Editing Alexios III Angelos (section)

==Early life==
Alexios III was the second son of [[Andronikos Angelos Doukas]] and [[Euphrosyne Kastamonitissa]]. Andronikos was himself a son of [[Theodora Komnene (daughter of Alexios I)|Theodora Komnene]], the youngest daughter of Emperor [[Alexios I Komnenos]] and [[Irene Doukaina]]. Thus, Alexios III was a member of the extended imperial family. Together with his father and brothers, Alexios had conspired against Emperor [[Andronikos I Komnenos]] ({{circa|lk=no|1183}}), and thus he spent several years in exile in Muslim courts, including that of [[Saladin]].

His younger brother [[Isaac II Angelos|Isaac II]] was threatened with execution under orders of Andronikos I, their first-cousin once-removed, on 11 September 1185. Isaac made a desperate attack on the imperial agents and soon killed their leader [[Stephen Hagiochristophorites]]. He then took refuge in the church of [[Hagia Sophia]] and from there appealed to the populace. His actions provoked a riot, which resulted in the deposition of Andronikos I and the proclamation of Isaac as Emperor. Alexios was now closer to the imperial throne than ever before.