For other people by this name, see Theodore Palaiologos.
Theodore Paleologus
Tombstone of Theodore Paleologus in Landulph
Born
c. 1560 Pesaro, Duchy of Urbino
Died
21 January 1636 (aged c. 76) Landulph, Cornwall, England
Buried
St Leonard & St Dilpe Landulph, Cornwall, England
Noble family
Paleologus
Spouse(s)
Mary Balls
Issue
Dorothy
Mary
Theodore
John
Ferdinand
Father
Camilio Paleologus
Mother
Unknown
Occupation
Soldier, assassin, Master of the Horse
Theodore Paleologus (Italian: Teodoro Paleologo; c. 1560 – 21 January 1636) was a 16th and 17th-century Italian nobleman, soldier and assassin. According to the genealogy presented on Theodore's tombstone, he was a direct male-line descendant of the Palaiologos dynasty, which had ruled the Byzantine Empire from 1259 to its fall in 1453. Though most of the figures in the genealogy can be verified to have been real historical figures, the veracity of his imperial descent is uncertain.
Born in Pesaro around 1560, Theodore was forced into exile after being convicted for the attempted murder of man called Leone Ramusciatti. He lived in exile for many years and went on to become a proficient soldier and hired assassin. In 1597, Theodore arrived in London, hired by the authorities of the Republic of Lucca to kill a man named Alessandro Antelminelli. After failing to track down Antelminelli, Theodore stayed in England, possibly for the rest of his life.
In 1600, Theodore was hired by Henry Clinton, the Earl of Lincoln, ostensibly as "Master of the Horse" but in reality probably as a henchman and assassin. At the time, Clinton was perhaps the most hated nobleman in the entire country. Theodore probably accompanied Clinton on his visits around the country, most of them having to do with Clinton's frequent battles with the law. In Clinton's service, Theodore also met the famous captain and explorer John Smith, whom he gradually helped introduce back into society after Smith had elected to live as a recluse.
While living in Plymouth in 1628, Theodore was offered employment by the Duke of Buckingham, George Villiers, almost as hated as the now deceased Earl of Lincoln, but Villiers was assassinated soon thereafter. Theodore was then invited by a Sir Nicholas Lower to stay with him at his house, Clifton Hall, in Landulph, Cornwall. There, Theodore lived until his death in 1636. He was buried at Landulph and was survived by five of the six or seven children whom he had with his wife, Mary Balls. Of these children, only Ferdinand Paleologus, who later emigrated to Barbados, is known to have had children of his own.
and 23 Related for: Theodore Paleologus information
as "Ffardinando son of TheodorePaleologus an Ittalian". Ferdinand's full name appears to have been William Ferdinand Paleologus, but the only known reference...
member of their family. Theodorious, or Theodore, Paleologus was born c. 1660 as the only child of Ferdinand Paleologus and Rebecca Pomfrett, the daughter...
of the Paleologus family served the town's ruling Della Rovere family in a military capacity. After brothers Leonidas and Scipione Paleologus, together...
Godscall Paleologue or Paleologus (12 January 1694 – ?) was the last recorded living member of the Paleologus family, and through them possibly the last...
John Paleologus (Italian: Giovanni Paleologo; June/July 1611 – after 1644), full name John TheodorePaleologus, was the third son of the 16th/17th-century...
genealogy mainly derives from the tombstone of TheodorePaleologus (d. 1636), which lists Theodore's male-line ancestors five generations back, reaching...
and contained figures such as TheodorePaleologus, who worked as a soldier and hired assassin, and Ferdinand Paleologus, who retired in Barbados in the...
TheodorePaleologus (Junior) (1609–1644), son of TheodorePaleologus Theodorious Paleologus (c. 1660–1693), grandson of TheodorePaleologusTheodore Palaeologo...
Assassin: TheodorePaleologus: Seducer, Spy and Killer. Stroud: The History Press. ISBN 978-0750962612. Hall, John (2015). An Elizabethan Assassin: Theodore Paleologus:...
ISBN 978-0230243644. Hall, John (2015). An Elizabethan Assassin: TheodorePaleologus: Seducer, Spy and Killer. Stroud: The History Press. ISBN 978-0750962612...
Nicol 1992, p. 116. Hall, John (2015). An Elizabethan Assassin: TheodorePaleologus: Seducer, Spy and Killer. Stroud: The History Press. ISBN 978-0750962612...
Retrieved 28 May 2011. Hall, John (2015). An Elizabethan Assassin: TheodorePaleologus: Seducer, Spy and Killer. Stroud: The History Press. ISBN 978-0750962612...
also named Demetrius Rhodocanakis, having married a daughter of TheodorePaleologus, a possible descendant of the Palaiologos emperors. Demetrius maintained...
"more seasoned killer". Franciotti recommended TheodorePaleologus. At this point, TheodorePaleologus had established himself as an assassin, and seems...
and 7th Viscount of Stormont William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield TheodorePaleologus II Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry Henry John Temple...
Theodore II Palaiologos or Palaeologus (Greek: Θεόδωρος Β΄ Παλαιολόγος, Theodōros II Palaiologos) (c. 1396 – 21 June 1448) was Despot in the Morea from...
ISBN 978-3-00016-194-0. Hall, John (2015). An Elizabethan Assassin: TheodorePaleologus: Seducer, Spy and Killer. Stroud: The History Press. ISBN 978-0750962612...
ISBN 978-0-511-58369-8. Hall, John (2015). An Elizabethan Assassin: TheodorePaleologus: Seducer, Spy and Killer. Stroud: The History Press. ISBN 978-0750962612...
1600), some unusual bench ends, a memorial inscription on brass for TheodorePaleologus (d. 1636), a descendant of the Byzantine Emperors, and a fine tomb...
designated to succeed Manuel as sole emperor upon his death. The second son, Theodore was designated as Despot of the Morea and the third, Andronikos, was made...
Manuel II had sent 10 ships to help in that Crusade. In October 1397, Theodore Kantakouzenos, Manuel's uncle, alongside John of Natala arrived at the...
Pope Martin V, was to Sophia of Montferrat in 1421. She was a daughter of Theodore II, Marquess of Montferrat, and his second wife Joanna of Bar. Joanna was...
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