The Restoration of the Byzantine Empire (1261) and Its Consequences in the Romanian Area

Abstract

The re-conquest of Constantinople in 1261 was a historic event with major consequences in territories stretching well beyond the Byzantine Empire. Although the Palaeologan emperors could not restore the full prestige of their state, it was a useful moment of respite for the Orthodox world, extremely necessary at a time when the Catholic forces seemed to turn the scales to their side.
For the Romanian area, the Byzantine restoration and the imperial attempts to regain its former positions at the Lower Danube coincided with the interests of he Golden Horde in this region. Beyond the material damages caused by the struggles fought on and for these territories, the coming of the Byzantines accompanied by the Genoese merchants) and the overlapping Mongol suzerainty resulted in the rebirth of the economic and religious life, as well as the development of urban centres in the Romanian area.