The Franks had ruled Thessaly in its eastern parts after 1204, while the Greek rulers of Epirus and Nicaea had disputed the western regions.
John I Doukas establishes himself in about 1267 as independent ruler of Thessaly, with the Greek imperial title sebastokrator, at Neopatras, but in expanding his control eastward he comes into conflict with Emperor Michael VIII, whose attacks he repels with the assistance of the dukes of Athens and Charles d’Anjou.
Venetian support, the result of a favorable trading relationship (Thessaly exports agricultural produce), helps maintain Thessalian independence.
