Crossing Seas, Crossing Cultures: 11th International Conference of the Society for the Study of the Crusades

Description

The Asanes family and the Crusade of Pius II

Abstract: The Asanes family were prominent in the late Byzantine empire, where they were connected by marriage to the ruling Palaiologos dynasty. Four years after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, an individual called Alexander Asanes, who claimed to be the nephew of the last Emperor Constantine XI, assisted a papal fleet which occupied the Aegean island of Imbros. When the Ottomans recovered Imbros, Asanes lost all his property and fled to Italy. At the time of his arrival, Pope Pius II was planning a new crusade against the Ottomans. Perhaps as part of that, Pius promised to give Imbros to Asanes in return for an annual tribute. This paper will consider the implications of this apparently unrealistic grant, its place in the political manoeuvrings that accompanied the crusade preparations and what it tells us about the aspirations and fate of the dispossessed members of the Byzantine ruling class.

Period	2 Jul 2026
Event type	Conference
Location	Porto, PortugalShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International