Palaeologus

The Palaeologus, also spelled Palaiologos, was the last ruling dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 1261 to 1453. The family rose to prominence when Michael VIII Palaeologus recaptured Constantinople from the Latin Empire, restoring the Byzantine Empire after 57 years of Latin rule. The Palaeologan period was marked by both cultural revival and political decline. While the emperors promoted a Renaissance of Byzantine art and learning, the empire steadily lost territory to various enemies, most notably the Ottoman Turks. The dynasty produced several capable rulers, including Andronicus II and Manuel II, but also periods of civil war and weak leadership. The last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaeologus, died defending Constantinople during its fall to the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in 1453. The Palaeologus family had several branches that survived the fall of Constantinople, with some members serving in various positions in both Eastern and Western Europe. The family name has since become associated with the final period of Byzantine history and the end of the Roman Empire in the East.