Theodore Laskaris

Theodore Laskaris was a Byzantine Greek nobleman who became the founder and ruler of the Empire of Nicaea after the Fourth Crusade in 1204, which disrupted Byzantine control. He established Nicaea as a center for Byzantine recovery and culture, serving as its first emperor from 1205 until his death in 1222. Under his leadership, Nicaea became a stronghold of Greek continuity and resistance against Latin crusader states. Laskaris worked to preserve Byzantine traditions, arts, and administrative structures, laying the groundwork for the empire's eventual restoration of Byzantine rule in Constantinople in 1261.