Editing Constantine XI Palaiologos (section)

=== Early rule in the Morea ===
[[File:Peloponnese Middle Ages map-en.svg|left|thumb|Map of the [[Peloponnese]] in the [[Middle Ages]]]]
The transfer of Tocco's conquered Moreot territories to Constantine complicated the Morea's government structure. Since his brother Theodore refused to step down as despot, the despotate became governed by two members of the imperial family for the first time since its creation in 1349. Soon thereafter, the younger Thomas (aged 19) was also appointed as a third Despot of the Morea, which meant that the nominally undivided despotate had effectively disintegrated into three smaller principalities. Theodore did not share control over Mystras with Constantine or Thomas; instead, Theodore granted Constantine lands throughout the Morea, including the northern harbor town of [[Aigio]], fortresses and towns in [[Laconia]] (in the south), and [[Kalamata]] and [[Messenia]] in the west. Constantine made Glarentza, which he was entitled to by marriage, his capital. Meanwhile, Thomas was given lands in the north and based himself in the castle of [[Kalavryta]].{{Sfn|Nicol|1992|p=9}} During his tenure as despot, Constantine was brave and energetic, but generally cautious.{{Sfn|Nicolle|Haldon|p=191|Turnbull|2007}}
Shortly after being appointed as despots, Constantine and Thomas, together with Theodore, joined forces in an attempt to seize the flourishing and strategically important port of [[Patras]] in the northwest of the Morea, which was ruled by its Catholic Archbishop, {{Interlanguage link|Pandolphe de Malatesta|fr}} (Theodore's brother-in-law). The campaign ended in failure, possibly due to Theodore's reluctant participation and Thomas' inexperience. Constantine confided with Sphrantzes and John at a secret meeting in Mystras that he would make a second attempt to retake Patras by himself; if he failed, he would return to his old appanage by the [[Black Sea]]. Constantine and Sphrantzes, confident that the city's many Greek inhabitants would support their takeover, marched towards Patras on 1 March 1429, and they besieged the city on 20 March. The siege developed into a long and drawn-out engagement, with occasional skirmishes. At one point, Constantine's horse was shot and killed under him and the despot nearly died, being saved by Sphrantzes at the cost of Sphrantzes being captured by the defenders of Patras (though he would be released, albeit in a state of near-death, on 23 April). After almost two months, the defenders opened up to the possibility of negotiation in May. Malatesta journeyed to Italy in an attempt to recruit reinforcements and the defenders agreed that if he did not return to them by the end of the month, Patras would surrender. Constantine agreed to this and withdrew his army. On 1 June, Constantine returned to the city and, since the Archbishop had not returned, met with the city's leaders in the city's [[Cathedral of Saint Andrew, Patras|Cathedral of St. Andrew]] on 4 June and they accepted him as their new lord. The Archbishop's castle, located on a nearby hill, held out against Constantine for another 12 months before surrendering.{{Sfn|Nicol|1992|p=|pp=9–11}}
[[File:Patras' castle from up close.jpg|thumb|Ruins of the castle at [[Patras]], captured by Constantine in 1430]]
Constantine's capture of Patras was seen as an affront by the Pope, the Venetians, and the Ottomans. In order to pacify any threats, Constantine sent ambassadors to all three, with Sphrantzes being sent to talk with [[Turahan Bey|Turahan]], the Ottoman governor of [[Thessaly]]. Although Sphrantzes was successful in removing the threat of Turkish reprisal, the threat from the west was realized as the dispossessed Archbishop arrived at the head of a mercenary army of [[Catalans]]. Unfortunately for Malatesta, the Catalans had little interest in helping him recover Patras, and they attacked and seized Glarentza instead, which Constantine had to buy back from them for 6,000 [[Venetian ducat]]s, and began plundering the Moreot coastline. To prevent Glarentza from being seized by pirates, Constantine eventually ordered it to be destroyed.{{Sfn|Nicol|1992|p=11}} During this perilous time, Constantine suffered another loss: Theodora died in November 1429. The grief-stricken Constantine first had her buried at Glarentza, but then moved to Mystras.{{Sfn|Nicol|1992|p=14}} Once the Archbishop's castle surrendered to Constantine in July 1430, the city was fully restored to Byzantine rule after 225 years of foreign occupation. In November, Sphrantzes was rewarded by being proclaimed as the city's governor.{{Sfn|Nicol|1992|p=11}}

By the early 1430s, the efforts of Constantine and his younger brother Thomas had ensured that nearly all of the Peloponnese was under Byzantine rule again since the [[Fourth Crusade]]. Thomas ended the [[Principality of Achaea]] by marrying [[Catherine Zaccaria]], daughter and heir of the final prince, [[Centurione II Zaccaria]]. When Centurione died in 1432, Thomas took control of all his remaining territories by right of marriage. The only lands in the Peloponnese remaining under foreign rule were the few port towns and cities still held by the Republic of Venice. Sultan Murad II felt uneasy about the recent string of Byzantine successes in the Morea. In 1431, Turahan sent his troops south on Murad's orders to demolish the Hexamilion wall in an effort to remind the despots that they were the Sultan's vassals.{{Sfn|Nicol|1992|p=|pp=12–13}}