George Palaiologos

George Palaiologos Doukas Komnenos (; –1167/68) was a high-ranking Byzantine aristocrat and diplomat of the 12th century. A kinsman of the ruling Komnenos dynasty, George Palaiologos held the rank of sebastos and the office of megas hetaireiarches. His son Alexios was briefly heir-apparent to Emperor Alexios III Angelos, and his great-grandson Michael VIII Palaiologos founded the Palaiologan dynasty of Byzantine emperors. He led a number of diplomatic missions for Emperor Manuel I Komnenos, both within the Empire and abroad. Only his missions to Jerusalem and Hungary, as part of the emperor's marriage alliances with foreign rulers, are well attested. Apart from his diplomatic activities, George Palaiologos also founded a church and a monastery, which were lavishly decorated. Life Origin George Palaiologos was of distinguished descent. His father was Alexios Palaiologos, the third son of George Palaiologos, a general of Alexios I Komnenos and Anna Doukaina, sister of Alexios I's empress Irene Doukaina. His mother, likely also named Anna, was the granddaughter of Adrianos Komnenos, a younger brother of Alexios I, and the "purple-born" princess Zoe Doukaina, the third daughter of Emperor Constantine X Doukas. As a result, he often used the imperial surnames of Doukas and Komnenos, including in his own seal, and is often referred to as "Komnenodoukas" in poetry composed in his honour.