In 1261, a surprise raid on Constantinople resurrected the fallen Byzantine Empire
A small scouting party transformed the map of the medieval world when they discovered an open gate in the walls of Constantinople, ending decades of exile for the Byzantine Empire.
On July 25, 1261, General Alexios Strategopoulos led a small force of Nicaean soldiers on a routine scouting mission near the legendary walls of Constantinople. To his shock, local farmers revealed that the city was almost entirely undefended because the Latin garrison was away on a naval raid.
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