
Coat of arms of the Latin Empire of Constantinople.
Baldwin II of Courtenay (;
1217 – October
1273) was the last emperor of the
Latin Empire of
Constantinople.

Baldwin II (1217-1273).
He was a younger son of
Yolanda of Flanders, sister of the first two emperors,
Baldwin I and
Henry of Flanders. Her husband,
Peter of Courtenay, was third emperor of the Latin Empire (also known as
Romania, not to be confused with modern
Romania), and had been followed by his son
Robert of Courtenay, on whose death in
1228 the succession passed to Baldwin, then an 11-year-old boy.
The barons chose
John of Brienne (titular king of the
Kingdom of Jerusalem) as emperor-regent for life; Baldwin was to rule the
Asiatic possessions of the empire when he reached the age of twenty. He was also to marry
Marie of Brienne, daughter of John and his third wife
Berenguela of Leon, and on John's death to enjoy the full imperial sovereignty. The marriage contract was carried out in
1234. Since the death of Baldwin's uncle, Emperor
Henry of Flanders in
1216, the Latin Empire had declined and the
Byzantine (
Nicene) power advanced; and the hopes that John of Brienne might restore it were disappointed.
The realm which Baldwin governed was little more than the city of Constantinople. His financial situation was desperate, and his life was chiefly occupied in begging at
European courts. He went to the West in
1236, visited
Rome,
France and
Flanders, trying to raise money and men to recover the lost territory of his realm. In 1237, Baldwin II pawned the
Crown of Thorns to a Venetian merchant for 13,134 gold pieces. His efforts met with success, and in
1240 he returned to Constantinople (through
Germany and
Hungary) at the head of a considerable army. Circumstances hindered him from accomplishing anything with this help, and in
1245 he traveled again to the West, first to
Italy and then to
France, where he spent two years. The empress Marie and
Philip of Toucy governed during his absence. He was happy to be able to get money from
King Louis IX in exchange for relics. In
1249 he was with King Louis at
Damietta.
The extremity of his financial straits reduced him soon afterwards to handing over his only son,
Philip, to
Venetian merchants as a pledge for loans of money. Philip was later redeemed by
Alfonso X of Castile. The rest of his reign was spent by Baldwin in mendicant tours in western
Europe. In
1261 Constantinople was captured by
Michael VIII Palaeologus, and Baldwin’s rule came to an end. He escaped in a Venetian galley to
Negropont, and then proceeded to
Athens, thence to
Apulia, finally to
France. As titular emperor, his role was still the same, to beg help from the western powers. In
1267 he went to
Italy; his hopes were centred on
Charles of Anjou. Charles seriously entertained the idea of conquering Constantinople, though various complications hindered him from realizing it. To this intent, he signed the
Treaty of Viterbo with Baldwin (May
1267). During the next year Baldwin and his son Philip lived on pensions from Charles. In October
1273 Philip married Beatrice, daughter of Charles, at
Foggia. A few days later Baldwin died. Under Baldwin II, Constantinople's population had fallen to a mere 35,000 people.