Michael Paleologos

Year 1204, the western "crudaders" have captured Constantinople, killed, destroyed, ravaged and pillaged. They created the "Latin Empire of Constantinople", the "Kingdom of Salonica" and other smaller states from sharing between them the territories of the destroyed by them Byzantine Empire. 3 territories remained free though.

The Despotate of Epirus, the Empire of Trabizond and the Empire of Nicaea. 3 Greek Orthodox states resisted the invadors. From the Empire of Nikae came the man that was destined to resurect the Byzantine Empire...His Magesty Michael Palaeologos.

Michael was crowned as an Emperor with the name Michael VIII in 1259, 55 years after the destruction of the Empire by the "crusaders" of the 4th "crusade" .

After a whille in the battle of Pelagonia he defited the united forces of the Despotate of Epirus, Sicily and the Principality of Achaea. It was a triumph of Michael! The power of Latin Principate of Achaea in Greece was destroyed, the threat over Salonica was over and now Michael could turn in setting free Constantinople from Latin occupation.

His general Alexios Strategopoulos, whille he was returning from the Bulgarian borders sow that the Queen of the cities was not guarded well. He managed to get inside the walls with his 800 men and set free the City. Michael went to Constantinople where he was crowned as King and Emperor of the Romans inside the holy church of Hagia Sofia.

In order to set free the Latin Prince of Achaea William II Villehardouin which he captured after the battle of Pelagonia Michael received by him the castle of Monemvasia and of the great Mani and the Castle of Mystras.  By that action the Principate of Achaea of the Latin invadors lost its strength and the Greek despotate of Moreos was born, a fact that was very important because Pelloponesse became the Acropolis of Hellenism at the last years of the Empire, during the Turkish occupation of Greece and during the Great Greek rebellion of 1821.

Charles of Anjou King of Sisely head of a very strong anti-Byzantine western alliance wanted to destroy once more the resurected Empire and reenslave Constantinople and the rest of Greece. Anjou's first step was to occupy the Greek island of Corfu in order to use it as a base to threat the Byzantine Empire. Next year (1270) he gathered a huge fleet in the Italian port of Trapani in order to attack and destroy the Empire. Suddenly a storm came from nowhere destroyed his fleet inside the port an incident that was considered by Michael and Orthodox Greeks as a miracle of the Holy Virgin Mary the Protector of Constantinople.

Charles returned, attacked Epirus and made alliance with the Despot but he was heavily defited by the Byzantine general Michael Tarhaniotes in the battle of Veration ( 1281).

Charles that insisted, gathered a stronger and fearsome army in Sisely in order to eliminate Byzantium but the famous Siselian Vespers (sikelikos esperinos) took place, a rebellion of the locals against the French that ended with the total slaughtering of French on Sisely. It is undoubtable that the famous Byzantine diplomacy of Michael (known as the best Emperor in diplomacy) was behind the rebellion and the slaughtering of their dangerous enemies.

Michael VIII Paleologos was one of the greatest Byzantine Emperors that managed to resurect the Empire, defit all its western enemies and establice the Paleology dynasty that live longer than any other in the Empire. He is considered by many historians as the best diplomat-Emperor the Empire ever had. The Hellenic Nation owns a lot to Michael Paleologos because it secured its continuation as an Empire for almost 200 years, set free almost all metropolitan Greece and put the basis for Pelloponesse to be the Acropolis of Hellenism through the dark ages of Turkish occupation and the succes of the Great Greek rebellion of 1821 that took place.

Learn more about this author, 
George Papasimakis.

Vasil II The Bulgar Slayer

Vasil II

The Bulgar Slayer

Basil II the Bulgar slayer was Born in 958 and died in 15 December 1025. He was the Predecessor of John I Tzimiskes and he was successed by Constantine VIII.
His father was Romanos II and his mother Theophano. He was a member of the famous Macedonian dynasty. Emperor Basill II is one of the most important men of the Hellenic Nation. He is the one that saved Macedonia and the rest of Greece from the Bulgarian threat that after the creation of the Bulgaric state in the lands of Ano Mysia became very dangerous for all European lands of the Empire. Basill became an Emperor in the age of 18 and he managed to win the battle against the rebels great landowners of Asia Minor, Bardas Skleros and Bardas Phokas which he was stricktly punished.

After that, he turned his attention to the Bulgarians that have occupied Macedonia except Salonica and have moved to southern Greece.
He was heavily defited at first in the battle of Larisa in 987 and that incident gave the Bulgarians the change to begin an orgy of killings, burning, pillage and all kinds off atrocities against the native Hellenic population of Macedonia and Southern Greece.
Vasill managed to stop them with his general Nikiphoros Ouranos, Nikiforos Ksifias, Eustathos Dafnomilis and in the end in the battle of KLEIDION he destroyed them uterly!

In that battle he destroyed the army of Samuel of Bulgaria and he arrested 14.000 as prisoners. Bulgarians were stricktly punished for the crimes of rebellion, killings, burning and destrucion. Basill blinded 99 to every 100 men.In very 100 men he left 1 with one eye to guide the others back to Bulgaria. When Samuel sow that, he died. After his victory Basill visited southern Greece and he went to the church of Holy Mary of Parthenon in Athens to thank the Lord for his success in the Bulgarian war.

His Imperial Magesty also launched a campaign against Muslim Arabs that besieged Antioch and Aleppo. In 995 with 40,000 men and 80,000 mules he attacked and won many battles he relieved Aleppo, took over Orontes valley all north Syria and moved south.Moving to lands that were lost for the Empire since the Arab expantion, he sacked all cities between Emessa and Tripoli. This lands would remain in Greek hand for 75 years.

Vasil managed to stabilize the Byzantine rull in Crimea in the north of the Black Sea by making alliance with the Russians from which he had millitary help which later transformed in to the IMPERIAL VARANGIAN GUARD. He also gave his younger sister Anna as a wife to the Russian Ruller. He win over the Khazar turks with jewish relligion, beat the Persians that invaded Armenia, united Armenia with the Empire after the Armenian King has died, took back important lands in South Italy known till today by his name (Basillikata). Death caught him before he set free the island of Sisely, giving an end to that plan of the Glorious King.

He was buried in the Church of St. John the Theologian the Evangelist at the Hebdomon Palace outside the Theodosian walls of Constantinople. Unfortunatelly the barbarians of the 4th (1204) crusade vandalised, and ravaged his grave. Michael Paleologos set free Constantinople in 1261 and the religious Greek soldiers were socked in the site of the grave being ravaged.
But thats another story...

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ΤΟΥ ΚΑΣΤΡΟΥ ΤΗΣ ΩΡΙΑΣ

Του κάστρου της Ωριάς Όσα κάστρα κι αν είδα κι όσα λόγιασα
σαν της Ωριάς το κάστρο δεν ελόγιασα
Σαράντα πύργους έχει όλο μάλαγμα
κι άλλους σαρανταπέντε για τον πόλεμοΤούρκος το πολεμάει χρόνους δώδεκα
και δεν μπορεί να το πατήσει
Ένας κακός Τουρκάκης ένας Κόνιαρος
πάγει στο βασιλέα και τον προσκυνά:-Αφέντη βασιλέα, τ' ειν' το τάγμα σου;
-Χίλια φλωριά σε δίνω κι άλογο καλό
και δυο σπαθιά 'σημένια για τον πόλεμο
-Ουδέ τ' άσπρα σου θέλω ουδέ τα σπαθιά
μόνε την κόρη θέλω που 'ναι στα γυαλιά
-Ωσάν το κάστρο πάρεις, χάρισμα κι αυτήΚαλογεράκι εγίνη, ράσα φόρεσε
πάγει στην πόρταν, κλαίει, πέφτει, προσκυνάει
κλαίει και γονατίζει και παρακαλάει:-Aνοιξε, την πόρτα την πόρτα της Ωριάς
πόρτα της μαυρομάτας της βασίλισσας.
-Συ εισ' ένας Τουρκάκης, ένας Κόνιαρος
φέυγα και σε σκοτώνουν, φέυγα, σε κρεμνούν-Μα το σταυρόν, κυρά μου, μα την Παναγιάν
ουδέ Τουρκάκης είμαι ουδέ Κόνιαρος
είμαι καλογεράκης απ' ασκηταριό
της πείνας αποθαίνω και λυπήσου με-Για δώτε τον ψωμάκι κι άμε στο καλό
-Κυρά, στην εκκλησίαν να προσευχηθώ
Aνοιξε την πόρτα, την πόρτα της Ωριάς
πόρτα της μαυρομάτας της βασίλισσας-Για ρίξετε τους γάντζους να τον πάρετε
-Τα ράσα μ' είναι σάπια και ξεσχίζονται
-Για ρίξετε το σάκο να τον πάρετε
-Α, μη κυρά, το σάκο, κι αντραλίζομαιΗ πόρτα μισανοίγει, γέμισ' η αυλή.
Άλλοι στ' άσπρα χυθήκαν κι άλλοι στα φλωριά
κι αυτός μέσα στην κόρην, που 'ναι στα γυαλιά
κι η κόρη σαν τον είδε, έπεσε στο γιαλό

A video about the glorious Greek Byzantine Empire.

Εικονες απο την Ελληνικη Ιστορια

It is the legend of the Emperor Konstantine IA' Palaiologos of the Greek-Byzantine empire that finished the long line of the Byzantine emperors.
Konstantine defended Constantinople in 1453 with 3.500 to 7.000 men against the barbaric Muslim Turkish hordes of 250.000 men.
After many days of war the leader of the horde SultanMehmett II' send offers to our King in order to propose him to surrender him Constantinople in order to save his life and fortune.
He offer him all Peloponnese peninsula as his kingdom, not to harm anybody of the Greek population of Constantinople, and they could all leave with their fortune and weapons.
Konstantine answered like that:
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The Turk ordered his final attack, like demons the Muslim hordes attacked the walls of the ancient capital of the Greek empire but the Christian warriors were fighting with great courage.
Moments were tragical...one moment hours later Konstantinesaied <> He didntt finish his phrase and the General and leader of the defence after the KingJustinianii was badly hurt.
He transported at his ship and he was followed by his troops.
The King, even with even less men continued to fight, till the last part, the part of the treason took place...
In the Jewish neighbourhood of Constantinople was a little door named Kerkoportaa".
That door was open! Some thousands Turks got into the city. Konstantine with his exhausted remaining soldiers was surrounded.
But I will let the historian GeorgeFrantzisis to tell us the story, as a person that participated in this battle:
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