And the story continues.
In 1442, Alexios II died, succeeded by his son, Petros. Petros seemed to be a humble and calm man, but there was a strain of harsh pragmatism in his character.
Petros (r. 1442-87)
Petros was immediately faced with wars on two fronts. The French king attacked and took southern Italy, and a rather weird romantic story involving a Turkish prince running away from his father and marrying a young Greek woman of high standing resulted in another war with Turkey and Russian Czar, the so-called "True Roman Emperor and Protector of Turks".
Petros decided to give South Italy away. The North Italian cities, formally subject to him, were strong enough to defend, but not strong enough to go on the offensive against the French. And French garrison in Rome was quite large.
So, he decided to focus on the Turks. German troops in the North protected the Balkans from Russian invaders.
The harshness of Petros' government was revealed, as he ordered the Coptic peasants in Egypt to work overdue for defence of the Empire.
While Byzantine troops invaded the Holy Land, Turks invaded Asia Minor yet again.
In the end, the Byzantines succeeded in reconquering Jerusalem, but the Turks managed to overcome the Asia Minor defences.
Since Petros was not sure that he'll be able to hold Jerusalem against the Turks, he decided to sign peace with them so far. Both conquests made during the war remained in hands of their respective states.
He also signed peace with the French, recognizing their ownership of Naples.
The way Petros treated Egypt and north Africa provoked a couple of rebellions, which were crushed.
At the end of his life, Petros arranged a wedding between a Byzantine princess and a Spanish prince.
He was succeeded by his son Andronikos.
Andronikos (r. 1487-1528). During that time, it again became fashionable for Emperors to appear in Consular uniforms.
In 1505, the Iranians overthrew their Turkish overlords.
Meanwhile, as a part of a broader cultural Renaissance in Mediterranean, a philosopher by the name of Stephanos Alexandrinos refounded the old Academy in Athens.
Every time the Germans attack the Russians, they are scared of Russian colds and withdraw. Truly, the lands of that Russian barbarian are as inhospitable as he is himself. Meanwhile,
war was again declared on the Turks.
Under the double pressure of both Iranian rebels and Byzantine forces, Turkish emirate collapsed into a bunch of quarrelling statelets. It was easy for Byzantine army to recapture Antiocheia.