When Athens was captured by the Crusaders in 1205, Bardanes followed his master to his exile on Keos, serving as his secretary ("hypomnematographos" and "chartophylax"). In 1214 he went to the capital of the Latin Empire, Constantinople, to represent Choniates in the discussions between Greek Orthodox prelates and the Papal representative, Cardinal Pelagius of Albano. By 1218 he was serving in the bishopric of Grevena as "chartophylax". By this time he had established a friendship and correspondence with another prominent cleric, the Metropolitan of Naupaktos John Apokaukos, and through the latter's intercession, was appointed in 1219 as Metropolitan of Corfu by the ruler of Epirus, Theodore Komnenos Doukas.