The new Emperor, Manuel II Palaiologos, was an educated, energetic and enlightened ruler, with a special interest in the sciences, the arts and theology. He stands out as one of the best-loved figures among the Byzantine emperors. However, in the difficult years during which he held power, there was very little he could do to prevent the fall of the Empire, which was now synonymous with Constantinople since the Byzantines had no other possessions except the Morea.

In the meantime, the Turks, under Bayezid, continued their successful operations in the Balkans. In the summer of 1393 they subdued Bulgaria definitively. In the same year they occupied Thessaly and towards the end of 1394 and the beginning of 1395, taking advantage of the conflict between the rulers of the Morea and of Athens, they invaded the Peloponnese and seized the strongholds of Leontari and Akova. At the same time, in the spring of 1394, Bayezid blockaded Constantinople thus making the provisioning of the city extremely difficult. The only one to put up a resistance to the Turks at that particular moment was the hospodar of Wallachia, Mircea the elder. With the support of the Hungarians, he opposed the Turkish troops on the plain of Rovine in 1395. The contest was uncertain, first one side and then the other prevailing, but at the end of it Mircea, too, was forced to pay tribute to the sultan. After the battle the Turks occupied Dobrudja, as well, and gained control over the fords of the Danube.