For the next four hundred years the Empire enjoyed a period of
comparative prosperity, marked by successful defense against Saracens
and Bulgarians. From 1204 to 1261 it fell under the sway of the French
and Venetians, who jointly established the so-called Latin dynasty. From
this period on for almost a hundred years its decline was steady, and,
in 1453, the empire was brought to a close with the capture of
Constantinople by Mohammed II.
[Illustration: =MOSQUE NEAR BAGDAD, THE EASTERN CAPITAL OF THE SARACEN
EMPIRE=]