Michael VIII Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor

Michael VIII Palaiologos (born 1223) was the co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire of Nicaea (1259-1261), the exiled Byzantine Empire when Constantinople was under Latin occupation (1204-1261), and afterwards the first emperor of the Byzantine Empire based in Constantinople (1261-1282). Michael usurped power in 1258 through plotting and in 1259 managed to crown himself as the co-emperor of the rightful emperor of Nicaea, the child ruler John IV Laskaris (r. 1258-1261). As co-emperor, Michael sent an army which destroyed their enemies being the Latin states of Greece and the rival Byzantine Despotate of Epirus at the Battle of Pelagonia in 1259 which thus cleared the way for the Byzantine reconquest of Constantinople in 1261. In 1260, Michael personally led an attack against Latin held Constantinople which was however unsuccessful, but in the following year 1261 a small army under his command managed to recapture Constantinople from the Latins in only a single night. Following this, Michael entered the recaptured Constantinople for the first time and was crowned as the senior emperor, behind the back of the young John IV in Nicaea who was eventually blinded, deposed, and imprisoned under Michael's orders.
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As the emperor of the restored Byzantine Empire based in Constantinople, Michael VIII spent his entire 21-year reign rebuilding Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire from the ruins left behind by 57 years of Latin rule, while at the same time all of Michael's energy was spent in keeping the restored Byzantine Empire alive as it was threatened on all sides- by Bulgaria, Serbia, and the Mongols to the north; the Turks in the east; the remaining Latin states in Greece; and their rival which was Epirus in the west. As emperor, Michael VIII secured alliances with Aragon, the Mamluks of Egypt, and the Mongols of both Russia and Persia, though the biggest threat to Michael's empire was the potential Latin reconquest of Constantinople masterminded by the French king of Sicily Charles of Anjou. The Latins though never recaptured Constantinople as before Michael's death in 1282, he managed to pay off local lords in Sicily which was thus successful in overthrowing their French overlord Charles, thus removing him as an obstacle for the Byzantines. Although Michael was a highly effective and ambitious ruler, his popularity dropped dramatically from being the hero of the empire for recapturing Constantinople from the Latins to being greatly hated by his people for his decision to submit his people's Orthodox faith to the Catholic Church through the Church Council of Lyon (1272-1274). At the same time, Michael VIII also failed to maintain Byzantine rule in their heartland Asia Minor as he focused his attention more to the west, thus the Byzantines slowly lost Asia Minor to the rising Turkish Beyliks due to the local population there defecting to them as they were unhappy with the neglectful rule of the Byzantine Empire. Although highly unpopular at his death in 1282 and seen as a heretic as well, Michael at least saved his empire from a possible reconquest by the Latins through the rebellion of the Sicilian Vespers, however after Michael's death in 1282 it would be all downhill for the Byzantine Empire.
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© Art of Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos by myself, art-nouveau background is an addition