Page:Destruction of the Greek Empire.djvu/72

38 DESTEUCTION OF THE GEEEK EMPIRE demand the already strained relations between the Orthodox and the Eoman parties would have become dangerous to the state, would have probably brought about civil war, and might have cost Andronicus his throne. The question after long negotiations was settled in 1295 by the marriage of Michael with the sister of the king of Armenia. Popes The popes thereupon took a bolder course. They had ject forre- seen the futility of the efforts to obtain Union by negotiation ?ng a Latin * ne emperor, and now supported a series of attempts to empire. recapture Constantinople and to place upon the throne a descendant of the last Latin emperor, Baldwin the Second. If the recapture could be accomplished, the Union so dear to Kome could be brought about by force. In 1301 Catherine of Courtenay married Charles of Valois, brother of the king of France. 1 The marriage was a political one, its object being to give the hand of Catherine to a Western prince of sufficient standing to arouse an enthusiasm in all the West in favour of the restoration of the Latin empire. Charles at once entered into a treaty with the Venetians for the conquest of Constantinople, and arranged to recognise the assignment of certain portions of the empire which had already been made to other descen- dants of Baldwin. A Venetian was designated by the pope as Latin patriarch of Constantinople. Eighteen Venetian ships went to the capital, and were sufficiently powerful to force the emperor to grant trading concessions. Charles of Anjou and Frederic of Aragon bound themselves to aid in the attempts to recapture Constantinople. It was in presence of this threatened attack, which 1 The following table of descent will illustrate the text : Baldwin II., emperor of Constantinople, fled the city 1261, died 1272. I Philip, married Beatrice, daughter of Charles of Anjou, king of Sicily, | died 1288. Catherine, married in 1301 Charles of Valois, son of Philip III. of France ; I Charles died 1308. John, Catherine married Philip of Tarentum, Joanna Elizabeth died without son of Charles of Sicily. Philip issue. died 1322 : Catherine in 1346.