Constantine XI Palaiologos
Constantine was the fourth son of Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos and Helena Dragaš, the daughter of Serbian ruler Konstantin Dejanović. His early life is unknown, but from the 1420s onward, he is shown to be a skilled general. Based on his career, Constantine have been a soldier. He was trusted and liked by his older brother, Emperor John VIII Palaiologos. Constantine and John fended off an attack on the Morea (the Peloponnese) by Carlo I Tocco, ruler of Epirus, and in 1428 Constantine became Despot of the Morea and ruled the province together with his older brother Theodore and his younger brother Thomas. Together, they ruled to almost the entire Peloponnese for the first time since the Fourth Crusade more than two hundred years before and rebuilt the ancient Hexamilion wall, which defended the peninsula from outside attacks. Although ultimately unsuccessful, Constantine personally led a campaign into Central Greece and Thessaly in 1444–1446, attempting to extend Byzantine rule into Greece once more.