Battle of Prinitza The Battle of Prinitza was fought in 1263 between the forces of the Byzantine Empire , marching to capture Andravida , the capital of the Latin Principality of Achaea , and a small Achaean force . The Achaeans launched a surprise attack on the greatly superior and overconfident Byzantine force , defeated and scattered it , saving the principality from conquest . Background . At the Battle of Pelagonia ( 1259 ) , the forces of the Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos ( r . 1259 – 1282 ) had killed or captured most of the Latin nobles of the Principality of Achaea , including the Prince William II of Villehardouin ( r . 1246 – 1278 ) . In exchange for his freedom , William agreed to hand over a number of fortresses in the southwestern part of the Morea peninsula . He also swore an oath of allegiance to Michael , becoming his vassal and being honoured by becoming godfather to one of Michael ' s sons and receiving the title and post of " megas domestikos " . In early 1262 , William was released , and the forts of Monemvasia and Mystras , with the districts of Mani and Kinsterna , were handed over to the Byzantines . The agreement was bound to be of short duration , however : the establishment of a small province in the Morea was for Palaiologos but the first step towards reclaiming all of the peninsula , and William likewise was involved in the Latin efforts to counter the emperor and regain Constantinople . Consequently , soon after his return to the Morea , William settled his differences with the Venetians over Negroponte , and negotiated with them and the Pope for joint action against Palaiologos . In July , Pope Urban IV nullified William ' s oaths to the emperor , and appealed to the Western princes for aid against the " schismatic " Byzantines . In late 1262 , William visited the region of Laconia accompanied by an armed retinue . Despite his concessions to the Byzantines , he still retained control of most of Laconia , in particular the city of Lacedaemon ( Sparta ) and the baronies of Passavant ( Passavas ) and Geraki . This display of armed strength worried the Byzantine garrisons , and the local governor , Michael Kantakouzenos , sent to Emperor Michael to ask for aid . In response , the emperor quickly organized an expedition headed by his half - brother , the " sebastokrator " Constantine Palaiologos with the " parakoimomenos " John Makrenos and the " megas domestikos " Alexios Philes as subordinate commanders . This army , composed chiefly of Turkish mercenaries and Greek troops from Asia Minor , was transported to Monemvasia on Genoese vessels , while the small Byzantine fleet was sent to harass the Latin island holdings in Euboea and the Cyclades . The battle . After arriving at Monemvasia , the " sebastokrator " Constantine proceeded to cement and expand imperial authority in Laconia : he subdued the Slavic inhabitants ( the Melingoi ) of Mount Taygetos and erected a number of forts to keep them in check , and then laid siege to Sparta , while the imperial fleet seized the southern coasts of Laconia . In the meantime , William travelled to Corinth to request the assistance of the other Latin princes of Greece . They , however , proved unwilling to come to his aid , all the while many of William ' s Greek subjects openly sided with the Byzantines . Constantine Palaiologos saw this as an opportunity to conquer William ' s principality outright . Abandoning the fruitless siege of Sparta , he marched his army up the rivers Eurotas and Alfeios towards the Achaean capital , Andravida . During William ' s absence , Andravida had been left in the charge of John of Katavas , a man known for his bravery but now old and suffering from gout . Although the general outline of the subsequent events is confirmed from the report of the Venetian historian Marino Sanudo , the only detailed account available is the narrative of the " Chronicle of the Morea " , whose accuracy has been questioned . According to the " Chronicle " , upon learning of the approach of the imperial army , Katavas took the 300 or 312 men available and marched out to meet the Byzantines , whose numbers are variously given in the " Chronicle " as fifteen , eighteen , or twenty thousand . It is certain that these figures are greatly inflated , and the Byzantine army must have numbered a few thousand at most . Either way , it considerably outnumbered the Latin force . The Byzantines were confident of their own strength , and were reportedly dancing and singing . At a narrow defile at Prinitza ( near Ancient Olympia ) , Katavas attacked the Byzantine army and inflicted a resounding defeat upon it : many Byzantine soldiers were killed , while the remainder scattered and sought refuge in the surrounding woods . The " sebastokrator " Constantine himself barely escaped with his life , and fled with the remainder of his troops to the safety of Mystras . Having won a major victory , Katavas prudently refused to pursue the Byzantines and returned to Andravida . Aftermath . Constantine Palaiologos regrouped his forces , and in the next year launched another campaign to conquer Achaea . His efforts , however , were thwarted , and the Turkish mercenaries , complaining of lack of pay , defected to the Achaeans . William II then attacked the weakened Byzantines and achieved a major victory at the Battle of Makryplagi . The two battles of Prinitza and Makryplagi thus put an end to Michael Palaiologos ' s efforts to recover the entirety of the Morea , and secured Latin rule over the Morea for over a generation .