This is the first full biography of the last emperor of Byzantium, who died defending Constantinople against the Ottoman Turks. Dr. Philippides has researched sources in many languages to reconstruct his life and his policies and to provide a detailed description of his reign in the years preceding the fall.
He establishes that, having ascended the throne of Byzantium, Constantine XI made a concerted effort to restore Greek power in the region through an active diplomacy that sought to ally Constantinople with Serbian and other Christian leaders in order to stem the oncoming Ottoman tide.In the process of researching and reconstructing Constantine's life, the author has produced an important work of scholarship and created a compelling portrait of the last Greek emperor and the circumstances leading to the collapse of the 1000-year old empire.
