Talk:Theodore II Laskaris/GA1

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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GA Review

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Reviewer: Iazyges (talk · contribs) 16:53, 27 May 2020 (UTC)

Will start soon. Iazyges Consermonor Opus meum 16:53, 27 May 2020 (UTC)

Criteria

GA Criteria
GA Criteria: 1 1.a Y 1.b Y 2 2.a Y 2.b Y 2.c Y 2.d Y 3 3.a Y 3.b Y 4 4.a Y 5 5.a Y 6 6.a Y 6.b Y

• No DAB links Y
• No dead links Y
• No missing citations Y

Discussion

@Borsoka: Apologies for the long hiatus, hoping to finish this off in the coming days. Iazyges Consermonor Opus meum 04:41, 12 August 2020 (UTC)

No problem. We are not on a horce race. :) I am glad you came back. I was worrying for you. Borsoka (talk) 03:09, 14 August 2020 (UTC)

Prose Suggestions

Please note that almost all of these are suggestions, and can be implemented or ignored at your discretion. Any changes I deem necessary for the article to pass GA standards I will bold.

Lede

• @Borsoka: Apologies for taking so long to begin this. Iazyges Consermonor Opus meum 20:28, 9 June 2020 (UTC)

• Thank you for yor time. :)

• of Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes and Irene Lascarina suggest of Nicaean Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes and Empress Irene Lascarina

• Done/Undone. (I would not mention Nicaea in each of the first three sentences.)

• His mother was the eldest daughter of Theodore I Laskaris who had established the Empire of Nicaea, a successor state of the Byzantine Empire in Asia Minor, after the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, was captured by the crusaders of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. suggest His maternal grandfather, Theodore I Laskaris, had established the Empire of Nicaea as a successor state to the Byzantine Empire based in Asia Minor, after the Byzantine Empire was dissolved when the crusaders captured Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade in 1204. also capitalize Constantinople.

• Done/Undone. (I would avoid the terms "based in" and "dissolved")

• He made friends with young intellectuals, especially with a page of low birth, George Mouzalon. Theodore began to write treatises on theological, historical and philosophical themes in his youth. suggest He was close with numerous young intellectuals, especially George Mouzalon, a page of low birth. Theodore wrote treatises on theological, historical and philosophical themes in his youth.

• Undone. (For me "close" ambiguos and he also wrote treatises when he was middle-aged. Maybe "His friends were young intellectuals, including a page of low birth, George Mouzalon."?)

• Emperor John III arranged Theodore's marriage with Elena of Bulgaria to forge an alliance with her father, Ivan Asen II, against the Latin Empire of Constantinople in 1235. suggest John arranged for Theodore to marry Elena of Bulgaria in 1235, to forge an alliance with her father, Ivan Asen II, against the Latin Empire of Constantinople.

• Done.

• Their marriage was happy suggest mentioning that this appears to be from Theodore himself, who isn't likely to state that Elena hated him if that was true, suggest According to Theodore himself, their marriage was happy,

• Done. (Fair point, especially because I am sure that Theodore was a psychopath - this is my very own private original research.)

• He became his father's co-ruler around 1242, but he was not crowned co-emperor. suggest From 1242 on, he acted as his father's co-ruler, but was not officially crowned as co-emperor.

• Done/Undone. (He was his father's co-ruler and I cannot imagine an unofficial coronation in the context.)

• His relationship with Theodore Philes, Michael Palaiologos, and other aristocrats grew tense during this period. suggest During this period, his relationships with the aristocrats, particularly Theodore Philes and Michael Palaiologos, grew tense.

• Done.

• Theodore succeeded his father on 4 November 1254. Some sources seem to suggest that he died on 3 November, but this is only a few sources that are quite old. You may wish to make a footnote mentioning this, but it is probably unnecessary.

• Comment: as far as I remember none of the sources cited in the article mentin 3 November - if you provide source, we could mention it.

• He dismissed many high officials and army commanders of aristocratic origin, replacing them with his confidants, including his low-born friends. suggest He dismissed many high officials and army commanders of aristocratic origin, replacing them with loyal friends, including those of low birth.

• Done. Borsoka (talk) 12:55, 10 June 2020 (UTC)

Childhood

• established after the crusaders (or Latins) captured Constantinople suggest changing captured to sacked.

• Undone. In the context, the Latin conquest of Constantinople is much more important than the sack of the city.

• Alexios and Isaac Laskaris, to seize the throne. link both. Alexios Laskaris, Isaac Laskaris.

• Done.

• opened the way to the reconquest of Byzantine territories lost to the Latins in Asia Minor. change to the reconquest to for the reconquest

• Done.

• Theodore was his parents' only child. His mother suffered a horse riding accident and could not bear children after his birth. suggest Theodore was his parents' only child, as his mother suffered a horse riding accident after his birth and could no longer bear children.

• Done. Borsoka (talk) 02:20, 1 July 2020 (UTC)

Education

• If Theodore's formal education began at the age when most aristocratic children were taught to write and read, he was entrusted to an elementary teacher's care in 1228. He had to pray three times a day and memorize texts from the Bible. Is the "He had to pray three times a day and memorize texts from the Bible." based upon the previous conjecture that he was educated around the same time with the customary education, or is this a separately known fact? If separate, keep as is, if based on the other, suggest changing to If Theodore's formal education began at the age when most aristocratic children were taught to write and read, he was entrusted to an elementary teacher's care in 1228; as part of this education he would pray three times a day and memorize texts from the Bible.

• Alternative solution.

• Blemmydes was accused of embezzlement by one of his students. Vatatzes' intervention saved him of imprisonment, but he abandoned teaching early in the 1240s. suggest Blemmydes was accused of embezzlement by one of his students, however, Vatatzes' intervention saved him from imprisonment, but he abandoned teaching early in the 1240s.

• Alternative solution. Borsoka (talk) 02:24, 1 July 2020 (UTC)

First administrative tasks

• Theodore was still a child when he was made his father's co-ruler suggest Theodore became co-ruler with his father even while he was a still a child.

• Alternative solution.

• John II Asen died in the same month and his death weakened Bulgaria. suggest John II Asen died in the same month, weakening Bulgaria.

• Undone. I think John's death weakened Bulgaria and not John. Borsoka (talk) 02:28, 1 July 2020 (UTC)

Friends

Towards sole rule

Ascension

Wars with Bulgaria

Expansion

Illness and death

Scholarship

Family

Status query

Iazyges, this is one of two GA reviews that you opened at the end of May and is still open nearly four months later with a significant amount left to check. These long-neglected reviews have happened in the past, and I think you owe it to the nominators to either finish these reviews quickly, or give them up so that someone else can take them on. There's a new GAN backlog drive starting up on October 1, and I'm sure this nomination could find a reviewer during the drive. If nominator Borsoka has a preference, I'm happy to go with that. BlueMoonset (talk) 02:22, 23 September 2020 (UTC)

Thank you for your offer. I would highly appreciate if you could complete the review. I guess Iazyges had much to do in their real life. Borsoka (talk) 02:32, 23 September 2020 (UTC)

@BlueMoonset and Borsoka: I'll work to finish them off quickly, sorry again for taking so long. Iazyges Consermonor Opus meum 06:23, 26 September 2020 (UTC)

Iazyges, I'll leave the decision to Borsoka. If they want, I'll put this back into the reviewing pool immediately—after four months, it's only right that their wishes should prevail; if they're willing to give you a little longer, why don't we say that if you haven't made significant progress by the end of the month, it will go back into the reviewing pool then. Sound fair? BlueMoonset (talk) 20:21, 26 September 2020 (UTC)

Yes, it sounds fair. Thank you. Borsoka (talk) 00:56, 27 September 2020 (UTC)

Review being ended

Borsoka, Iazyges, I am archiving this page and putting the nomination back into the reviewing pool per the above request by Boroska. Iazyges, please do not attempt to continue the review or open the new one. Thank you. With luck, this will be picked up in short order during the GAN backlog drive. BlueMoonset (talk) 05:26, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.