Angelos

The family rose to prominence through the marriage of its founder, Constantine Angelos, with Theodora Komnene, the youngest daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.

Thessalonica was lost to Nicaea in 1246, and the prospects of recovering Constantinople were dashed at the Battle of Pelagonia in 1259, followed by the re-establishment of the Byzantine Empire under the Palaiologos dynasty in 1261.

Often in rivalry to the new Byzantine regime, the Komnenodoukai nevertheless secured recognition and titles from Constantinople, and retained their control over Thessaly (ruled by a cadet line) and Epirus until 1318.

[3] The historian Suzanne Wittek-de Jongh suggested that Constantine was the son of a certain patrikios Manuel Angelos, whose possessions near Serres were confirmed by a chrysobull of Emperor Nikephoros III (r. 1078–1081), but this is considered unlikely by other scholars.

[5] Despite his lowly origin, Constantine managed to win the favors of Theodora Komnene (born 1097), the widow of John Kourtikes and fourth daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118) and Irene Doukaina.

[13] In 1195 Isaac II was deposed by his brother Alexios III Angelos, whose coup and misuse of power accelarated the decline of the empire's strength.

[12][2] On 1 August 1203, the blinded Isaac II was crowned co-emperor, after eight years of imprisonment, along with his son Alexios IV, who held the true power during their reign.

After his deposition by the Fourth Crusade, Alexios III fled Constantinople with the goal of collecting support and restoring his reign, but was eventually captured in Nicaea where he died in a monastery in 1211.

[2] Following the brief reign and failed negotiations by Alexios V, the Crusaders sacked Constantinople and established the Latin Empire officially terminating the Byzantine rule for nearly half a century.

[17] Initially a vassal and an ally of the Latins, Michael I went on to expand his territories in north-eastern Greece until his death in 1215, when he was succeeded by his half-brother Theodore Komnenos Doukas.

Epirus appeared as a serious contender for the Byzantine throne, but Theodore was defeated and captured by John II Asen at the Battle of Klokotnitsa in 1230 and his empire quickly declined following the loses in Macedonia and Thrace.

[18] In the same year, the south of Thessaly was seized by the Catalan Grand Company and annexed to the Duchy of Athens, while the north passed to a series of autonomous magnates.