Michael Palaiologos Doukas (, died 1156) was an early member of the family of the

Palaiologoi The House of Palaiologos ( Palaiologoi; , ; female version Palaiologina; ), also found in English-language literature as Palaeologus or Palaeologue, was a Byzantine Greek noble family that rose to power and produced the last and longest-ruling d ...

, which later ruled the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. Michael has often been identified as a son of the dynasty's ancestor, George Palaiologos, and his wife Anna Doukaina, a sister-in-law of Emperor

Alexios I Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos (, – 15 August 1118), Latinization of names, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus, was Byzantine Emperor, Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. After usurper, usurping the throne, he was faced with a collapsing empire and ...

, but his late chronology mitigates against this view. In all likelihood he was one of their grandsons, likely a son of Nikephoros Palaiologos, the eldest son of George Palaiologos and Anna Doukaina. It is from his grandmother that Michael derived his second surname of " Doukas". According to the historian John Kinnamos, Michael for an unknown reason fell into disfavour with his cousin, Emperor

John II Komnenos John II Komnenos or Comnenus (; 13 September 1087 – 8 April 1143) was List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine emperor from 1118 to 1143. Also known as "John the Beautiful" or "John the Good" (), he was the eldest son of Emperor Alexio ...

() and was exiled, being recalled only after the accession of

Manuel I Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos (; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Latinized as Comnenus, also called Porphyrogenitus (; " born in the purple"), was a Byzantine emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history o ...

(). Michael may have lived in southern Greece or have possessed property there, as he is known to have come into conflict with the local governor, Joseph Balsamon, in the 1140s. By 1147, Michael held the high court rank of and was sent as an envoy, along with the (secretary) Basil Tzintziloukes, to secure the supply for the forces of the

Second Crusade The Second Crusade (1147–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crus ...

near Sardica, and welcome King

Louis VII of France Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young () to differentiate him from his father Louis VI, was King of France from 1137 to 1180. His first marriage was to Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and ...

. In spring 1155, Michael and another , John Doukas, were put in charge of an expedition to attempt the reconquest of

southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

, formerly a

Byzantine province Subdivisions of the Byzantine Empire were administrative units of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire (330–1453). The Empire had a developed administrative system, which can be divided into three major periods: the late Roman/early Byzantine, ...

, from the Italo-Normans. Initially the two Byzantines were to attempt to conclude an alliance with the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

Frederick I Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aa ...

, but if the latter refused—as indeed transpired—to use the considerable funds they had brought with them to raise mercenaries locally and recover

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

. The two Byzantines found local allies in the persons of disgruntled Norman lords, Count Robert III of Loritello and the former Count of Gravina, Alexander of Conversano. With

Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...

as their base of operations, Palaiologos and Doukas captured

Vieste Vieste (; ) is a town, ''comune'' and former Catholic bishopric in the province of Foggia, in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. A marine resort in Gargano, Vieste has received Blue Flags for the purity of its waters from the Foundation fo ...

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

, Trani, and Giovinazzo in summer 1155. Palaiologos defeated a Norman army under Asclettin of Andria near Barletta, after which Andria surrendered. In October of the same year, Palaiologos carried out negotiations with the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( ; ; ) was a medieval and early modern Maritime republics, maritime republic from the years 1099 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italy, Italian coast. During the Late Middle Ages, it was a major commercial power in ...

. In spring 1156, Michael fell ill. He was tonsured a monk with the monastic name of Moses, a few days before his death at Bari. John Doukas assumed command of the Imperial forces in Apulia.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Palaiologos, Michael 1156 deaths 12th-century Byzantine people Byzantine generals

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

Year of birth unknown Generals of Manuel I Komnenos Byzantine diplomats Sebastoi Byzantine people of the Byzantine–Norman wars Byzantine Empire–Holy Roman Empire relations