Michael VIII Palaiologos

Michael VIII Palaiologos (1223 – 11 December 1282) was the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 1259 to his death.

In 1204, Constantinople was captured by crusaders and became the capital of the, a Crusader state. Being the Greek heir to the Byzantine throne, Michael marched on Constantinople in 1261 and won a decisive victory, reclaiming the city for the Byzantine Empire.

By this point however, Constantinople was already in disrepair. The Hippodrome of Constantinople, once a proud symbol of the Empire's Greek origins was in a poor state, and Michael made no attempt to restore it. Michael's Empire only held a fraction of its former territory and influence, and began to decline over the next two hundred years.

Reference

 * Assassin's Creed: Revelations