In 1211 Alexios III Angelos

In 1211 Alexios III Angelos, the emperor who had fled Constantinople in 1204, suddenly popped up again. He had spent years roving about, including time spent in Lombardy as a hostage, and now appeared at the court of the Seljuk sultan, Kaykhusraw.

The sultan had previously allied with Theodore I Laskaris's enemy, Mavrozomes. He let Angelos persuade him to enter into another anti-Nicaea coalition, along with the Latin emperor, Henry of Flanders.

Theodore, meanwhile, had been consolidating his position. One of his strategies was to recruit large numbers of Latin mercenaries, to drain the manpower of his enemies in Constantinople. This angered the Pope, Innocent III, who in 1210 threatened to excommunicate any Latin crusader who joined Theodore. The threat had little effect, since Theodore was offering high wages.

By this point Theodore had allied with Boril of Bulgaria, successor to Kaloyan Romanslayer. In spring 1211 he felt confident enough to mount a joint attack upon Constantinople. Alexios and Kaykhusraw countered by invading Nicaea, forcing Theodore to lift the siege and hurry back to defend his lands.

The two sides met in a pitched battle at Antioch on the Maeander. Theodore's Latin mercenaries charged into the Seljuks, killing many and scattering the sultan's men. The Seljuk horse-archers rallied and shot the cumbersome Latin knights to bits, wiping them out. The allied army then attacked the remainder of Theodore's army, which started to retreat and break up.

As the fighting raged, Theodore and Kaykhusraw met in single combat. The sultan hit Theodore on the brow with his mace, knocking him to the ground. As Kaykhusraw turned away to celebrate, the emperor suddenly got up and hacked off the back legs of the sultan's horse. Kaykhusraw fell down and was beheaded, either by Theodore or one of his guards. The severed head was then stuck on the end of a lance and brandished at the sultan's troops, who lost their nerve and fled in panic.

The dead sultan's ally, Alexios, was captured in the rout. Instead of killing him, Theodore stripped his former master of the imperial regalia and sent him to a monastery, where he ended his days. Soon afterwards a truce was fixed with the Seljuks, which held good (more or less) until the 1260s.

In 1211 Alexios III Angelos, the emperor who had fled Constantinople in 1204, suddenly popped up again. He had spent years roving about, including time spent in Lombardy as a hostage, and now appeared at the court of the Seljuk sultan, Kaykhusraw.

The sultan had previously allied with Theodore I Laskaris's enemy, Mavrozomes. He let Angelos persuade him to enter into another anti-Nicaea coalition, along with the Latin emperor, Henry of Flanders.

Theodore, meanwhile, had been consolidating his position. One of his strategies was to recruit large numbers of Latin mercenaries, to drain the manpower of his enemies in Constantinople. This angered the Pope, Innocent III, who in 1210 threatened to excommunicate any Latin crusader who joined Theodore. The threat had little effect, since Theodore was offering high wages.

By this point Theodore had allied with Boril of Bulgaria, successor to Kaloyan Romanslayer. In spring 1211 he felt confident enough to mount a joint attack upon Constantinople. Alexios and Kaykhusraw countered by invading Nicaea, forcing Theodore to lift the siege and hurry back to defend his lands.

The two sides met in a pitched battle at Antioch on the Maeander. Theodore's Latin mercenaries charged into the Seljuks, killing many and scattering the sultan's men. The Seljuk horse-archers rallied and shot the cumbersome Latin knights to bits, wiping them out. The allied army then attacked the remainder of Theodore's army, which started to retreat and break up.

As the fighting raged, Theodore and Kaykhusraw met in single combat. The sultan hit Theodore on the brow with his mace, knocking him to the ground. As Kaykhusraw turned away to celebrate, the emperor suddenly got up and hacked off the back legs of the sultan's horse. Kaykhusraw fell down and was beheaded, either by Theodore or one of his guards. The severed head was then stuck on the end of a lance and brandished at the sultan's troops, who lost their nerve and fled in panic.

The dead sultan's ally, Alexios, was captured in the rout. Instead of killing him, Theodore stripped his former master of the imperial regalia and sent him to a monastery, where he ended his days. Soon afterwards a truce was fixed with the Seljuks, which held good (more or less) until the 1260s.