THE PALAEOLOGUES

George Leonardos' Web Page

THE PALAEOLOGUES

2006

ISBN 960-14-01206-9 Pages 406

LIVANIS PUBLISHING HOUSE

In his new novel George Leonardos narrates the shocking, gruesome and hideous events of the civil wars among the Palaeologian Dynasty, which carved the path of no return towards the self-destination and the dissolution of the Eastern Roman Empire. Although a complete story in itself, the result of a thorough study of the historical details and human weakness which marked all “rulers” of the century before the fall of Constantinople, this book constitutes in a way as the sequel to his previous narrative “Michael Palaeologos – The Liberator”. This in hand historical novel brings to prominence in a most vivid and genial way, not only the heroic but also the vile events which dramatically influenced the life and future of the residents of the former Eastern Roman Empire. Events that were distorted whether it be deliberately or unintentionally voluntarily or involuntarily so as to contribute to the lethargy of the people for many generations to come. A historical novel, in which truth exceeds fantasy which was used by the writer only to facilitate comprehension of this novel.

“Some time later amidst the cries and screams of the passengers and their children, the ship was sailing from the commercial pier of the gulf of Golden Horn with a few flexible close hauls heading in the wind our most experienced captain steering the ship towards the estuary of the gulf leaving behind him the Golden Horn and sailing towards Propontis when a tail wind from the side of Bosporus in the sea of Marmara took us under its wing, steering us towards Gallipoli towards the inlet of Ellispondos.

The children thrilled to be traveling by boat, ran to the stern of the ship gazing into the horizon. A new life was ahead… I alone, abandoned from the others slowly went towards the stern of the ship to kneel before the imaginary temple of Hagia Sophia and stare out to the life I had left behind…