Alexios III Angelos
Alexios III Angelos was the brother who blinded and deposed Isaac II in 1195, taking the throne for himself in a coup. He reigned for eight years from 1195 to 1203, a period of remarkable passivity in the face of gathering threats. His government was corrupt and inefficient. He allowed the military and naval forces that his Komnenian predecessors had built up to deteriorate further, and he pursued a foreign policy of appeasement and bribery rather than confrontation. When the Fourth Crusade arrived at Constantinople in June 1203 supporting the claim of his blinded brother's son, the young Alexios Angelos, Alexios III found the city's defenses inadequate. He made no serious attempt to fight and instead fled the city overnight in late July 1203, taking the imperial treasury and crown jewels with him. He spent the following years in exile, attempting to restore himself through various alliances, but he was eventually captured and died in a monastery in 1211.
- Lived: 1153 CE – 1211 CE
- Nationality: byzantine
- Roles: emperor, head_of_state
