Constantine XI Dragaš Palaeologus (1404–1453)

Marios Philippides is Professor of Classics, Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA. He has authored numerous books and articles on the Palaeologan era and on the fall of Byzantium.

• Preface;Abbreviations;1 Introduction: Res Dubiae;1 A romantic vision;2 The scholars;3 A playwright;2 Ex oriente lux: Imperial impotence;1 The emperor’s father and mother;2 The beggar emperor;3 The last imperial princes;3 Fortuna imperatrix mundi: The young Turks;1 Hope and survival;2 The green years;3 Education for a prince;4 The training fields;5 The changing of the guard;6 Return to reality;4 Nil sub sole novi: The Turkish offensive;1 Porte and court;2 The era of gunpowder;3 The troublemaker;5 Morea redivivus?: The prince’s offensive;;1 The boiling pot;2 The prince’s bride;3 Victory at Patras;4 Assertion of authority;5 The new map;6 Ecce homines: Emperor and regent;1 Southern intrigues;2 Northern intrigues;3 The emperor’s regent;4 A guest from the east;5 Second thoughts;7 Dux bellorum: Delusions of grandeur;1 Disgrace and inactivity;2 A state of siege;3 The warlord;4 The impregnable isle;5 Panic and horror;8 Animi cadunt: The end of an era;1 A scholar from the west;2 The revenge of the priests;3 The emperor makers;4 Emperor without crown;9 Dies irae: The crown of martyrdom;1 The emperor’s diplomatic activities;2 Imperial finances;3 A bride for the emperor;4 The fortress of doom;10 De mortuis nihil nisi bonum: Judgments;1 The emperor and the cardinal;2 The emperor and his allies;3 Heavenly wrath;4 Verdicts: The emperor under siege;11 Rex quondam rexque futurus: May 29, 1453;1 History and pseudo-history;2 Emperor and legend;3 The emperor’s grave;4 Resurrection and triumph;Bibliography;Index

"This book is a work of masterful and meticulous scholarship. There are extensive translations from primary sources, with the Greek text provided in the notes to each chapter."Mike Markowitz, The NYMAS REVIEW