shore, and burned them, first those of the Venetians, then those of the other nations, which they also called Campi. When the Latins saw this, taking as many as they could inside the triremes, and with one having gone to the Great Palace and received Baldwin, they withdrew. Thus indeed by the providence of God Constantinople came under the Romans, on the 25th of July, it being the 4th indiction and the year from the creation of the world being #22 6769, having been held by the Latins for 58 years.

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ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ ἐποίουν. ὅμως ἀνερρώσθη, καὶ περὶ Ἄρταν ἀφιγμένος, ἐπεὶ τοὺς πάντας οἰκήτορας προσκειμένους εὗρεν αὐτῷ, εἶδε δὲ καὶ τὸ τῆς Βονδίτζης ἄστυ παρὰ τοῦ μέρους τούτου κρατούμενον, συναγαγὼν πάντας τοὺς ἡμετέρους ἐξ Ἄρτης ἐξήλασεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς πολιορκοῦντας τὰ Ἰωάννινα. ὁ μὲν οὖν σεβαστο κράτωρ Ἰωάννης καὶ Τορνίκιος ὁ πενθερὸς αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα ἐπανῄεσαν· ὃν καὶ τῷ τῶν δεσποτῶν τετίμηκεν ἀξιώματι, τὸν δὲ Τορνίκιον τῷ τῶν σεβαστοκρατόρων, καὶ τὸν αὐτάδελφον αὐτοῦ Κωνσταντῖνον σεβαστοκράτορα κατωνόμασεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Στρατηγόπουλον Ἀλέξιον δι' ἐπιστολῆς τετίμηκε καίσαρα.

83 Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἔαρος ἐπιλάμψαντος κατὰ τῆς Κωνσταντίνου κεχώρηκεν. ἐπῆλθε γοῦν κατ' αὐτῆς τῷ ἐξαδέλφῳ αὐτοῦ Ἀσὲλ ἐξηπατημένος, ὑπισχνουμένου παραδοῦναι ταύτην αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐν τῷ Γαλατᾷ ἐστρατοπεδεύσατο καὶ τὸ τοῦ Γαλατᾶ ἐμάχετο φρούριον. ἀπιόντι οὖν ἐκεῖθεν πρέσβεις ἐκ Λατίνων ἧκον περὶ ἀγάπης, καὶ γέγονε χρόνον ἕνα.

84 Ἧκεν οὖν εἰς Πηγάς, εἶτα πρὸς Νύμφαιον. ἧκε καὶ περὶ Κλαζομενήν, οὗ ἧξε καὶ ὁ σεβαστοκράτωρ Τορνίκιος καὶ δι' ὄχλου γέγονε τῷ βασιλεῖ διὰ τὸν πατριαρχεύσαντα Ἀρσένιον. ὁ γὰρ πατριαρχικὸς ἐχήρευε θρόνος, τοῦ πατριαρχεύσαντος Νικηφόρου, ὃς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐφέσου εἰς τὸν πατριαρχικὸν μετετέθη θρόνον, ἀπάραντος τῶν ἐνθένδε μηδ' ὅλον ἐνιαυτὸν διαρκέσαντος. ὁ δὲ Ἀρσένιος προεκλήθη ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως Θεοδώρου, ὃς ἔχθραν ἔσχε κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως. καὶ ἀνήχθη αὖθις Ἀρσένιος. 85 Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὸν Στρατηγόπουλον καίσαρα πέμπει τοῖς δυτικοῖς μέρεσι, παρήγγειλε δὲ τῆς Κωνσταντίνου ἀποπειράσασθαι. ναῦς οὖν τότε μεγίστη ἐκ Βενετίας εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντίνου ἀφίκετο καὶ ποτεστάτος, ὃς παροτρύνας ** τοὺς ἐν Κωνσταντίνου Λατίνους ἐν τριήρεσι καὶ πλοίοις καὶ λεμβαδίοις καὶ δρόμωσι κατὰ ∆αφνουσίας χωρῆσαι. καὶ γέγονεν οὕτως, καὶ κεκένωτο ἡ πόλις ἀνδρῶν, τῷ βασιλεῖ ταύτης Βαλδουίνῳ μετά τινων μετρίων φυλασσομένη. αἴφνης οὖν ὁ καῖσαρ τῇ Κωνσταντίνου ἐπῄει, ἔχων καὶ ἄνδρας τινὰς ἐκεῖθεν ὄντας καὶ ἀκριβῶς εἰδότας τὰ κατ' αὐτήν. καὶ μαθὼν ὀπήν τινα περὶ τὰ τείχη χωροῦσαν εἰσιέναι ὁπλίτην ἐκεῖ ᾔει. εἰσῆλθεν οὖν διὰ ταύτης ἀνὴρ καὶ ἕτερος καὶ ἄλλος καὶ καθεξῆς μέχρι τῶν ιεʹ. ἔτι δὲ καὶ πλείους ἄλλοι εἰσιόντες ἕνα εὗρον περὶ τὰ τείχη φύλακα, ὃν ἀναβάντες ἔξω τῶν τειχῶν ἔρριψαν, καὶ πελέκεσι τὰς πύλας ἐκμοχλεύσαντες ἐλευθέραν τὴν εἰς αὐτὴν εἴσοδον ἐποίησαν τῷ στρατεύματι. οἱ δ' ἐντὸς τῷ αἰφνιδίῳ κατασεισθέντες ὡς εἶχον ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίαν ἐπραγματεύοντο. καὶ ὁ Βαλδουῖνος περὶ τὸ μέγα παλάτιον ἐχώρησεν. οἱ δὲ περὶ ∆αφνουσίαν ἀπιόντες Λατῖνοι καὶ ὁ ποτεστάτος, ἐπεὶ μὴ κατ' αὐτῶν τι δρᾶσαι ἴσχυσαν, πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ἐπανεζεύγνυον· ἀντελάβετο γὰρ κἀκείνων θεός. καὶ πλησιάσαντες εἰς τὴν πόλιν ὥρμησαν εἰσελθεῖν. ἀλλὰ τὰ Ῥωμαϊκὰ στρατεύματα τοῦτο γνόντες πῦρ ταῖς οἰκίαις τῶν Λατίνων ἐνέβαλον περὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν κειμέναις, καὶ ἐνέπρησαν ταύτας, πρῶτα Βενετίκων, εἶτα τῶν ἄλλων γενῶν, ἃς καὶ Κάμπους ὠνόμαζον. ὡς δ' εἶδον τοῦτο Λατῖνοι, λαβόντες ἐντὸς τῶν τριήρεων ὅσους ἠδύναντο, καὶ μιᾶς εἰς τὸ μέγα παλάτιον χωρησάσης καὶ δεξαμένης τὸν Βαλδουῖνον, ὑπε χώρησαν. οὕτω μὲν ἡ Κωνσταντίνου προνοίᾳ θεοῦ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίους ἐγένετο, Ἰουλίου κεʹ ἄγοντος, οὔσης ἐπινεμήσεως δʹ καὶ ἀπὸ γενέσεως κόσμου ἔτους ὄντος #22 ϛψξθʹ, ὑπὸ Λατίνων κρατηθεῖσα χρόνους νηʹ.