Theodore II Laskaris
Theodore II Laskaris, son of John III Vatatzes, was an emperor of genuine intellectual distinction who combined a passion for scholarship and philosophy with the military and administrative demands of the Nicaean state. He had received an exceptional education and wrote extensively - philosophical treatises, theological works, epistles, and encomia that survive and show a real literary talent. As emperor he faced increasing Bulgarian pressure and responded with personal energy, campaigning in Thrace with some success. He also elevated officials of lower social origin over the established aristocratic families, which created dangerous resentments at court. He suffered from epilepsy that worsened through his reign and died in August 1258, leaving an eight-year-old son John IV as his heir. His regency arrangements for his young son were immediately subverted by the aristocratic general Michael Palaiologos, who maneuvered himself into the regency and then the co-emperorship within months of Theodore's death.
- Lived: 1221 CE – 1258 CE
- Nationality: byzantine
- Roles: emperor, head_of_state, scholar, author
