By 1200 AD, the Byzantine Empire was fully bloomed and towards the end of its power. During this time, Alexios III ruled the empire, under the Angeloi dynasty. However, as soon as the Fourth Crusade (assembled in Venice in 1202) captured Constantinople in 1204, Alexios III fled the capital, leaving the empire a mess. The Latin Empire was then formed, until Michael Palaeologus, part of the Nicaea empire, recaptured and restored Constantinople in 1261. The Byzantine Empire, similarly to the Mongol empire, had warfare as a main component of their society, depending on conquering the surrounding empires to sustain themselves. Although the empire was also often attacked from the east and the west, the Byzantines survived through bribery, diplomacy,
