MANITEL II., PAL1EOL'OGUS, Byzantine emperor, 1348-1425, succeeded his father, John VI. He had been an associate in the empire in 1372. At the death of his father in 1391, being held as a hostage by sultan Bajazet, he escaped from Nicma to Con stantinople, his own capital, to secure the throne for himself, without informing the sultan. Bajazet, enraged at his breach of faith, marched against him, ravaged tlie country adjoining Constantinople, and invested the city by sea and land. '3Ianuel applied to the western princes, who sent him an army of 100,000 men under Sigismund, king of Hungary, and John, count of Nevers. The allies, at first successful, were defeated with great slaughter by Bajazet at Nicopolis in 1396, with the loss of 10,000, men. Bajazet then returned to the siege with greater vigor than before. Seeing the determination of the citizens to hold out, he made a private ap.r.., eement with John, Manuel's nephew, to place him on the throne of Constantinople, and John was to deliver up Ithe city to the Turks, and remove the imperial seat to Peloponnesus. He sent also
deputies to the inhabitants, proposing to withdraw his army provided they expelled Manuel and placed John upon the throne. 3Iarmel voluntarily resigned, received John into the city, conducted him to the palace, and then set sail for Venice to ask aid from the western princes against the Turks. Large supplies were promised. The citizens of Constantinople refusing to comply with such a base treaty, the siege was. renewed, and its fall imminent when Bajazet was called away to resist Tamerlane. He. raised the siege and went against Tamerlane with a large army, but was defeated at Angora, 1401, and taken prisoner. After the defeat and death of Bajazet in 1403, Manuel reigned in peace. He was succeeded by his SOD John VII., Palmologus.