After the fall of Constantinople to Mehmed II, the only free province of the Byzantine Empire was the Despotate of Morea, ruled by two brothers of the dead emperor Constantine XI Palaeologus, Thomas and Demetrius Palaeologus. It was never expected that these two surviving sons of Manuel II Palaeologus would ever rule. Only after the deaths of their older brothers Andronicus, despot of Thessalonica, Theodore, despot of Morea, John VIII Palaeologus, Constantine XI, and two brothers in childhood, were they able to claim the throne. The 1453 Siege of Constantinople (painted 1499) The Fall of Constantinople was the conquest of the Byzantine capital by the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan Mehmed II, on Tuesday, May 29, 1453. ... Mehmed II Mehmed II, also known as Muhammed II (March 30, 1432 – May 3, 1481; also known as el-Fatih, the Conqueror) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to 1446, and later from 1451 to 1481. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centred at its capital in Constantinople. ... The Morea and surrounding states carved from the Byzantine Empire, as they were in 1265 (William R. Shepherd, Historical Atlas, 1911) The name Morea (Μωρέας) for Peloponnesos first appears in the 10th century in Byzantine chronicles. ... Constantine XI Paleologus (sometimes numbered Constantine XII or Constantine XIII), also known as Constantine Drageses, (February 8, 1404 - May 29, 1453) was the last reigning emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 1449 to his death. ... Manuel II Palaeologus (1350 – July 21, 1425) was Byzantine emperor from 1391 to 1425, and son of Emperor John V Palaeologus. ... The White Tower The Arch of Galerius Map showing the Thessaloníki prefecture Thessaloníki (Θεσσαλονίκη) is the second-largest city of Greece and is the principal city and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia. ... John VIII (1390 - Constantinople October 31, 1448), surnamed Palaeologus, Byzantine emperor, the oldest son of Manuel II, became sole emperor in 1425. ...

Twenty years before the fall of Constantinople, Demetrius Palaeologus tried for the first time to take power with military help from Hungary. He escaped to that court demanding protection and military help against brothers who wanted to kill him. After that he made peace with his brothers many times and many times again tried to take power with help from another power: the Turks.

His brother Thomas decided to ally with the west and he married into a low-level Genoese family. During his rule he had good relations with the Pope, Genoa and Venice. Before resigning the title of Despot of Morea to his brother Thomas, Constantine XI with 7000 soldiers conquered all the Latin states in Greece up to the Turkish border. This led to a Turkish invasion of Morea and a return to the status quo in the year 1446. This invasion of Morea and the fall of Constantinople in 1453 was a final moral blow to the two rulers of Morea. For the last 30 years the Byzantine Empire under the command of Constantine XI and Thomas tried to protect Morea by building a wall on the isthmus of Corinth which connected this province with the rest of Greece. Location within Italy Flag of Genoa Christopher Columbus monument in Piazza Aquaverde Genoa (Italian Genova, Genoese Zena, French Gênes) is a city and a seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. ... Location within Italy Venice (Italian Venezia), the city of canals, is the capital of the region of Veneto and of the province of Venice, 45°26′ N 12°19′ E, population 271,663 (census estimate 2004-01-01). ... Events Mehmed II Sultan of the Ottoman Empire is forced to abdicate in favor of his father Murad II by the Janissaries. ... The Isthmus of Corinth— which is the isthmus, the original neck of land so called— is the narrow landbridge which connects the Peloponnesos peninsula with the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth. ...

When Mehmed II invaded Morea in 1460, Thomas, who had been fighting with Demetrius for the last seven years, did not have enough soldiers to protect the wall on which so much money and time had been spent in the 15th century. The formal reason for the invasion was to help Demetrius, who had asked for Turkish help to restore him to power. Thomas, after hearing of the invasion, escaped with his family to Italy where he was recognized as Byzantine emperor. Demetrius, however, received news from Mehmed II that he was not to rule the country. The commanders of the garrisons of all the city fortesses in Morea chose to fight or surrender depending on their will. In the last battle of the Roman Empire, 2213 years after the founding of Rome (not counting the states claiming to be its successor), Graicas Palaeologus, the military commander of the city of Salmenikos defeated Mehmed II, who after a month of siege returned home without conquering that "unimportant city". Next year Graicas received an offer to become general of the republic of Venice and gave up Salmenikos to Mehmed. Mehmed II Mehmed II, also known as Muhammed II (March 30, 1432 – May 3, 1481; also known as el-Fatih, the Conqueror) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to 1446, and later from 1451 to 1481. ... This is a list of Byzantine Emperors. ... The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus). ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,546,807 almost 4,000,000 1...

After the fall of Morea Thomas lived in Rome, being recognized in all Christian Europe as Emperor. On Thomas' death that position fell to his son Andreas, born in Mistra after the fall of Constantinople. The Pope gave little financial help to Andreas, and when Andreas died in 1503 no further claim was made to the empire. Long before that year, Andreas had sold his crown right to the king of France. For a village in the prefecture of Ioannina, see Ioannina The Vale of Laconia seen from the battlements of Mystras Mystras (also Mistra, Mystra and Mistras Greek: Μύστρας ) was a fortified town in Morea (the Peloponnesus), on Mt. ...

Demetrius lived in his golden Turkish cage until his death.

Mehmed II conquered the Empire of Trebizond, de facto the last free territory of the ancient Roman state, in the year 1461 (although Mehmed proclaimed himself "Roman Emperor" after capturing Constantinople). Introduction The Empire of Trebizond and other states carved from the Byzantine Empire, as they were in 1265 (William R. Shepherd, Historical Atlas, 1911) The Empire of Trebizond was a successor state of the Byzantine Empire founded in 1204 immediately before the fall of Constantinople. ... Events February 2 - Battle of Mortimers Cross - Yorkist troops led by Edward, Duke of York defeat Lancastrians under Owen Tudor and his son Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke in Wales. ...

Bibliography

• Joseph von Hammer "Geschichte des Osmanischen Reiches"
• Edward Gibbon "The History of Decline and Fall of Roman Empire"
• "Byzantium's Nightfall ( John VIII )" - translated from the Serbian