Andronicus IV Palaeologus, usurper, 1376-1379. Tornese (Bronze, 19 mm, 2.21 g, 7 h), Constantinopolis. Andronicus IV and St. Demetrius on horseback to right. Rev. + ANΔ[ΡONIKOV ΔЄCΠΟΤΟV] around Palaeologan monogram. SB 2547. Very rare and in an exceptional condition for this very difficult issue. Some deposits, otherwise, very fine.



Andronicus emerged as a particularly insubordinate Byzantine prince, first rebelling in 1373 against his father, John V, by forming an alliance with Savci Bey, a son of the Ottoman sultan Murad I. Both princes were defeated; however, while Murad executed his son, John merely had Andronicus partially blinded. It remains uncertain whether Andronicus lost only one eye or regained partial vision later. Despite this clemency, Andronicus instigated a second revolt in 1376, successfully capturing the capital with the support of the Genoese. In 1379, John V escaped captivity and reclaimed his throne with the assistance of the Ottomans, to whom he promised a higher tribute than his son had. This division of the remnants of the Byzantine Empire among John V and his sons further weakened the realm. Andronicus IV died in 1385, unexpectedly from natural causes.