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ALEXIUS III

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Originally appearing in Volume V01, Page 578 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ALEXIUS III . (See also:

ANGELUS), See also:emperor of the See also:East, was the second son of Andronicus Angelus, See also:nephew of Alexius I. In 1195, while his See also:brother See also:Isaac II. was away See also:hunting in See also:Thrace, he was See also:pro-claimed emperor by the troops; he captured Isaac at Stagira in See also:Macedonia, put out his eyes, and kept him henceforth a See also:close prisoner, though he had been redeemed by him from captivity at See also:Antioch and loaded with honours. To compensate for this See also:crime and to confirm his position as emperor, he had to scattermonev so lavishly as to empty his See also:treasury, and to allow such, See also:licence to the See also:officers of the See also:army as to leave the See also:Empire practically defenceless. He consummated the See also:financial ruin of the See also:state. The empress See also:Euphrosyne tried in vain to sustain his See also:credit and his See also:court; Vatatzes, the favourite See also:instrument of her attempts at reform, was assassinated by the emperor's orders. Eastward the Empire was overrun by the See also:Turks; from the See also:north Bulgarians and See also:Vlachs descended unchecked to ravage the plains of Macedonia and Thrace; while Alexius squandered the public treasure on his palaces and gardens. Soon he was threatened by a new and yet more formidable danger. In 1202 the Western princes assembled at See also:Venice, See also:bent on a new crusade. To them Alexius, son of the deposed Isaac, made See also:appeal, promising as a crowning bribe to heal the See also:schism of East and See also:West if they would help him to depose his See also:uncle. The crusaders, whose See also:objective had been See also:Egypt, were persuaded to set their course for See also:Constantinople, before which they appeared in See also:June 1203, proclaiming the emperor Alexius IV. and summoning the See also:capital to depose his uncle. Alexius III., sunk in debauchery, took no efficient See also:measures to resist.

His son-in-See also:

law, See also:Lascaris, who was the only one to do anything, was defeated at See also:Scutari, and the See also:siege of Constantinople began. On the 17th of See also:July the crusaders, the aged See also:doge See also:Dandolo at their See also:head, scaled the walls and took the See also:city by See also:storm. During the fighting and carnage that followed Alexius hid in the See also:palace, and finally, with one of his daughters, See also:Irene, and such treasures as he could collect, got into a See also:boat and escaped to Develton in Thrace, leaving his wife, his other daughters and his Empire to the victors. Isaac, See also:drawn from his See also:prison and robed once more in the imperial See also:purple, received his son in state. Shortly afterwards Alexius made an effort in See also:conjunction with Murtzuphlos (Alexius V.) to recover the See also:throne. The See also:attempt was unsuccessful and, after wandering about See also:Greece, he surrendered with Euphrosyne, who had meanwhile joined him, to See also:Boniface of See also:Montferrat, then See also:master of a See also:great See also:part of the See also:Balkan See also:peninsula. Leaving his See also:protection he sought shelter with See also:Michael, See also:despot of See also:Epirus, and then repaired to See also:Asia See also:Minor,where his son-in-law Lascaris was holding his' own against the Latins. Alexius, joined by the See also:sultan of See also:Iconium (Konieh), now demanded the See also:crown of Lascaris, and on his refusal marched against him. Lascaris, however, defeated and took him prisoner. Alexius was relegated to a monastery at See also:Nicaea, where he died on some date unknown.

End of Article: ALEXIUS III

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