Nicholas Kanabos
Nicholas Kanabos was a shadowy figure elevated to the imperial throne by a faction of the Byzantine population in late January 1204 during the extreme chaos preceding the Fourth Crusade's sack of Constantinople. He was proclaimed emperor in the Hagia Sophia by citizens desperate for an alternative to both the discredited Alexios IV and the usurper Mourtzouphlos. Kanabos reportedly had no desire for the purple and attempted to decline the imperial dignity; he was essentially forced to accept by the crowd. His reign lasted only a matter of days, possibly as few as three days, before Alexios V Mourtzouphlos consolidated control and had Kanabos arrested and executed. Almost nothing is known about his personal background. He is significant only as a footnote to the catastrophe of 1204, an illustration of how completely the imperial institution had collapsed.
- Lived: 1180 CE – 1204 CE
- Nationality: byzantine
- Roles: emperor, head_of_state
