Palaeologus

(Παλαιολόγος), the name of an illustrious Byzantine family, of which there are said to have been descendants still existing in the 17th century (Du Cange, Familiae Byzantinae, p. 255). This family is first mentioned in the eleventh century [see below No. 1], and from that time down to the downfall of the Byzantine empire the name constantly occurs. It was the last Greek famiily that sat upon the throne of Constantinople, and it reigned uninterruptedly from the year 1260 to 1453, when Constantinople was taken by the Turks, and the last emperor of the family fell while bravely defending his capital. A branch of this family ruled over Montferrat in Italy from A.D. 1305 to 1530, Theodorus Comnenus Palaeologus, the son of Andronicus II., taking possession of the principality in virtue of the will of John of Montferrat, who died without children. This branch of the family does not fall within the compass of the present work; and we can only mention the leading Palaeologi spoken of in Byzantine history. A full account of all of them is given by Du Cange, where all the authorities for the following particulars are collected (Familiae Lyzantinae, pp. 230-348).

1. Nicephorus Palaeologus, with the title of Hypertimus, was a faithful servant of the emperor Nicephorus III. Botaniates (A. D. 1078-1031), and was rewarded by him with the government of Mesopotamia. He perished in battle in the reign of his successor Alexius I. Comnenus, while defending Dyrrhachium (Durazzo) against the Normans, A. D. 1081.

2. Georgius Palaeologus, the son of the preceding, was celebrated for his military abilities, and served with his father under the emperors Nicephorus III. and Alexius I. He married Irene, the daughter of the Protovestiarius Andronicus Ducas.

3. Michael> Palaeologus, with the title of Sebastus. probably a son of No. 2, was banished by Calo-Joannes or Joannes II. Comnenus, the successor of Alexius I. Comnenus (A.D. 1118-1143), but was recalled from banishment by Manuel I. Comnenus, the successor of Calo Joannes. He commanded the Greek forces in southern Italy, and carried on war with success against William, king of Sicily, but died in 1155, in the middle of his conquests, at the town of Bari, which he had taken a short time before.

4. Georgius Palaeologus, with the title of Sebastus, a contemporary of No. 3, was employed by Manuel I. Comnenus in many important embassies. He is stuposed by Du Cange to be the same as the Georgius Palaeologus, who took part in the conspiracy by which Isaac II. Angelus was dethroned, and Alexius III. Angelus raised to the crown in 1195, and who was killed in the storming of Crizimnonl il 1199.

5. Nicephorus Palaeologus, governor of Trapezus, about A. D. 1179.

6. Andronicus Palaeologus, married the eldest daughter of the emperor Theodorus Lascaris.

7. Alexius Palaeologus, married Irene, the eldest daughter of Alexius III. Angelus, and was destined by this emperor as his successor, but he died shortly before the arrival of the Crusaders at Constantinople.

8. Andronicus Palaeologus, the ancestor of the imperial family of the Palaeologi, was Magnus Domesticuls under the emperors Theodors Lascaris and Joannes III. Vatatzes. He assumed the surname of Comnenus, which was borne likewise by his descendants. He married Irene Palaeologina, the daughter of Alexius Palaeologus [No. 7], and the grand-daughter of the emperor Alexius III. His children being thus descended, both on their father's and mother's side, from the Palaeologi are called by Georgius Phranzes (1.1) διπλοπαλαιολόγοι. The following stemma, which has been drawn up by Wilken (in Ersch and Gruber's Encykloplildie, art. Pliaologen) from Du Cange's work, exhibits all the descendants of this Andronicus Palaeologus. The lives of all the emperors are given in separate articles, and the other persons are not of sufficient importance to require a distinct notice. Of course, all the persons on this stemma bore the name of Palaeologus, but it is omitted here in order to save space.