Editing Michael VIII Palaiologos (section)

== Death and legacy ==
Michael VIII died in Pachomios village, Thrace on 11 December 1282.{{sfn|Akropolites|2007|p=16}} He was denied burial in Constantinople due to his persecution of the Church in support of union with Rome, so was instead laid to rest in a monastery called Nea Mone in the region of Rhaidestos (modern [[Tekirdağ]]). Three years later, in 1285, his remains were moved to the monastery of Christ in [[Selymbria]], where in 1260 he had reburied the body of [[Basil II]].<ref>Melvani, N., (2018) '[https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/byzantine-and-modern-greek-studies/article/tombs-of-the-palaiologan-emperors/C5079928DCB842457C4BA712151A15F8 The tombs of the Palaiologan emperors]', ''Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies'', 42 (2) pp. 237–260</ref>

In reconstituting the Byzantine Empire Michael VIII restored the old administration without endeavouring to correct its failures. In recovering Constantinople and investing in the defence of his European provinces, Michael VIII began to denude the [[Anatolia]]n frontier of its troops and was forced to lower their pay or cancel their tax exemptions. This policy led to the gradual collapse of the frontier, which was infiltrated by Turkish bands even before his death. The Palaiologan dynasty he established ruled the Byzantine Empire for almost two centuries, longer than any other in Roman history. Also, during his reign there was a temporary naval revival in which the Byzantine navy consisted of 80 ships.<ref>{{cite book |last=D'Amato |first=Raffaelle |date= 2016 |title=Byzantine Naval Forces 1261–1461 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4LKhDAAAQBAJ |publisher=Osprey Publishing |page=10 |isbn=978-1472807281 }}</ref>