Andronicus IV was Byzantine emperor from 1376 to1379. He was the son of John V, but rebelled against his father when the Ottoman sultan Murad I forced John into vassalage in 1373. Andronicus had allied with Murad's son who was rebelling against his own father, but both rebellions failed. Murad blinded his son and demanded that John have Andronicus blinded as well, but John blinded only one of his son's eyes.
In 1376 the Genoese helped him escape from prison and take control of Constantinople. However, he was immediately attacked by Genoa's enemies, the Venetians, and was overthrown by them in 1379. The Venetians restored John V to the throne. He rebelled again, unsuccessfully, in 1385, and died soon afterwards.
Andronikos IV Palaiologos or AndronicusIV Palaeologus (Greek: Ανδρόνικος Δ' Παλαιολόγος) (April 2, 1348–June 28, 1385), was Byzantine emperor from 1376 to 1379.
Andronikos IV Palaiologos was the eldest son of Emperor John V Palaiologos by his wife Helena Kantakouzene, a daughter of Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos.
Andronikos IV was allowed to keep the title of co-emperor and was given the city of Selymbria (Silivri) as his personal domain, where he died in 1385.