Empire of Thessalonica

The Empire of Thessalonica is a modern historiographical name for the Greek state centered on Thessalonica between 1224 and 1246, ruled by the Komnenodoukas dynasty of the Despotate of Epirus. Its rulers claimed the imperial title from 1225/7 until 1242. It arose after the Fourth Crusade destroyed the Byzantine Empire in 1204 and the Latin Kingdom of Thessalonica was established in northern Greece. Theodore Komnenos Doukas, ruler of Epirus, captured Thessalonica in 1224 and had himself crowned emperor, claiming the Byzantine inheritance in rivalry with the Empire of Nicaea and the Second Bulgarian Empire. His expansion ended at the battle of Klokotnitsa in 1230, when he was captured by the Bulgarians; the state became a Bulgarian vassal, and Epirus broke away under Michael II. Theodore recovered the city in 1237 and installed his son John as ruler. The imperial title was renounced in 1242 in favor of Nicaean suzerainty, and in 1246 Nicaea annexed Thessalonica.