(Plovdiv University Press "Paisii Hilendarski", 2024) Michailidis, George
The reign of Andronikos III Palaiologos often remains overshadowed by the tumultuous civil conflicts of the Palaiologan era and the subsequent events precipitating the rapid territorial decline and ultimate collapse of the Byzantine Empire. Amidst the multifaceted challenges confronting the empire during Andronikos’s ascendancy, characterized notably by the loss of nearly all remaining territories in Asia Minor, his reign witnessed a noteworthy consolidation of imperial power. Through the pursuit of an assertive foreign policy, particularly marked by military engagements and demonstration of the empire’s martial prowess, Andronikos managed, to the extent feasible, to effectuate a notable territorial expansion, constituting the final significant territorial expansion of the empire. By commanding the army personally and actively engaging in more than twenty campaigns and battles, Andronikos could rightfully earn the epithet of the last soldier-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.