Andreas Palaiologos (son of Manuel)

Andreas Palaiologos (1453 – c. 1502) was the eldest son of Thomas Palaiologos, Despot of Morea, and a nephew of the last Byzantine Emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos. After the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, his father fled to Italy with Andreas and his siblings, Zoe (later Sophia) and Manuel. Thomas's family were received in Rome and given papal support.

Following his father's death in 1465, Andreas was considered by some as the rightful claimant to the Byzantine throne. However, his claim was complicated by the fact that Constantine XI had died without a designated heir, and various factions within the Byzantine diaspora held different views on succession.

Andreas spent much of his life living in poverty, selling his theoretical rights and titles to various European rulers, including Charles VIII of France. His actions further fragmented the already weak Byzantine claimant landscape. There is evidence suggesting he also sold his rights to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. He married a woman of questionable noble lineage named Catherine and had several children, but the legitimacy and succession rights of his offspring were further contested.

Andreas Palaiologos died in Rome around 1502, leaving behind a complex legacy of political maneuvering, financial hardship, and disputed claims to a throne that no longer existed. His actions are often viewed as contributing to the ultimate dissolution of the Byzantine legacy in the diaspora.