User:Ichthyovenator/John Palaiologos (son of Manuel)

John Palaiologos was the eldest son of Manuel Palaiologos. John's father had returned from exile under the protection of the papacy to Constantinople in 1476 and had been generously provided for by Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire, who had conquered the city from Manuel's relatives in 1453.

History
John Palaiologos was the eldest son of Manuel Palaiologos and grandson of Thomas Palaiologos, a brother of Constantine XI Palaiologos, the final Byzantine emperor. Although Constantine XI had died defending Constantinople from the Ottomans and Sultan Mehmed II in 1453, and Thomas had fled into exile in 1460, Manuel travelled to Constantinople in 1476 to throw himself on the mercy of Mehmed II. Previously, Manuel had lived with his brother Andreas under the protection of the papacy in Rome, but a constant cutting of their provided pension had led to a poor financial situation. After having received several dissatisfactory offers from various Western European dukes, Manuel was pleased with the generous payment he received from Mehmed II in Constantinople and stayed in the city for the rest of his life. In addition to income, Manuel was also provided with housing and two concubines by the sultan. With these two concubines, or possibly a wife, Manuel fathered at least two sons; John and Andreas. Whereas John's brother Andreas converted to Islam, John remained a Christian like his father.

Fate and historiography
The surviving evidence suggests that John died at a young age, presumably childless. Despite this, unverified claims have sometimes been put forth that he had descendants. Genealogies featuring descendants of John are generally regarded as fictitious or dubious, and are not taken seriously by Byzantinists. Some have, without evidence, attempted to conflate John with the John Palaiologos who was the progenitor of the Paleologus family in Pesaro, a figure of unverified historicity whom the family itself claimed was a son of Thomas Palaiologos, Manuel's father. This claim was historically forwarded by the 20th century eccentric and pretender Peter Mills. According to Mills' forged genealogy, John's full name was "John Laskaris Palaiologos of Kolnet" and he died not at a young age, but in Viterbo in Italy in 1558, after fathering several children, including "Richard Komnenos Phokas Palaiologos", from whom Mills claimed he was descended. A present-day "Paleologo" family in Sicily also claims descent from John through an unverified line of ancestors, originating from a supposed son of John called Andreas. Later genealogies have sometimes erroneously ascribed John the imaginary title "despot of Lemnos" or "prince of Lemnos".