User:Ichthyovenator/Theodore II Palaiologos

Theodore II Palaiologos (Θεόδωρος Παλαιολόγος; X – X) was Despot of the Morea from 1407 to 1443,

Early life
As the Byzantine Empire fell apart and fragmented over the course of the 14th century, the emperors of the Palaiologan dynasty came to feel that the only sure way to keep their remaining holdings intact was to grant them to their sons, receiving the title of despot, as appanages to defend and govern. Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos ((r. undefined – undefined)1391–1425) had a total of six sons who survived infancy. Manuel's eldest surviving son, John, was raised to co-emperor and designated to succeed Manuel as sole emperor upon his death. The second eldest son, Theodore was designated as Despot of the Morea (in the Peloponnese) and the third eldest, Andronikos, was made Despot of Thessaloniki in 1408 at just eight years old. Manuel's younger sons, Constantine, Demetrios, and Thomas, were kept in Constantinople as there was not sufficient land left to grant them. The younger children; Theodore, Andronikos, Constantine, Demetrios and Thomas were frequently described as having the distinction of Porphyrogennetos ("born in the purple"; born in the imperial palace during the reign of their father), a distinction that does not appear to have been shared by the emperor-to-be John.

Despot of the Morea
Theodore ruled the Despotate of the Morea, the most prosperous of the remaining Byzantine provinces, from the despotate's capital at Mystras, but he was for most of his early tenure unhappy with his position. When his older brother, John, journeyed to Italy and Hungary in search for aid to the empire in 1423, he met with Theodore in the Morea on his way to Venice, and Theodore confided in him on his unhappy situation. In 1421, Theodore had been married his wife, Cleofa Malatesta, but it was an arranged marriage and the union was not happy. Furthermore, Theodore much preferred quiet and scholary work as opposed to administration and warfare, expressing interest in becoming a monk. Theodore's unhappiness with his station made John consider appointing their younger brother Constantine as Despot of the Morea in Theodore's stead. Once John returned from his journey in 1424, he recalled Constantine from his appanage in Mesembria and designated him as Theodore's successor.

By this point, Theodore had changed in his mind. Although some at Theodore's court, such as the priest John Eugenikos, had applauded Theodore's wishes to become a monk, others had managed to convince him that the world was yet in need of him. Once John made the suggestion that Theodore was to step down in favor of Constantine, Theodore declined, and he remained Despot of the Morea for nearly twenty more years. Theodore's tenure as despot would prove to be a mainly prosperous one; he grew closer to his wife, who encouraged his scholary interests, and many scholars and artists gathered at Mystras under Theodore's patronage.

Cleofa's death in 1433 was crushing for Theodore, since he had come to love her dearly.