Through the pages of this book, which emerged after years of research in libraries and archives in Greece and abroad, an unknown historical period for the Greek capital gradually unfolds. It concerns the nearly three centuries that intervened between the Byzantine and Ottoman domination in Athens, where knights of the West with their richly adorned armor reigned over the cradle of Democracy.

Intrigues and romantic passions, broken oaths and behind-the-scenes conspiracies, as well as dreams that turned into nightmares, compose a story of 300 years. Princesses who were imprisoned, kings who sought to become emperors, adventurers who did everything for power, and relatives who exterminated each other form the backdrop of a medieval Athens that continued to captivate its rulers.

Most monuments on the Sacred Rock of the Acropolis and around it stood intact for almost a thousand years. These, combined with the natural beauty of the Attic land, enchanted the newcomers from Burgundy, Catalonia, Navarre, Aragon, and Florence, who spread the city's fame to the far reaches of the then-known world through their narratives.

Thus, the City of Pallas was praised by Icelandic writers and Arab scientists, as well as by Iberian kings and even Caucasian rulers. It is no coincidence that to this day, the Spanish monarchs honorably bear the title of "Duke of Athens." All this is not a literary product of imagination but rather the History of Athens between the 13th and 15th centuries.

The research work of Lefteris Kandzinos aims to reorganize our perspective on the Frankish years of Athens. To define a new field of vision towards the city and encourage deeper analyses and bolder readings. This research endeavor benefits the very idea of timeless Athens and responds to a broader, contemporary demand for a more complex and more expansive understanding of the city.

Athens continually gives...