v32_0790 - EMPIRIO DI NICEA - GIOVANNI III DUCAS Hyperpère

NICAEAN EMPIRE - JOHN III DUCAS

(1222-3/11/1254)

Jean III Ducas Vatatzès or Jean I of Nicaea is the son-in-law of Théodore Lascaris, the founder of the dynasty. He continued the work of his predecessor and was one of the greatest rulers in Byzantine history. He succeeded in containing his competitors: the Emperor of Thessaloniki, the Tsar of the Bulgarians (Asên II) and the Latin Empire whose life was already dependent on the disunity between its enemies. Spared in extremis by the Mongol deluge, Nicaea took advantage of the weakening of its neighbors. Despite the wars, John III raised the economy of the country and Nicaea experienced a well-being such as the Byzantine Empire had not had for a long time..