# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/theodore-ii-laskaris
# Generated: 2026-09-02T01:38:22.145Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/theodore-ii-laskaris"
name: "Theodore II Laskaris"
slug: "theodore-ii-laskaris"
description: "The boy emperor who preferred philosophers to generals ruled a Byzantine successor state from exile, trying to rebuild an empire that had been stolen by crusaders — and died at thirty-six with everything still unfinished."
tagline: "Emperor of Nicaea from 1254 to 1258"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Theodoros_II_Laskaris.jpg"
gender: "male"
category:
  name: "Historical Figures"
  slug: "historical-figures"
profileType:
  name: "Historical Figure"
  slug: "historical-figure"
  entityType: "https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2798645"
birthDate: "1221"
deathDate: "1258-08-18"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
  popularity:           52.8
  momentum:             0
  historical:           22.128304
  currentAttention:     0
  sourceConfidence:     60
  profileCompleteness:  60
  trendDirection:       "FALLING"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  null
  category: null
tags:
  - name: "Politicians"
    slug: "politicians"
  - name: "Writer / Author"
    slug: "writer-author"
  - name: "Literature"
    slug: "literature"
  - name: "Politics"
    slug: "politics"
  - name: "Medieval Era"
    slug: "medieval-era"
sources:
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    title: "Wikipedia"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37082"
    title: "Wikidata"
    type:  "WIKIDATA"
  - url: "https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Theodore%20II%20Laskaris"
    title: "Pantheon 2.0"
    type:  "DATABASE"
  - url: "https://an.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teodoro_II_Lascaris"
    title: "Teodoro II Lascaris"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    title: "تيودور الثاني لسقاريس"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AB%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%89_%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B3"
    title: "ثيودور التانى لاسكاريس"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%DB%8C%DA%A9%DB%8C%D9%86%D8%AC%DB%8C_%D8%AA%D8%A6%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B1_%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%DA%A9%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%B3"
    title: "ایکینجی تئودور لاسکاریس"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A4%D0%B5%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%80_II_%D0%9B%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8B%D1%81"
    title: "Феадор II Ласкарыс"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A2%D0%B5%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%80_II_%D0%9B%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%81"
    title: "Теодор II Ласкарис"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teodor_II_L%C3%A0scaris"
    title: "Teodor II Làscaris"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theod%C3%B3ros_II._Laskaris"
    title: "Theodóros II. Laskaris"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_II._(Byzanz)"
    title: "Theodor II. (Byzanz)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://diq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodoros_II"
    title: "Theodoros II"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%98%CE%B5%CF%8C%CE%B4%CF%89%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%82_%CE%92%CE%84_%CE%92%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%AC%CF%84%CE%B6%CE%B7%CF%82"
    title: "Θεόδωρος Β΄ Βατάτζης"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teodoro_la_2-a_Laskaro"
    title: "Teodoro la 2-a Laskaro"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teodoro_II_L%C3%A1scaris"
    title: "Teodoro II Láscaris"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodoros_II_Laskaris"
    title: "Theodoros II Laskaris"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teodoro_II.a_Laskaris"
    title: "Teodoro II.a Laskaris"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AA%D8%A6%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B1_%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%85_%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%DA%A9%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%B3"
    title: "تئودور دوم لاسکاریس"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodoros_II_Laskaris"
    title: "Theodoros II Laskaris"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9odore_II_Lascaris"
    title: "Théodore II Lascaris"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teodoro_II_L%C3%A1scaris"
    title: "Teodoro II Láscaris"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%AA%D7%90%D7%95%D7%93%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A1_%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%A0%D7%99%2C_%D7%A7%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%A8_%D7%94%D7%90%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%94_%D7%94%D7%91%D7%99%D7%96%D7%A0%D7%98%D7%99%D7%AA"
    title: "תאודורוס השני, קיסר האימפריה הביזנטית"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teodor_II._Duka_Laskaris"
    title: "Teodor II. Duka Laskaris"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/II._Theod%C3%B3rosz_nikaiai_cs%C3%A1sz%C3%A1r"
    title: "II. Theodórosz nikaiai császár"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodorus_II_Laskaris"
    title: "Theodorus II Laskaris"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://als.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_II._(Byzanz)"
    title: "Theodor II. (Byzanz)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"

# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Theodore II Doukas Laskaris was born in November 1221 or 1222, the only child of Emperor John III Vatatzes of Nicaea, the Greek empire-in-exile carved from Asia Minor after crusaders took Constantinople in 1204. Educated by renowned scholars Nikephoros Blemmydes and George Akropolites, he wrote treatises on theology, history and philosophy as a young man and kept company with intellectuals, including a low-born page named George Mouzalon. In 1235 his father married him to Elena Asenina of Bulgaria to secure an alliance; Theodore later said the marriage was happy, and they had five or six children. From 1241 he served as his father's lieutenant in Asia Minor, becoming co-ruler around 1242, though he clashed with aristocratic commanders like Michael Palaiologos. Succeeding his father on 4 November 1254, Theodore dismissed high-born officials and replaced them with loyal friends of humble origin, allied with the Seljuk Sultan against the Mongols, repelled a Bulgarian invasion in 1256, and forced the ruler of Epirus to cede Dyrrachium. But when Epirus, Serbia and Sicily formed a coalition against Nicaea in 1257, his newly appointed generals failed to hold the line. 