In 1197 the Senate was assembled—along with the clergy and guildsmen of the capital—to approve a special tax, the Alamanikon. The senators refused to be assessed for the tax, as it was contrary to custom, and the emperor was forced to tax the provinces and exempt the capital.[4] The Senate's last known act was to elect Nikolaos Kanabos as emperor in opposition to Isaac II and Alexius IV during the Fourth Crusade.[5] Under the Palaeologus dynasty the title of senator survived for a time, but in the crises of the mid 14th century the ancient office finally vanished for good.