Palaeologus-Montferrat
The House of Palaeologus-Montferrat or Palaiologos-Montferrat, or just Palaeologus or Paleologo, was an Italian noble family and a cadet branch of the Palaiologos dynasty, the last ruling family of the Byzantine Empire. The cadet branch was created in 1306 when Theodore Palaiologos, fourth son of Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos, inherited the March of Montferrat through his mother, and Andronikos II's second wife, Yolande of Montferrat.

The Aleramici, Yolande's house and the previous rulers of Montferrat, had ruled the Kingdom of Thessalonica, a crusader state established around the city of Thessalonica after the Fourth Crusade in 1204. Though the resurgent Byzantines had reconquered Thessalonica in 1224, the Aleramici family still retained claims to the title. Because Andronikos II was eager to establish himself as legitimate in the eyes of Western Europe, he married Yolande in an effort to formally unite the claims of her family with his own "de facto" rule of Thessalonica, avoiding the potential future threat of a pretender launching an invasion against the empire.

At the time of their marriage, Yolande was second-in-line to the throne of Montferrat, and when her brother, John I of Montferrat, died without children in 1305, rulership of Montferrat legitimately passed to Yolande and her children, Theodore being chosen to make the journey to Italy and establish himself there. Many of the more conservative parts of the Byzantine aristocracy feared that Theodore and his descendants would become 'latinized'; fears that were realized once Theodore adopted Western customs and converted to Roman Catholicism.

Although the Montferrat Palaiologoi continued to use typical Greek names, such as Theodore or Sophia, from time to time, and a handful of marquises had Byzantine aspirations, they tended to pay relatively little attention to events and affairs in the eastern Mediterranean. The imperial branch of the Palaiologos family were displaced in 1453 through the Fall of Constantinople, but the Montferrat cadet branch continued to rule Montferrat for almost another century after that, being replaced by the House of Gonzaga in 1533 after the death of the last male member of the house, John George Palaeologus. The last female member, Margaret Paleologa, died in 1566, rendering the house extinct. Their descendants are still alive today, both in the form of branches descended from illegitimate children and through matrilineal descent in several Italian noble houses, such as the House of Savoy.
Q2057658
cadet branch
Concept
Q207585
Palaiologos
Concept
Q12544
Byzantine Empire
LOC
Q389345
Theodore Palaiologos
PER
Q128866
Byzantine Emperor
UNK
Q37067
Andronikos II Palaiologos
PER
Q10985042
March of Montferrat
LOC
Q270611
Yolande of Montferrat
PER
Q2032243
Aleramici
Concept
Q19868
Montferrat
LOC
Q325461
Kingdom of Thessalonica
LOC
Q190967
crusader state
ORG
Q17151
Thessalonica
LOC
Q51656
Fourth Crusade
EVE
Q845929
pretender
Concept
Q2252319
John I of Montferrat
PER
Q9592
Roman Catholicism
Concept
Q4918
Mediterranean
LOC
Q160077
Fall of Constantinople
EVE
Q594373
House of Gonzaga
Concept
Q3767377
John George Palaeologus
PER
Q891777
Margaret Paleologa
PER
Q200229
House of Savoy
LOC
Q96398226
Palaeologus-Montferrat
UNK
1306-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1306
DATE
1204-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1204
DATE
1224-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1224
DATE
1305-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1305
DATE
1453-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1453
DATE
1533-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1533
DATE
1566-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1566
DATE
country
child
child
spouse
spouse
inception
end time