Editing Andronikos II Palaiologos (section)

=== Military campaigns===
In 1283, the first military action of Andronikos II's reign occurred, against the town of [[Demetrias]] in [[Thessaly]]. At the time, Thessaly was ruled by [[John I Doukas of Thessaly|John Doukas]], and this attempt was another of many by the Byzantines in an effort to reclaim the region. The [[protovestiarios]] [[Michael Tarchaneiotes]] led a force to the town where they were met by the fleet under the command of Alexios Raoul and the ''[[megas stratopedarches]]'' [[John Synadenos (megas stratopedarches)|John Synadenos]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Bartusis |first=Mark C. |title=The late Byzantine army: arms and society, 1204 - 1453 |date=1997 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-1620-2 |series=Middle Ages series |location=Philadelphia |pages=67-68}}</ref> The siege was successful, however an epidemic spread which killed Michael Tarchaneiotes and much of the force. The remaining army had no choice but to abandon the town and withdraw from Thessaly.<ref name=":3" />

Upon his ascension to the throne, Andronikos II faced numerous challenges on every front. Financially, his fathers policies were unsustainable, and in 1285 he was forced to dismantle the imperial fleet. This action increased the Empire's maritime dependence on [[Republic of Genoa|Genoa]], which was obligated to aid the Empire as per the [[Treaty of Nymphaeum (1261)|Treaty of Nymphaeum]]. In an effort to improve the treasury's position, Andronikos II devalued the Byzantine ''[[hyperpyron]]'', while the state treasury accumulated less than one seventh the revenue (in nominal coins) that it had previously. Seeking to increase revenue, Andronikos II raised taxes and reduced tax exemptions, exacerbating the economies already precarious positions.<ref name=":3" />

In 1291, [[Charles II of Naples|Charles II]], son of [[Charles I of Anjou|Charles of Anjou]], entered into an alliance with the Despot of Epirus [[Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas]]. This alliance reawakened Byzantine fears which had been dormant since the [[Sicilian Vespers]]. A Byzantine army was dispatched to Epirus, and in 1292 sieged [[Ioannina]]. Simultaneously, a Genoese fleet accompanied by Byzantine soldiers approached the capital of the [[Despotate of Epirus|Despotate]], [[Arta, Greece|Arta]]. The army at Ioannina retreated north at the approach of the prince of Achaia, [[Florent of Hainaut|Florent of Hainault]]. The fleet departed after some raiding in the area. Like the campaign in Thessaly, the war further stretched imperial resources with little to show for it.<ref name=":3" />

As a result of its alliance with Genoa, the empire was drawn into a [[Byzantine–Venetian War (1296–1302)|pointless war]] with Venice between 1296 and 1302. While the Genoese settled with the Venetians in 1299, Andronikos II continued the war in hopes of gaining something from it. By the end of the war in 1302, virtually nothing was changed except the loss of resources desperately needed on other fronts.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Laiou |first=Angeliki E. |title=Constantinople and the Latins: the foreign policy of Andronicus II, 1282-1328 |date=1972 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-16535-9 |series=Harvard historical studies |location=Cambridge, Mass}}</ref>