Why was the restored Byzantine Empire weaker after 1261?

After the Byzantine Empire was restored in 1261, it remained significantly weaker than its predecessor for several interconnected reasons:

• Economic and Structural Imbalance: Moving the seat of government from the self-sufficient, stable Nicaea back to Constantinople disrupted the empire's economic and defensive balance. The capital functioned more like an isolated city-state than the center of an integrated imperial structure, as much of Greece and the islands remained under foreign control.1
• Military Decline: The native recruitment system had collapsed. Estates held in pronoia became hereditary, and landlords ignored their obligations to provide military service. Consequently, the government relied on expensive, unreliable hired troops, which crippled the economy.2
• Neglect of Anatolia: By focusing heavily on European threats and the danger of Western reconquest, the emperors neglected the eastern provinces. Frontier defenses in Anatolia were withdrawn, allowing Turkish raiders to penetrate and establish independent principalities, effectively severing the empire's traditional source of military and economic strength.21
• Foreign Dependency: To secure the city, Michael VIII granted trade privileges to Italian merchants, particularly the Genoese, which led to commercial monopolies that further drained imperial revenue.2