to the Mongols, Nicaea remained the only Anatolian state that preserved full independence. The fear of a Mongol invasion became a constant element of Nicaean diplomacy. Vatatzes again charged Theodore with the administration of Asia Minor when he launched a new military campaign in Thrace in 1246. After Vatatzes captured Serres, the leading citizens of Thessalonica did not risk a prolonged siege. They opened the gates of their city and paid voluntary homage to Vatatzes. As most Macedonian towns followed their example, Vatatzes almost doubled his empire's territory. Friends Theodore forged a bond of close friendship with a circle of young intellectuals. All born after the Latin conquest of Constantinople, they did not experience the shock of exile, unlike many of their fathers' "humiliated generation" (as Patriarch Germanus II of Constantinople referred to them). His friends' companionship helped Theodore come through his periods of melancholy, likely caused by anxiety over his public duties. His closest friend, George Mouzalon, was a page in his retinue during their childhood. The three Mouzalon brothers—George, Theodore and Andronikos—were, in Blemmydes's words, "of despicably low birth", but they were talented singers and musicians. Most of Theodore's other confidants, like Joseph Mesopotamites and Konstas Hagiotheodorites, were related to high-ranking officials and churchmen. Theodore often made fun of bishops for their self-aggrandizement, their barbaric speech or ignorantly heretical statements, or even for their physical appearance. Theodore was also the subject of mockery: his fellow students teased him for his style of argument during philosophical discussions. Critical remarks made by bishops and aristocrats were more dangerous. Metropolitan Nikephoros of Ephesus rebuked Theodore for his pride and for his non-observance of the rules of fasting. A military commander, Kalothetos, made disrespectful remarks about Theodore. The relationship between Theodore and the governor at Thessalonica, Theodore Philes, was extremely tense. Philes circulated defamatory poems about Theodore's alleged affair with an unnamed woman, while Theodore blamed Philes for the murder of Theodore's friend, Tribides. Tribides' fate shows that Theodore could send his confidants to the newly conquered European territories during his father's reign. Philes' accusations reached the ears of Blemmydes who did not tolerate sexual misconduct. Around 1248, Blemmydes had denied Marchesina and her retinue entry to his monastery at Ephesus. Now, he addressed a mirror for princes (instruction), entitled Imperial Statue, to Theodore and his father, warning them against lechery and squandering public funds. Theodore could not convince him of his