Together with his father and brothers, Alexios had conspired against Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos ( c. 1183 ), and thus he spent several years in exile in Muslim courts, including that of Saladin.

The subsequent years witnessed the gradual extinction of Byzantine rule in Asia Minor, as Orhan of the Ottoman Turks, who had already defeated Andronikos III at Pelekanos in 1329, took Nicaea in 1331 and Nicomedia in 1337.

Earlier Andronikos III had effected the recovery of the islands of Lesbos and Chios from Martino Zaccaria in 1329 ( although the island remained under Benedetto III Zaccaria until 1330 ) and of Phocaea in 1334 from the last Genoese governor Domenico Cattaneo.

In August of 1334 Stefan Dusan and Andronikos made peace, and the forces of Andronikos were allowed to retake control of those parts of Macedonia that Syrgiannes had captured.

According to Nicephorus Gregoras, Andronikos also had an illegitimate daughter, Irene Palaiologina of Trebizond.

Sole emperor from 1282, Andronikos II immediately repudiated his father's unpopular Church union with the Papacy ( which he had been forced to support while his father was still alive ), but was unable to resolve the related schism within the Orthodox clergy until 1310.

Andronikos II was also plagued by economic difficulties and during his reign the value of the Byzantine hyperpyron depreciated precipitously while the state treasury accumulated less than one seventh the revenue ( in nominal coins ) that it had done previously.

On 8 November 1273 Andronikos II married as his first wife Anna of Hungary, daughter of Stephen V of Hungary and Elizabeth the Cuman, with whom he had two sons:

After Anna died in 1281, in 1284 Andronikos II then married Yolanda ( renamed Irene ), a daughter of Marquis William VII of Montferrat, with whom he had:

Andronikos II also had at least two illegitimate daughters:

Although Andronikos was at that time fifty-six years old, age had not diminished his charms, and Theodora became the next victim of his artful seduction.

They were well received by the king, George III of Georgia, whose anonymous sister had probably been Andronikos ’ first wife.

When Andronikos arrived he found that his authority was overthrown: Isaac had been proclaimed Emperor.

Andronikos I Komnenos was married twice and had numerous mistresses.

By his mistress Theodora Komnene, Andronikos I had the following issue:

When they reached Astrakhan, Uzbeg Khan had just given permission for one of his pregnant wives, Princess Bayalun, a daughter of Greek Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos, to return to her home city of Constantinople to give birth.

He married Yolande Palaeologina of Montferrato granddaughter of Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos and had 5 children, only 2 lived to adulthood:

Michael VIII entered the city on 15 August and had himself crowned together with his infant son Andronikos II Palaiologos.

When Andronikos arrived he found that during his absence he had lost popular support, and that Isaac had been proclaimed emperor.

John had no imperial ambitions of his own, and refused to be crowned co-emperor despite being offered the opportunity by Andronikos III Palaiologos several times during the reign of latter.

By his wife Irene Asanina, a daughter of Andronikos Asan ( son of Emperor Ivan Asen III of Bulgaria by Eirene Palaiologina, herself daughter of Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos ), John VI Kantakouzenos had several children, including:

In June 1422, John VIII Palaiologos supervised the defense of Constantinople during a siege by Murad II, but had to accept the loss of Thessalonica which his brother Andronikos had given to Venice in 1423.

While Andronikos was on one of his incursions, his castle was surprised by the governor of Trebizond, and Theodora and her two children were captured and sent to Constantinople.

Andronikos I had usurped the throne in 1183 and after a two year reign of terror was tortured and killed by the populace of Constantinople after being deposed by Isaac II Angelos.

Andronikos had among his several sons two who became " boyars " in what today is Romania and founded the yet-surviving new branches of Cantacuzino:

After Manuel I's reign the Komnenos dynasty fell into conspiracies and plots like many of their ancestors ( and the various contenders within the family sought power and often succeeded in overthrowing the preceding kinsman ); Alexios II, the first Komnenos to ascend as a minor, ruled for three years and his conqueror and successor Andronikos I ruled for two, overthrown by the Angelos family under Isaac II who was dethroned and blinded by his own brother Alexios III.

Anna was Empress consort for two years, until the deposition of Andronikos in September 1185.

A few years later in 1166, Theodora's kinsman Andronikos, a first cousin of her father, visited the kingdom and was named lord of Beirut by Baldwin's brother and successor Amalric I. Andronikos invited Theodora to Beirut, and the two eloped to Damascus, or as William says, Andronikos abducted her in collusion with Nūr al-Dīn.

At the court of Nūr al-Dīn in Damascus, Andronikos and Theodora had two children together, Alexios and Eirene, although Andronikos was inevitably excommunicated.

The only possible sign of new hostilities are two Mongol raids into Byzantine Thrace in 1320 and 1321, but these were probably executed with Bulgarian cooperation and are connected with the beginning of the civil war between Andronikos II Palaiologos and his grandson Andronikos III Palaiologos.

By his second wife Sarah-Theodora, Ivan Alexander had several other children, which included Keraca Marija, who married the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos IV Palaiologos, Ivan Šišman, who succeeded as emperor of Bulgaria in Tǎrnovo 1371 – 1396, Ivan Asen V, associated as emperor of Bulgaria by 1359 – 1388 ?, as well as two daughters named Desislava and Vasilisa.

The two countries were again on the opposite sides in the Byzantine civil war when the Bulgarians allied with Andronikos III while the Serbs supported his grandfather.

In childhood Andronikos survived the sickness which killed his older brother Constantine and two sisters.

Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos with his family: empress Helena Dragaš ( right ), and three of their sons, John VIII Palaiologos | John, Andronikos Palaiologos, Lord of Thessalonike | Andronikos and Theodore II Palaiologos, Lord of Morea | Theodore.

Another of Eudokia and Constantine's sons, Andronikos Doukas, was now made co-emperor by Romanos IV, although he had been excluded from power by his own father, mother, and brothers.

Early 15th-century miniature depicting Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos with his family: empress Helena Dragaš, and three of their sons, John VIII Palaiologos | John, Andronikos Palaiologos, Lord of Thessalonike | Andronikos and Theodore II Palaiologos, Lord of Morea | Theodore.

Their sons included Andronikos IV Palaiologos ( 1348 – 1385 ) and Manuel II Palaiologos ( 1350 – 1425 ).

After Ivan Stephen took the throne, the second wife of Michael Shishman Theodora Palaiologina was forced to leave the capital along with her sons and departed to Constantinople, to her brother the Byzantine emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos.

* Eirene Angelina, who married ( 1 ) Andronikos Kontostephanos, and ( 2 ) Alexios Palaiologos, by whom she was the grandmother of Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos.

Effective administrative authority during the reign of Andronikos III was wielded by his megas domestikos John Kantakouzenos, while the Emperor enjoyed himself hunting or waging war.

Andronikos III's attempt to make up for this setback by annexing Bulgarian Thrace failed in 1332, when he was defeated by the new Bulgarian Emperor Ivan Alexander at Rousokastron.

Despite these troubles Andronikos III secured the extension of Byzantine control over Thessaly in 1333 and Epirus in 1337, by taking advantage of succession crises in these principalities.

Andronikos III reorganized the Byzantine navy ( consisted of 10 ships by 1332 ) and reformed the judicial system by forming a panel of four universal judges whom he designated " Universal Justices of the Romans ".

The Dictionnaire historique et Généalogique des grandes familles de Grèce, d ' Albanie et de Constantinople ( 1983 ) by Mihail-Dimitri Sturdza adds a second illegitimate daughter of Andronikos, converting to Islam under the name Bayalun.

Constantine was forced to become a monk by his nephew Andronikos III Palaiologos.

The anger of the Emperor was again roused by this dishonour, and Andronikos was compelled to flee.

Andronikos Komnenos ' arrival was soon followed by a massacre of the Latin inhabitants of the city, who virtually controlled the economy of the city, with the massacre resulting in the deaths of 80, 000 " Latins ", i. e. Westerners.

Alexios II was compelled to acknowledge Andronikos as colleague in the empire in front of the crowd on the terrace of the Church of Christ of the Chalkè and was then quickly put to death in turn ; the killing was carried out by Tripsychos, Theodore Dadibrenos and Stephen Hagiochristophorites.

The deposed Emperor attempted to escape in a boat with his wife Agnes and his mistress, but was captured ( note that by some, Andronikos not only survived, but also managed to escape to the then self-proclaimed Kingdom of Cyprus ).

Andronikos was portrayed in the novel Baudolino by Umberto Eco, with much detail being given to his grisly end.

* Macedonia-A Civilization Uncovered, BBC documentary on the excavations in Macedonia held by archaeologist Manolis Andronikos

The failed attempt at usurpation by his older brother Andronikos IV Palaiologos in 1373 led to Manuel being proclaimed heir and co-emperor of his father.

In 1376 – 1379 and again in 1390 they were supplanted by Andronikos IV and then his son John VII, but Manuel personally defeated his nephew with help from the Republic of Venice in 1390.

In 1290 he was visited by Andronikos II Palaiologos, who sought forgiveness for his father's blinding of John IV three decades earlier.

Michael VIII Palaiologos was the son of the megas domestikos Andronikos Doukas Komnenos Palaiologos by Theodora Angelina, the granddaughter of Emperor Alexios III Angelos and Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamaterina.

Andronikos attempted to flee by boat but was apprehended.

Gold histamenon of Romanos IV: Michael VII Doukas flanked by his brothers Andronikos Doukas ( co-emperor ) | Andronikos and Konstantios Doukas | Konstantios on the obverse, Romanos IV and Eudokia Makrembolitissa crowned by Christ on the reverse