John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos reigned for most of the second half of the fourteenth century in a reign defined by humiliation, civil war, and the empire's reduction to a rump state encircled by the Ottomans. He became nominal emperor at nine years old when his father Andronikos III died in 1341, immediately triggering the devastating civil war between his regency and John Kantakouzenos that lasted until 1347 and did incalculable damage to the empire. Both sides called in Ottoman Turkish assistance, which gave the Ottomans their first foothold in Europe at Gallipoli in 1354. John V's reign saw the Ottomans consolidate control over almost all remaining Byzantine territories in Europe. In 1369, in a desperate act of personal diplomacy, John V traveled to Rome and converted to Catholicism, hoping to trigger a western crusade against the Ottomans. He received nothing in return. On his return journey he was detained in Venice for debt. He later became an Ottoman vassal. He died in 1391 having watched the empire shrink to little more than Constantinople and a few scattered outposts.
- Lived: 1332 CE – 1391 CE
- Nationality: byzantine
- Roles: emperor, head_of_state
