Editing Fourth Crusade (section)

== Frankokratia ==
{{main|Frankokratia}}
The ''Frankokratia'' ({{langx|el|Φραγκοκρατία}}, {{langx|la|Francocratia}}, sometimes [[anglicized]] as ''Francocracy'', {{abbr|lit.|literally}} "rule of the [[Franks]]"), also known as ''Latinokratia'' ({{langx|el|Λατινοκρατία}}, {{langx|la|Latinocratia}}, "rule of the [[Latins (Middle Ages)|Latins]]") and, for the [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] domains, ''Venetokratia'' or ''Enetokratia'' ({{langx|el|Βενετοκρατία or Ενετοκρατία}}, {{langx|la|Venetocratia}}, "rule of the Venetians"), was the period in [[Greek history]] after the Fourth Crusade when a number of primarily French and Italian states were established by the ''[[Partitio terrarum imperii Romaniae]]'' on the territory of the shattered [[Byzantine Empire]].

The terms ''Frankokratia'' and ''Latinokratia'' derive from the name given by the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] Greeks to the [[Latin Church|Western]] French and Italians who originated from territories that once belonged to the [[Frankish Empire]], as this was the political entity that ruled much of the former [[Western Roman Empire]] after the collapse of Roman authority and power. The span of the ''Frankokratia'' period differs by region: the political situation proved highly volatile, as the Frankish states fragmented and changed hands, and the Greek successor states re-conquered many areas.

With the exception of the [[Ionian Islands]] and some islands or forts which [[Stato da Màr|remained in Venetian hands]] until the turn of the 19th century, the end of the ''Frankokratia'' in most Greek lands came with the [[Ottoman Greece|Ottoman conquest]], chiefly in the 14th to 17th centuries, which ushered in the period known as "''Tourkokratia''" ("rule of the Turks"; see [[Ottoman Greece]]). During the ensuing half-century, the unstable Latin Empire siphoned off much of Europe's crusading energy. The legacy of the Fourth Crusade was the deep sense of betrayal felt by the Greek Christians. With the events of 1204, the schism between the Churches in the East and West was not just complete but also solidified.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica 1983">p. 310, vol. 5; ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 15th ed. 1983, {{ISBN|0-85229-400-X}}</ref>

During the ''Frankokratia'', the Latin Empire was faced with a number of enemies. After taking Constantinople the crusaders were not able to take possession of the entire empire. The Franks were faced by several Eastern Roman rump states, whose rulers considered themselves the legitimate successors to the Imperial throne. The three most important of these surviving Byzantine entities were the [[Despotate of Epirus]] in [[Epirus]], the [[Empire of Nicaea]] in [[Anatolia]], and the [[Empire of Trebizond]] in [[Paphlagonia]], [[Pontus (region)|Pontus]], [[Bithynia]], and [[Crimea]]. Besides the individual [[Rump state|Eastern Roman rump states]] in [[Epirus]], [[Empire of Nicaea|Nicaea]] and [[Empire of Trebizond|Trebizond]], the crusaders were threatened by the Christian [[Second Bulgarian Empire]] in [[Bulgaria]], [[Wallachia]], and the [[Balkans]] and the Muslim & nomadic [[Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm]] in Anatolia, and later the [[Mongol Empire]], or more specifically, the [[Golden Horde]]. Ultimately the crusaders lacked the numbers sufficient to permanently hold their new conquests.

The fragmented Eastern Roman rump states fought against the crusaders, Bulgarians, Turks, and each other.<ref>{{cite book |first=Jean |last=Richard |pages=252–257 |title=The Crusades c. 1071 – c. 1291 |date=1999 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-62369-3}}</ref> The unstable Latin Empire siphoned off much of Europe's crusading energy. The legacy of the Fourth Crusade and ''Frankokratia'' was also a deep sense of betrayal felt by the Greek Christians. With the events of 1204, the schism between the Churches in the East and West was not just complete but also solidified.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica 1983" />
During the ''Frankokratia'' various Latin–French lordships throughout Greece{{snd}}in particular, the [[Duchy of Athens]] and the [[principality of the Morea]]{{snd}}provided cultural contacts with western Europe and promoted the study of Greek. There was also a French cultural influence, notably the production of a collection of laws, the ''[[Assises de Romanie]]''. The ''[[Chronicle of Morea]]'' appeared in both [[French language|French]] and [[Greek language|Greek]] (and later Italian and Aragonese) versions. Impressive remains of Crusader castles and [[Gothic architecture|Gothic churches]] can still be seen in Greece. Nevertheless, the Latin Empire always rested on shaky foundations.

Constantinople was re-captured by the Nicaeans under [[Michael VIII Palaiologos]] in 1261, with naval support from the Genoese in the [[Reconquest of Constantinople]]. This led to the restoration of a diminished Byzantine Empire. Commerce with Venice was re-established but the Nicaeans gave their Genoese allies possession of Galata, a fortress on the northern banks of the Golden Horn.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

The Fourth Crusade had other and greater historical impacts. During the ''Frankokratia'' those Eastern Roman lands which were not under a stable government were permanently lost to the Seljuks in Anatolia. Southern Greece and the Greek islands remained mostly under rule of the crusaders, Italian nobles, and Venice. Even the [[Byzantine Greek]] [[Despotate of Epirus]] would also be ruled by another Italian noble family. Most of these crusader kingdoms would be annexed into the future [[Ottoman Empire]], not the resurgent Byzantine-Nicaean state. The treasury of the Byzantine Empire was depleted, most of it stolen by the crusaders. All of these factors would hasten the [[Fall of Constantinople|final fall of the Byzantine Empire]] to the [[Ottoman Turks]] in 1453 to the Ottoman Sultan, [[Mehmed II]]. This
final fall of the Eastern Roman Empire would usher in a new era to the ancient land of [[Greece]] which the Greeks would know as [[Tourkokratia]], or "the Rule of the Turks".