Leu Numismatik AG
Web Auction 14 12-13 Dec 2020
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Andronicus IV Palaeologus, usurper, 1376-1379. Tornese (Bronze, 18 mm, 1.32 g), Constantinopolis. Andronicus IV and St. Demetrius on horseback to right. Rev. [ANΔΡONIKOV ΔЄCΠΟΤΟV] around Palaeologan monogram. SB 2547. Very rare. Areas of weakness, otherwise, about very fine.
Andronicus appears to have been a particularly rebellious Byzantine prince, who rebelled a first time in 1373 against his father John V, allying himself with Savci Bey, a son of the Ottoman sultan Murad I. Both princes were defeated, but while Murad had his son killed, John had his only 'partially blinded' (whether Andronicus lost one eye or whether he regained part of his eyesight a while after the events is unclear). The prince thanked his father's mercy by stirring up a second revolt in 1376, this time succeeding in capturing the capital through the support of the Genovese. In 1379, however, John V escaped from captivity and regained his throne with the support of the Ottomans, whom he offered an even higher tribute than his son. The remnants of the Byzantine realm were now distributed among John V and his sons, weakening the Empire still more. Andronicus IV himself died in 1385, apparently (and surprisingly) of natural causes.
Andronicus appears to have been a particularly rebellious Byzantine prince, who rebelled a first time in 1373 against his father John V, allying himself with Savci Bey, a son of the Ottoman sultan Murad I. Both princes were defeated, but while Murad had his son killed, John had his only 'partially blinded' (whether Andronicus lost one eye or whether he regained part of his eyesight a while after the events is unclear). The prince thanked his father's mercy by stirring up a second revolt in 1376, this time succeeding in capturing the capital through the support of the Genovese. In 1379, however, John V escaped from captivity and regained his throne with the support of the Ottomans, whom he offered an even higher tribute than his son. The remnants of the Byzantine realm were now distributed among John V and his sons, weakening the Empire still more. Andronicus IV himself died in 1385, apparently (and surprisingly) of natural causes.