Palaeologos
| Palaiologos dynasty Παλαιολόγος "House of Palaiologos" |
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|---|---|
| Imperial Family | |
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| Country |
 Byzantine Empire
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| Titles | |
| Style(s) | "Augustus" "Basileus" "Autokrator" |
| Founded | 11th century |
| Founder | Nikephoros Palaiologos (first known) |
| Final ruler | Constantine XI Palaiologos |
| Dissolution | 17th century |
| Deposition | 1453 |
| Ethnicity | Greek |
| Palaiologan dynasty | |||
| Chronology | |||
| Michael VIII | 1259–1282 | ||
| with Andronikos II as co-emperor, 1261–1282 | |||
| Andronikos II | 1282–1328 | ||
| with Michael IX (1294–1320) and Andronikos III (1321–1328) as co-emperors | |||
| Andronikos III | 1328–1341 | ||
| John V | 1341–1391 | ||
| with John VI Kantakouzenos (1347–1354), Matthew Kantakouzenos (1342–1357) and Manuel II (1373–1391) as co-emperors | |||
| Usurpation of Andronikos IV | 1376–1379 | ||
| Usurpation of John VII | 1390 | ||
| Manuel II | 1391–1425 | ||
| with Andronikos V (1403–1407) and John VIII (ca. 1416–1425) as co-emperors | |||
| John VIII | 1425–1448 | ||
| Constantine XI | 1448–1453 | ||
| Succession | |||
|
Preceded by Laskarids of Nicaea |
Followed by Ottoman conquest |
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The Palaiologos dynasty (pl. Palaiologoi; Greek: Παλαιολόγος, -οι), also romanized as Palaeologus or Palaeologue, was the name of a Byzantine Greek family, which rose to nobility and ultimately produced the last ruling dynasty of the Byzantine Empire.
Founded by the 11th-century general Nikephoros Palaiologos and his son George, the family rose to the highest aristocratic circles through its marriage into the Doukas and Komnenos dynasties. After the Fourth Crusade, members of the family fled to the neighboring Empire of Nicaea, where Michael VIII Palaiologos became co-emperor in 1259, recaptured Constantinople and was crowned sole emperor of the Byzantine Empire in 1261. His descendants ruled the empire until the Fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Ottoman Turks on May 29, 1453, becoming the longest-lived dynasty in Byzantine history; some continued to be prominent in Ottoman society long afterwards. A branch of the Palaiologos became the feudal lords of Montferrat, Italy. This inheritance was eventually incorporated by marriage to the Gonzaga family, rulers of the Duchy of Mantua, who are descendants of the Palaiologoi of Montferrat.
The origins of the Palaiologoi (lit. "old word", sometimes glossed as "ragman" or "antique collector") are unknown. Later traditions sometimes tied them to the Italian city of Viterbo (the Latin vetus verbus having the same meaning as the family's name) or to the Romans who immigrated east with Constantine the Great during the founding of his new capital. Both were probably fabrications created to help legitimize the dynasty. The family are first attested as local lords in Asia Minor, particularly Anatolikon, with Nikephoros Palaiologos rising to command over Mesopotamia under Michael VII Doukas. He supported the revolt of Nikephoros Botaneiates, while his son George married Anna Doukaina and therefore supported his sister-in-law's husband Alexios Komnenos during his rise to power. As commander (doux) of Dyrrhachium, George faced the Norman Duke Robert Guiscard in battle.
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Wikipedia