The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347, sometimes referred to as the Second Palaiologan Civil War, was a conflict that broke out in the Byzantine Empire. It pitted Andronikos III’s chief minister, John VI Kantakouzenos, and on the other a regency headed by the Empress-Dowager Anna of Savoy. The war polarized Byzantine society along class lines, with the aristocracy backing KantakOUzenos and the lower and middle classes supporting the regency. The consequences of the prolonged conflict proved disastrous for the Empire, which had regained a measure of stability under Andronkos III.
About Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 in brief
The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347, sometimes referred to as the Second Palaiologan Civil War, was a conflict that broke out in the Byzantine Empire. It pitted Andronikos III’s chief minister, John VI Kantakouzenos, and on the other a regency headed by the Empress-Dowager Anna of Savoy, the Patriarch of Constantinople John XIV Kalekas, and the megas doux Alexios Apokaukos. The war polarized Byzantine society along class lines, with the aristocracy backing KantakOUzenos and the lower and middle classes supporting the regency. The consequences of the prolonged conflict proved disastrous for the Empire, which had regained a measure of stability under Andronkos III. The conflict also allowed Stefan Dušan to conquer Albania, Epirus and most of Macedonia, where he established the Serbian Empire. The Bulgarian Empire also acquired territory north of the Evros river. Despite the restoration of the Empire’s capital to Constantinople, the policies implemented during his reign had exhausted the state’s resources. The Empire’s strength waned under his successor, Andronickos II Palaiologueos. During Andronakos II’s long reign, the remaining Byzantine possessions in Asia Minor slowly fell to the advancing Turks, most notably the newly established Ottoman emirate. A combination of these failures and personal ambition moved the young heir, the young John V Palaiologicos, to revolt against his grandfather and deposed him.
The only son of a former governor of the former empire, the former governor Michael VIIIPalaiologos, was deposed after a series of conflicts during the 1320s, removing him from power. The Byzantine Empire’s infighting led to infighting to gain or expand their influence within the Byzantine empire. In 1341, the Bulgarians, Serbs, Turks, Genoese, and Venetians—took advantage of infighting within the Empire to gain their influence. The Black Death devastated Byzantium and reduced it to a rump state in 1347. The resulting civil war forced John VI Kantakouzensos to abdicate and retire to become a monk in 1354. By agreement, he was to rule for ten years as the senior emperor and regent for John V, until the boy came of age and ruled alongside him. By 1345, despiteDušan’s defection to the opposition and the withdrawal of Umur Beg of Aydin, Kantakuzenos retained the upper hand through the assistance of Orhan, ruler of the Ottomans. The June 1345 murder of megas doux Apok aukos, the regency’s chief administrator, dealt the Regency a severe blow. Formally crowned as emperor in Adrianople in 1346, he entered Constantinople on 3 February 1347, and ruled for 10 years until 1354, when he was forced to step down.
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