Thomas Palaeologus

Thomas Palaeologus or Thomas Palaiologos ( 1409-1465 ), the youngest surviving son of Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, was despot of Morea from 1449 until Turkish conquest in 1460.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Coming from a numerous family, brothers John VIII and Constantine XI emperors of Byzantine empire , Theodore and Demetrius Despots of Morea, Andronicus, despot of Thessalonica, it was never expected that he will reign, nor his children to become the only surviving heirs of Palaeologus dynasty.

Related Topics:
John VIII - Constantine XI - Byzantine empire - Theodore - Demetrius - Andronicus - Thessalonica - Palaeologus dynasty

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After his brother Constantine XI, until then despot of Morea, became emperor Thomas received the position of despot of Morea in 1449. This has been only confirmation of reality because Thomas is governor in Morea from 1428.Two years later his brother Demetrius was sent to live in Morea and from then until the end they became joint rulers of the little teritory.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the beginning of the last siege of Constantinople by Turks, one Turkish army was sent with orders to blockade Morea. After the conquest of Constantinople by Mehmed II, maintaining the status quo the Turks ordered the two brothers to continue as joint rulers in Morea.

Related Topics:
Siege of Constantinople - Mehmed II

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In this situation, Thomas decided to ally himself with the west and he married a woman from a low-level Genoese family. During his rule he held good relations with the Pope and Genoa.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As Constantine XI was no longer alive and controlling his unruly younger brothers, a civil war erupted between Thomas and Demetrius for total control of Morea. In the end Thomas was the winner and Demetrius escaped to Turkish territory, asking Mehmed II to restore him to power in Morea. That demand however started the Turkish conquest of Morea. The only place for an army to enter Morea was the isthmus of Corinth, to which the last Byzantine emperors had spent much money for building the protective wall.

Related Topics:
Mehmed II - Morea - Isthmus of Corinth

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the end, due to losses in civil war, Thomas did not have enough soldiers to protect the wall on which so much money and time had been spent in the 15th century. After hearing about the invasion, Thomas escaped with his family to Italy in 1460. There he had already been recognized as the Byzantine emperor. The commanders of the garrisons of all the city fortresses in Morea, left alone without rulers, chose individually whether to fight or surrender, depending on their own will. In the last battle of the Roman Empire, 2213 years after the founding of Rome (not counting the states claiming to be its successor), Graitzas Palaeologus, the military commander of the city of Salmenikos defeated Mehmed II, who after a month of siege returned home without conquering that "unimportant city". Next year Graitzas received an offer to become general of the republic of Venice and gave up Salmenikos to Mehmed.

Related Topics:
Italy - Byzantine emperor - Roman Empire - Rome - Graitzas Palaeologus - Salmenikos

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After the fall of Morea Thomas lived in Rome, being recognized in all Christian Europe as the rightful Emperor. On Thomas' death that position fell to his son Andreas, born in Mistra around 1455. The Pope gave a little financial help to Andreas, and when Andreas died in 1503 no further claim in western Europe was made to the position of Byzantine emperor. Long before that year, Andreas had sold his rights to the Byzantine imperial crown to Charles VIII, king of France and Naples.

Related Topics:
Mistra - France

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mehmed II conquered the Empire of Trebizond, de facto the last free territory of the ancient Roman state, in the year 1461 (although Mehmed had proclaimed himself "Roman Emperor" already in 1453 after capturing Constantinople).

Related Topics:
Empire of Trebizond - 1461

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Playing a great political game, Pope Paul II arranged in 1472 a marriage between the Catholic daughter of Thomas, Zoe Palaiologina, and Grand Duke Ivan III of Russia, with the hope of making Russia a Catholic country. This attempt to unite churches failed, but because of this marriage, and as no other legitimate claims to Byzantine succession were any longer asserted, Moscow began in the following century its imperial policy of "third Rome". Thomas' great-grandson was Ivan the Terrible, the first Tsar of Russia. Last descendants of Sophia's (Zoe's catholic name) blood died in Russia around 1600, in the Time of Troubles.

Related Topics:
Pope Paul II - Zoe Palaiologina - Ivan III of Russia - Third Rome - Ivan the Terrible - Tsar of Russia - Time of Troubles

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~