Historical Reputation
Isaac has the reputation of one of the most unsuccessful princes that occupied the Byzantine throne. Surrounded by a crowd of slaves, mistresses and flatterers, he permitted his empire to be administered by unworthy favourites, while he squandered the money wrung from his provinces on costly buildings and expensive gifts to the churches of his metropolis. During his reign the Empire lost Lefkada, Kefallonia, and Zakynthos to the Normans in 1185. In the same year the Bulgarian Empire was restored after the rebellion of the brothers Asen and Peter and thus losing Moesia and parts of Thrace and Macedonia. After that Cilicia was retaken by the Armenians and Cyprus wrested from the empire by the Franks.
Read more about this topic: Isaac II Angelos
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