According to Google Books, this is a brand new book on Byzantium/Byzantine Empire being published today: Siren Çelik's Manuel II Palaiologos (1350–1425) A Byzantine Emperor in a Time of Tumult. You can order it from its publisher Cambridge University Press here.
The meddling in Ottoman affairs seems to be cited as what provoked several sieges of Constantinople, resulting in its annexing in 1453.
My question is why did Manuel decide to do this, when Murad's father Mehmed was reportedly on good terms with Manuel II (or so wikipedia says)
Did events transpire that made Manuel certain that Murad would try to conquer his empire?
They all have the full trust and support of the Emperor and they all want him to win (even Khan, he isn’t going to backstab him and honestly wants to cooperate and help Manuel II win and succeed). They can all fluently read, write, and speak contemporary Greek, Latin, French, German, Turkish, and Arabic. They are all very well versed in the local history, geography, politics, religion, and society of the age.
Round 1: they have none of their equipment or technology from their own realms.
Round 2: Karl has his Silver Seal, Ghal Maraz, and Death Claw, Aragorn has Mithril Armour, and Narsil, Khan has a tricorder with infinite power and 3 communicators with infinite power and a 3000 km range.
Sort of a strange question, but here goes. Looking through depictions of the Late Byzantine/Roman Emperors they are all depicted in an incredibly similar way. The Laskarid Emperors of Nicaea (1204-1261) are all depicted with the same type of beard, a twirly sort of one (Theodore I, John III, Theodore II). The later Palaiologan Emperors (1261-1453) switch between two different styles; a short one (Michael IX, Andronikos III, John VIII, Constantine IX) and a long one (John V, John VII, Andronikos IV). The only exception to these two styles is Andronikos II (r. 1282 - 1328) who is depicted with a sort of square-shaped beard (image 1, image 2). This style is not seen in any other Palaiologan emperor and not in any preceding imperial dynasty either. Did he style his beard that way or is it a later invention? Do we have any sources specifically discussing his beard or the beard styles of the Byzantine emperors in general?
The Lordship of Montferrat was historically held by the House of Aleramici, and a March until all but very recently. In the early 1300's the last of them passed away and the Roman imperial house of Palaiologos inherited the land, title, and city. An early alliance with the naval and economic power of Genoa would ensure that the Palaiologos, nominally foreigners, would hold their new land, and following a string of battles, and conversion to Roman Catholicism find themselves as uncontested.
While the Palaiologos of Byzantium have faded away in the face of Ottoman ascendence, the Palaiologos-Montferrat branch house has earned itself a place as respected within the heart of Italy. Respect and imperial heritage made the branch house attractive for marriages which included an Heir to Byzantium, and the favour of a Pope, it also brought several marriages to the House of Savoy. A closeness between the large territories of North-West Italy had been formed by the mid 1400's. In the late 1400's on account of proximity to trade, the March entered a period of pro-French economic policies; thus when the Italian Wars broke out the March quickly turned to support French rulership.
William IX came to be the Marquis in 1494 at the age of nine, now in 1509 at twenty-four he sits as a reduced Lord Montferrat following the sale of vast swaths of his land to the King of France. This came as the result of a disastrous attempted reclamation of his ancestral rights on Genoa and the collapse of the League of Piedmont. Though the League was impressive, the treacheroury of the regent of Savoy to withdraw her men, the interception of the forces of Sienna, and collapse of the French war effort in Lombardy all managed to mean the attack on Genoa was a total failure; and of course no fault of Williams.
While Montferrat is technically now a vassal of the French, there is opportunity for a young Lord with dreams of seeing his family rise to the hights of their ancestors. William is married to a French princess, and holds special place as a strong friend of the King of France, or so he believes. With a little push, and a lot of money, there may yet be a chance to capture Genoa and rebuild the legacy of his illustrious family.
