Accession of Kantakouzenos to the throne
End of the civil war

ith the help of his Turkish allies, Kantakouzenos subdued the entire area of Thrace during the summer of 1345, while the assassination of his main opponent, Alexios Apokaukos, in June 1345 in Constantinople, deprived the regency of its leader and cleared the way for his final domination. In May 1346 John VI Kantakouzenos was crowned Emperor in Adrianople by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Lazaros. In order further to strengthen his position, he secured the friendship of the Ottoman sultan Orhan, by giving him the hand of his daughter Theodora in marriage in the summer of 1346.

In the opposite camp, the appeal for help of the Empress Anna addressed to the Seljuks of Saruhan and to the hesychasts, met with no success. Late in the night of 2 February 1347, Kantakouzenos entered Constantinople and Anna had to submit to his authority. The civil war was ended by a treaty signed on 8 February 1347. Kantakouzenos would rule for ten years as senior Emperor until John V came of age. After this time they would both rule as equals. Moreover, an amnesty was granted to all their political opponents. On 13 May 1347, John VI Kantakouzenos was crowned for the second time. This time it was by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Isidore I, who had replaced the deposed Patriarch John Kalekas. The marriage of John V to the daughter of John VI, Helen, on 28 May 1347, in a way established Kantakouzenos as head of the dynasty.