Constantine Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( el, Κωνσταντῖνος Παλαιολόγος; 1261 – 5 May 1306) was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

prince of the

Palaiologos The House of Palaiologos ( Palaiologoi; grc-gre, Παλαιολόγος, pl. , female version Palaiologina; grc-gre, Παλαιολογίνα), also found in English-language literature as Palaeologus or Palaeologue, was a Byzantine Greek f ...

dynasty, who also served as a general in the wars against the

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of ...

and

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...

Biography

Constantine was the third son of Emperor

Michael VIII Palaiologos Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( el, Μιχαὴλ Δούκας Ἄγγελος Κομνηνὸς Παλαιολόγος, Mikhaēl Doukas Angelos Komnēnos Palaiologos; 1224 – 11 December 1282) reigned as the co-emperor of the Empire ...

(r. 1259–1282) and Theodora Palaiologina. He was born in autumn 1261 in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

, which had just been recovered from the

Latin Empire The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byza ...

in August. He was hence a true ''

porphyrogennetos Traditionally, born in the purple (sometimes "born to the purple") was a category of members of royal families born during the reign of their parent. This notion was later loosely expanded to include all children born of prominent or high-ranking ...

'' ("purple-born") prince, and was often referred to as such. His father reportedly accorded him honours above even those of a ''

despotes Despot or ''despotes'' ( grc-gre, δεσπότης, despótēs, lord, master) was a senior Byzantine court title that was bestowed on the sons or sons-in-law of reigning emperors, and initially denoted the heir-apparent of the Byzantine emperor ...

''. In 1280, Constantine fought against the

in Macedonia, and was then dispatched against the Turkish raiders in

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, where he was successful in clearing the Maeander River valley of their presence. He later rebuilt the famous Monastery of Stoudios in

. In 1293, he was slandered to his brother, Emperor

Andronikos II Palaiologos , image = Andronikos II Palaiologos2.jpg , caption = Miniature from the manuscript of George Pachymeres' ''Historia'' , succession = Byzantine emperor , reign = 11 December 1282 –24 May 1328 , coronation = 8 Novemb ...

(r. 1282–1328), and placed under arrest. He later became a monk, with the

monastic name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for a religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should not be "foreign ...

Athanasios. He died at Constantinople on 5 May 1306, and was buried at the Lips Monastery. From his marriage to Irene Palaiologina Raoulaina, he had one son, the '' panhypersebastos'' John Palaiologos. The

Palace of the Porphyrogenitus The Palace of the Porphyrogenitus ( el, τὸ Παλάτιον τοῦ Πορφυρογεννήτου), known in Turkish as the '' Tekfur Sarayı'' ("Palace of the Sovereign"), is a late 13th-century Byzantine palace in the north-western part of ...

is a late 13th-century Byzantine palace in the north-western part of the old city of Constantinople named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palaiologos, Constantine 1261 births 1306 deaths 13th-century Byzantine people 14th-century Byzantine people Byzantine generals Constantine Byzantine–Turkish wars Porphyrogennetoi Eastern Orthodox monks Byzantine prisoners and detainees Burials at Lips Monastery Children of Michael VIII Palaiologos Sons of Byzantine emperors