Editing Theodore II Laskaris (section)

==Scholarship==

A man of letters devoted to philosophical and theological studies, Theodore transformed his court into a center for renowned scholars shortly after his accession to the throne.{{sfn|Lascaratos|Zis|1998|p=296}} He ordered that books which he and his father had collected in urban libraries be made available to all who wanted to read them.{{sfn|Nicol|1993|p=27}}{{sfn|Angelov|2019|p=106}} During his father's lifetime he began to write treatises on philosophical, theological and historical subjects, but decided to prepare manuscript editions of his works only after his meeting with Berthold of Hohenburg in 1253. They were collected in four [[codices]], but only three survived.{{sfn|Angelov|2019|pp=145, 323–326, 329}}

Theodore's ''Satire of the Tutor'', written most likely in 1240, is his earliest extant work. The satire is dedicated to his principal tutor, portraying him as an under-educated and rude man, who learned magic while staying in Bulgaria. He also wrote [[encomia]] in praise of the citizens of Nicaea, his father and Akropolites. Theodore's theological works—including his ''First Oration against the Latins, or, on the Procession of the Holy Spirit'', and his treatise ''On the Trinity''—demonstrate his adherence to Orthodox theology.{{sfn|Angelov|2019|pp=70–71,329–342}} Theodore's ''Great Supplicatory Canon to Our Lady'', a [[supplicatory canon]] to the [[Virgin Mary]], is his best known work. He composed it just months before his death and it is still sung in Orthodox ceremonies.{{sfn|Kanellopoulos|Lekea|2007|p=62}}