Baldwin II.

Baldwin II., emperor of Constantinople, was born in 1217. He was the son of Peter de Courtenay and Yolanda, Countess of Flanders, sister of Baldwin I. He was but 11 years old when, by the death of his brother Robert, he succeeded to the throne; and he never had the means or the ability to maintain his position against his powerful Greek and Bulgarian opponents. Two begging-visits to Western Europe were not successful in procuring him sufficient forces to resist his foes; in 1261 his capital was taken by one of the generals of Michael Palæologus; and Baldwin fled to Italy. With him terminated the Latin empire in the East, after it had lasted 57 years. He died in 1273.