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'''Constantine XI Paleologus''', also known as '''Constantine Dragases''' (Gr. Κωνσταντίνος ΙΑ' Δραγάσης Παλαιολόγος), ([[February 9]], [[1404]]–[[May 29]], [[1453]]) was the last reigning emperor of the [[Byzantine Empire]] from [[1449]] to his death. Constantine was born in [[Constantinople]], the eighth of ten children of [[Manuel II Palaeologus|Manuel II]] and [[Helena Dragas]], the daughter of the [[Serbs|Serbian]] prince [[Constantine Dragas|Constantine]] of Serres. In a variant of the Byzantine practice of adopting the distaff surname where it connoted more prestige, Constantine liked to be known by his mother's name of Dragas (Serb. Dragaš) or Dragases, which she inherited from her Serbian father. He spent most of his childhood in [[Constantinople]] under the supervision of his parents. Constantine became the [[Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy|despotes]] of [[Morea]] (the Medieval name for the [[Peloponnesus]]) in [[1443]] which he ruled from the palace in [[Mystras]]. In 1443, he launched an invasion of the Latin Duchy of Athens from Morea, swiftly conquering Thebes and Athens and forcing the Florentine duke to pay him tribute. However, his triumph was short-lived, as the Ottomans soon intervened and drove him back into Morea.

Constantine married twice: the first time on [[July 1]], [[1428]] to Maddelena Tocco, the niece of the Italian ruler of [[Epirus]], who died in November [[1429]]; the second time to Caterina Gattilusio, daughter of the [[Genoa|Genovese]] lord of [[Lesbos]], who also died ([[1442]]). Some sources record that had no children by either marriage, others that he had one daughter, Magdalena.

When his brother, the Emperor [[John VIII Palaeologus]] (Gr. Ιωάννης VIII Παλαιολόγος), died, a dispute erupted between Constantine and his brother Demetrius (Gr. Δημήτριος) over the throne. They appealed to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] sultan [[Murad II]] to arbitrate the disagreement. He chose Constantine, who was crowned in Mystra on [[January 6]], 1449. He attempted to marry a distant cousin, the widow of [[Murad II]], but the courtship failed. Soon afterwards, Sultan [[Mehmed II]] began agitating for ownership of [[Constantinople]]. Desperate for any type of military assistance, Constantine appealed to the West, but he was refused help unless he united the [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox Church]] with the Roman Catholic Church, which was a policy pursued by his predecessors. He declared the churches united after the [[Council of Florence]] in [[1452]], but the union was overwhelmingly rejected by his subjects and it dangerously estranged him from his chief minister and military commander, the [[Grand Duke]] (Gr. Μέγας Δούκας)[[Lucas Notaras]] (Gr. Λουκάς Νοταράς).

[[Mehmed II]] offered Constantine the chance to rule unmolested in [[Mystras]] before the siege of [[Constantinople]], but he refused, preferring to fight and die defending his Empire. His wish would come true, as he was killed while defending the walls of [[Constantinople]] on [[May 29]], [[1453]] (see [[Fall of Constantinople]]). The Emperor, when realising that the end had come, discarded his purple cloak and charged into the breach. Some sources record that he was only recognized afterwards by his purple boots; others that the Turks were never able to identify his body, and so the last emperor of Rome was buried in a mass grave along with his soldiers. Some [[Orthodox Christians]] consider him a saint, but he has not been officially recognized as such.

==Bibliography==
*Steven Runciman, ''The Fall of Constantinople, 1453''; Cambridge University Press, 1965; ISBN 0-521-09573-5
*Donald M. Nicol, ''The Immortal Emperor''; Cambridge University Press, 1992; ISBN 0-521-46717-9

----
{{Byzantine Emperor | Prev=[[John VIII Palaeologus]] | CoEmperor=| Next= None}}

[[Category:1404 births]]
[[Category:1453 deaths]]
[[Category:Palaeologus dynasty]]
[[Category:Byzantine emperors]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Image:constantine-xi-palaeologus.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Constantine XI Palaeologus]]
-'''Constantine XI Paleologus''', also known as '''Constantine Dragases''' (Gr. Κωνσταντίνος ΙΑ' Δραγάσης Παλαιολόγος), ([[February 9]], [[1404]]&ndash;[[May 29]], [[1453]]) was the last reigning emperor of the [[Byzantine Empire]] from [[1449]] to his death. Constantine was born in [[Constantinople]], the eighth of ten children of [[Manuel II Palaeologus|Manuel II]] and [[Helena Dragas]], the daughter of the Serbian prince Constantine of [[Serres]]. In a variant of the Byzantine practice of adopting the distaff surname where it connoted more prestige, Constantine liked to be known by his mother's name of Dragas (Serb. Draga&#353;) or Dragases, which she inherited from her Serbian father. He spent most of his childhood in [[Constantinople]] under the supervision of his parents. Constantine became the [[Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy|despotes]] of [[Morea]] (the Medieval name for the [[Peloponnesus]]) in [[1443]] which he ruled from the palace in [[Mystras]]. In 1443, he launched an invasion of the Latin Duchy of Athens from Morea, swiftly conquering Thebes and Athens and forcing the Florentine duke to pay him tribute. However, his triumph was short-lived, as the Ottomans soon intervened and drove him back into Morea.
+'''Constantine XI Paleologus''', also known as '''Constantine Dragases''' (Gr. Κωνσταντίνος ΙΑ' Δραγάσης Παλαιολόγος), ([[February 9]], [[1404]]&ndash;[[May 29]], [[1453]]) was the last reigning emperor of the [[Byzantine Empire]] from [[1449]] to his death. Constantine was born in [[Constantinople]], the eighth of ten children of [[Manuel II Palaeologus|Manuel II]] and [[Helena Dragas]], the daughter of the Serbian prince Constantine of [[Serres]]. In a variant of the Byzantine practice of adopting the distaff surname where it connoted more prestige, Constantine liked to be known by his mother's name of Dragas (Serb. Draga&#353;) or Dragases, which she inherited from her Serbian father. He spent most of his childhood in [[Constantinople]] under the supervision of his parents. Constantine became the [[Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy|despotes]] of [[Morea]] (the Medieval name for the [[Peloponnesus]]) in [[1443]] which he ruled from the palace in [[Mystras]]. In [[1443]], he launched an invasion of the Latin Duchy of [[Athens]] from Morea, swiftly conquering [[Thebes]] and [[Athens]] and forcing the Florentine duke to pay him tribute. However, his triumph was short-lived, as the Ottomans soon intervened and drove him back into Morea.
 Constantine married twice: the first time on [[July 1]], [[1428]] to Maddelena Tocco, the niece of the Italian ruler of [[Epirus]], who died in November [[1429]]; the second time to Caterina Gattilusio, daughter of the Genovese lord of [[Lesbos]], who also died ([[1442]]). Some sources record that had no children by either marriage, others that he had one daughter, Magdalena.
-When his brother, the Emperor [[John VIII Palaeologus]] (Gr. &#921;&#969;&#940;&#957;&#957;&#951;&#962;  VIII &#928;&#945;&#955;&#945;&#953;&#959;&#955;&#972;&#947;&#959;&#962;), died, a dispute erupted between Constantine and his brother Demetrius (Gr. Δημήτριος) over the throne.  They appealed to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] sultan [[Murad II]] to arbitrate the disagreement.  He chose Constantine, who was crowned in Mystra on [[January 6]], 1449.  He attempted to marry a distant cousin, the widow of [[Murad II]], but the courtship failed.  Soon afterwards, Sultan [[Mehmed II]] began agitating for ownership of [[Constantinople]].  Desperate for any type of military assistance, Constantine appealed to the West, but he was refused help unless he united the [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox Church]] with the Roman Catholic Church, which was a policy pursued by his predecessors.  He declared the churches united after the [[Council of Florence]] in [[1452]], but the union was overwhelmingly rejected by his subjects and it dangerously estranged him from his chief minister and military commander, the [[Grand Duke]] (Gr. &#924;&#941;&#947;&#945;&#962; &#916;&#959;&#973;&#954;&#945;&#962;)[[Lucas Notaras]] (Gr. Λουκάς Νοταράς).
+When his brother, the Emperor [[John VIII Palaeologus]] (Gr. &#921;&#969;&#940;&#957;&#957;&#951;&#962;  VIII &#928;&#945;&#955;&#945;&#953;&#959;&#955;&#972;&#947;&#959;&#962;), died, a dispute erupted between Constantine and his brother Demetrius (Gr. Δημήτριος) over the throne.  They appealed to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] sultan [[Murad II]] to arbitrate the disagreement.  He chose Constantine, who was crowned in [[Mystras]] on [[January 6]], 1449.  He attempted to marry a distant cousin, the widow of [[Murad II]], but the courtship failed.  Soon afterwards, Sultan [[Mehmed II]] began agitating for ownership of [[Constantinople]].  Desperate for any type of military assistance, Constantine appealed to the West, but he was refused help unless he united the [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox Church]] with the Roman Catholic Church, which was a policy pursued by his predecessors.  He declared the churches united after the [[Council of Florence]] in [[1452]], but the union was overwhelmingly rejected by his subjects and it dangerously estranged him from his chief minister and military commander, the [[Grand Duke]] (Gr. &#924;&#941;&#947;&#945;&#962; &#916;&#959;&#973;&#954;&#945;&#962;)[[Lucas Notaras]] (Gr. Λουκάς Νοταράς).
 [[Mehmed II]] offered Constantine the chance to rule unmolested in [[Mystras]] before the siege of [[Constantinople]], but he refused, with the words: "ΤΟ ΔΕ ΤΗΝ ΠΟΛΙΝ ΣΟΙ ΔΟΥΝΑΙ ΟΥΤ' ΕΜΟΝ ΕΣΤΙΝ, ΟΥΤ' ΑΛΛΟΥ ΤΩΝ ΚΑΤΟΙΚΟΥΝΤΩΝ ΕΝ ΑΥΤΗ. ΚΟΙΝΗ ΓΑΡ ΓΝΩΜΗ ΠΑΝΤΕΣ ΑΥΤΟΠΡΟΑΙΡΕΤΩΣ ΑΠΟΘΑΝΟΥΜΕΝ ΚΑΙ ΟΥ ΦΕΙΣΟΜΕΘΑ ΤΗΣ ΖΩΗΣ ΗΜΩΝ", preferring to fight and die defending his Empire.  His wish would come true, as he was killed while defending the walls of [[Constantinople]] on [[May 29]], [[1453]] (see [[Fall of Constantinople]]). The Emperor, when realising that the end had come, discarded his purple cloak and charged into the breach. Some sources record that he was only recognized afterwards by his purple boots; others that the Turks were never able to identify his body, and so the last emperor of Rome was buried in a mass grave along with his soldiers. Some [[Orthodox Christians]] consider him a saint, but he has not been officially recognized as such.
@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 [[Category:1453 deaths]]
 [[Category:Palaeologus dynasty]]
-[[Category:Byzantine emperors]]
+[[Category:Byzantine emperors|Constantine, 11]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:38, February 20, 2012
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−	[[Image:constantine.xi.palaeologus.jpg\|thumb\|200px\|left\|Constantine XI Palaeologus]]	+	[[Image:constantine-xi-palaeologus.jpg\|thumb\|200px\|left\|Constantine XI Palaeologus]]

	'''Constantine XI Paleologus''', also known as '''Constantine Dragases''' (Gr. Κωνσταντίνος ΙΑ' Δραγάσης Παλαιολόγος), ([[February 9]], [[1404]]–[[May 29]], [[1453]]) was the last reigning emperor of the [[Byzantine Empire]] from [[1449]] to his death. Constantine was born in [[Constantinople]], the eighth of ten children of [[Manuel II Palaeologus\|Manuel II]] and [[Helena Dragas]], the daughter of the Serbian prince Constantine of [[Serres]]. In a variant of the Byzantine practice of adopting the distaff surname where it connoted more prestige, Constantine liked to be known by his mother's name of Dragas (Serb. Dragaš) or Dragases, which she inherited from her Serbian father. He spent most of his childhood in [[Constantinople]] under the supervision of his parents. Constantine became the [[Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy\|despotes]] of [[Morea]] (the Medieval name for the [[Peloponnesus]]) in [[1443]] which he ruled from the palace in [[Mystras]]. In 1443, he launched an invasion of the Latin Duchy of Athens from Morea, swiftly conquering Thebes and Athens and forcing the Florentine duke to pay him tribute. However, his triumph was short-lived, as the Ottomans soon intervened and drove him back into Morea.		'''Constantine XI Paleologus''', also known as '''Constantine Dragases''' (Gr. Κωνσταντίνος ΙΑ' Δραγάσης Παλαιολόγος), ([[February 9]], [[1404]]–[[May 29]], [[1453]]) was the last reigning emperor of the [[Byzantine Empire]] from [[1449]] to his death. Constantine was born in [[Constantinople]], the eighth of ten children of [[Manuel II Palaeologus\|Manuel II]] and [[Helena Dragas]], the daughter of the Serbian prince Constantine of [[Serres]]. In a variant of the Byzantine practice of adopting the distaff surname where it connoted more prestige, Constantine liked to be known by his mother's name of Dragas (Serb. Dragaš) or Dragases, which she inherited from her Serbian father. He spent most of his childhood in [[Constantinople]] under the supervision of his parents. Constantine became the [[Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy\|despotes]] of [[Morea]] (the Medieval name for the [[Peloponnesus]]) in [[1443]] which he ruled from the palace in [[Mystras]]. In 1443, he launched an invasion of the Latin Duchy of Athens from Morea, swiftly conquering Thebes and Athens and forcing the Florentine duke to pay him tribute. However, his triumph was short-lived, as the Ottomans soon intervened and drove him back into Morea.

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:38, February 20, 2012
Line 1:		Line 1:
		+	[[Image:constantine.xi.palaeologus.jpg\|thumb\|200px\|left\|Constantine XI Palaeologus]]
		+
	'''Constantine XI Paleologus''', also known as '''Constantine Dragases''' (Gr. Κωνσταντίνος ΙΑ' Δραγάσης Παλαιολόγος), ([[February 9]], [[1404]]–[[May 29]], [[1453]]) was the last reigning emperor of the [[Byzantine Empire]] from [[1449]] to his death. Constantine was born in [[Constantinople]], the eighth of ten children of [[Manuel II Palaeologus\|Manuel II]] and [[Helena Dragas]], the daughter of the Serbian prince Constantine of [[Serres]]. In a variant of the Byzantine practice of adopting the distaff surname where it connoted more prestige, Constantine liked to be known by his mother's name of Dragas (Serb. Dragaš) or Dragases, which she inherited from her Serbian father. He spent most of his childhood in [[Constantinople]] under the supervision of his parents. Constantine became the [[Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy\|despotes]] of [[Morea]] (the Medieval name for the [[Peloponnesus]]) in [[1443]] which he ruled from the palace in [[Mystras]]. In 1443, he launched an invasion of the Latin Duchy of Athens from Morea, swiftly conquering Thebes and Athens and forcing the Florentine duke to pay him tribute. However, his triumph was short-lived, as the Ottomans soon intervened and drove him back into Morea.		'''Constantine XI Paleologus''', also known as '''Constantine Dragases''' (Gr. Κωνσταντίνος ΙΑ' Δραγάσης Παλαιολόγος), ([[February 9]], [[1404]]–[[May 29]], [[1453]]) was the last reigning emperor of the [[Byzantine Empire]] from [[1449]] to his death. Constantine was born in [[Constantinople]], the eighth of ten children of [[Manuel II Palaeologus\|Manuel II]] and [[Helena Dragas]], the daughter of the Serbian prince Constantine of [[Serres]]. In a variant of the Byzantine practice of adopting the distaff surname where it connoted more prestige, Constantine liked to be known by his mother's name of Dragas (Serb. Dragaš) or Dragases, which she inherited from her Serbian father. He spent most of his childhood in [[Constantinople]] under the supervision of his parents. Constantine became the [[Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy\|despotes]] of [[Morea]] (the Medieval name for the [[Peloponnesus]]) in [[1443]] which he ruled from the palace in [[Mystras]]. In 1443, he launched an invasion of the Latin Duchy of Athens from Morea, swiftly conquering Thebes and Athens and forcing the Florentine duke to pay him tribute. However, his triumph was short-lived, as the Ottomans soon intervened and drove him back into Morea.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Constantine XI Paleologus''', also known as '''Constantine Dragases''' (Gr. Κωνσταντίνος ΙΑ' Δραγάσης Παλαιολόγος), ([[February 9]], [[1404]]&ndash;[[May 29]], [[1453]]) was the last reigning emperor of the [[Byzantine Empire]] from [[1449]] to his death. Constantine was born in [[Constantinople]], the eighth of ten children of [[Manuel II Palaeologus|Manuel II]] and [[Helena Dragas]], the daughter of the [[Serbs|Serbian]] prince [[Constantine Dragas|Constantine]] of Serres. In a variant of the Byzantine practice of adopting the distaff surname where it connoted more prestige, Constantine liked to be known by his mother's name of Dragas (Serb. Draga&#353;) or Dragases, which she inherited from her Serbian father. He spent most of his childhood in [[Constantinople]] under the supervision of his parents. Constantine became the [[Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy|despotes]] of [[Morea]] (the Medieval name for the [[Peloponnesus]]) in [[1443]] which he ruled from the palace in [[Mystras]]. In 1443, he launched an invasion of the Latin Duchy of Athens from Morea, swiftly conquering Thebes and Athens and forcing the Florentine duke to pay him tribute. However, his triumph was short-lived, as the Ottomans soon intervened and drove him back into Morea.
+'''Constantine XI Paleologus''', also known as '''Constantine Dragases''' (Gr. Κωνσταντίνος ΙΑ' Δραγάσης Παλαιολόγος), ([[February 9]], [[1404]]&ndash;[[May 29]], [[1453]]) was the last reigning emperor of the [[Byzantine Empire]] from [[1449]] to his death. Constantine was born in [[Constantinople]], the eighth of ten children of [[Manuel II Palaeologus|Manuel II]] and [[Helena Dragas]], the daughter of the Serbian prince Constantine of [[Serres]]. In a variant of the Byzantine practice of adopting the distaff surname where it connoted more prestige, Constantine liked to be known by his mother's name of Dragas (Serb. Draga&#353;) or Dragases, which she inherited from her Serbian father. He spent most of his childhood in [[Constantinople]] under the supervision of his parents. Constantine became the [[Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy|despotes]] of [[Morea]] (the Medieval name for the [[Peloponnesus]]) in [[1443]] which he ruled from the palace in [[Mystras]]. In 1443, he launched an invasion of the Latin Duchy of Athens from Morea, swiftly conquering Thebes and Athens and forcing the Florentine duke to pay him tribute. However, his triumph was short-lived, as the Ottomans soon intervened and drove him back into Morea.
-Constantine married twice: the first time on [[July 1]], [[1428]] to Maddelena Tocco, the niece of the Italian ruler of [[Epirus]], who died in November [[1429]]; the second time to Caterina Gattilusio, daughter of the [[Genoa|Genovese]] lord of [[Lesbos]], who also died ([[1442]]). Some sources record that had no children by either marriage, others that he had one daughter, Magdalena.
+Constantine married twice: the first time on [[July 1]], [[1428]] to Maddelena Tocco, the niece of the Italian ruler of [[Epirus]], who died in November [[1429]]; the second time to Caterina Gattilusio, daughter of the Genovese lord of [[Lesbos]], who also died ([[1442]]). Some sources record that had no children by either marriage, others that he had one daughter, Magdalena.
 When his brother, the Emperor [[John VIII Palaeologus]] (Gr. &#921;&#969;&#940;&#957;&#957;&#951;&#962;  VIII &#928;&#945;&#955;&#945;&#953;&#959;&#955;&#972;&#947;&#959;&#962;), died, a dispute erupted between Constantine and his brother Demetrius (Gr. Δημήτριος) over the throne.  They appealed to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] sultan [[Murad II]] to arbitrate the disagreement.  He chose Constantine, who was crowned in Mystra on [[January 6]], 1449.  He attempted to marry a distant cousin, the widow of [[Murad II]], but the courtship failed.  Soon afterwards, Sultan [[Mehmed II]] began agitating for ownership of [[Constantinople]].  Desperate for any type of military assistance, Constantine appealed to the West, but he was refused help unless he united the [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox Church]] with the Roman Catholic Church, which was a policy pursued by his predecessors.  He declared the churches united after the [[Council of Florence]] in [[1452]], but the union was overwhelmingly rejected by his subjects and it dangerously estranged him from his chief minister and military commander, the [[Grand Duke]] (Gr. &#924;&#941;&#947;&#945;&#962; &#916;&#959;&#973;&#954;&#945;&#962;)[[Lucas Notaras]] (Gr. Λουκάς Νοταράς).

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 When his brother, the Emperor [[John VIII Palaeologus]] (Gr. &#921;&#969;&#940;&#957;&#957;&#951;&#962;  VIII &#928;&#945;&#955;&#945;&#953;&#959;&#955;&#972;&#947;&#959;&#962;), died, a dispute erupted between Constantine and his brother Demetrius (Gr. Δημήτριος) over the throne.  They appealed to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] sultan [[Murad II]] to arbitrate the disagreement.  He chose Constantine, who was crowned in Mystra on [[January 6]], 1449.  He attempted to marry a distant cousin, the widow of [[Murad II]], but the courtship failed.  Soon afterwards, Sultan [[Mehmed II]] began agitating for ownership of [[Constantinople]].  Desperate for any type of military assistance, Constantine appealed to the West, but he was refused help unless he united the [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox Church]] with the Roman Catholic Church, which was a policy pursued by his predecessors.  He declared the churches united after the [[Council of Florence]] in [[1452]], but the union was overwhelmingly rejected by his subjects and it dangerously estranged him from his chief minister and military commander, the [[Grand Duke]] (Gr. &#924;&#941;&#947;&#945;&#962; &#916;&#959;&#973;&#954;&#945;&#962;)[[Lucas Notaras]] (Gr. Λουκάς Νοταράς).
-[[Mehmed II]] offered Constantine the chance to rule unmolested in [[Mystras]] before the siege of [[Constantinople]], but he refused, preferring to fight and die defending his Empire.  His wish would come true, as he was killed while defending the walls of [[Constantinople]] on [[May 29]], [[1453]] (see [[Fall of Constantinople]]). The Emperor, when realising that the end had come, discarded his purple cloak and charged into the breach. Some sources record that he was only recognized afterwards by his purple boots; others that the Turks were never able to identify his body, and so the last emperor of Rome was buried in a mass grave along with his soldiers. Some [[Orthodox Christians]] consider him a saint, but he has not been officially recognized as such.
+[[Mehmed II]] offered Constantine the chance to rule unmolested in [[Mystras]] before the siege of [[Constantinople]], but he refused, with the words: "ΤΟ ΔΕ ΤΗΝ ΠΟΛΙΝ ΣΟΙ ΔΟΥΝΑΙ ΟΥΤ' ΕΜΟΝ ΕΣΤΙΝ, ΟΥΤ' ΑΛΛΟΥ ΤΩΝ ΚΑΤΟΙΚΟΥΝΤΩΝ ΕΝ ΑΥΤΗ. ΚΟΙΝΗ ΓΑΡ ΓΝΩΜΗ ΠΑΝΤΕΣ ΑΥΤΟΠΡΟΑΙΡΕΤΩΣ ΑΠΟΘΑΝΟΥΜΕΝ ΚΑΙ ΟΥ ΦΕΙΣΟΜΕΘΑ ΤΗΣ ΖΩΗΣ ΗΜΩΝ", preferring to fight and die defending his Empire.  His wish would come true, as he was killed while defending the walls of [[Constantinople]] on [[May 29]], [[1453]] (see [[Fall of Constantinople]]). The Emperor, when realising that the end had come, discarded his purple cloak and charged into the breach. Some sources record that he was only recognized afterwards by his purple boots; others that the Turks were never able to identify his body, and so the last emperor of Rome was buried in a mass grave along with his soldiers. Some [[Orthodox Christians]] consider him a saint, but he has not been officially recognized as such.
 ==Bibliography==

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 {{start box}}
-{{Byzantine Emperor | Prev=[[John VIII Palaeologus]] | CoEmperor=| Next= None}}
+{{succession box|title=Byzantine Emperor|before [[John VIII Palaeologus]] |after --}}
 {{end box}}
 [[Category:1404 births]]
 [[Category:1453 deaths]]
 [[Category:Palaeologus dynasty]]
 [[Category:Byzantine emperors]]