John VII Palaiologos

Reign: 1390 – 1390
Life: 1370–1408

A handful of sources suggest that John VII sometimes used the name Andronikos (Greek: Ἀνδρόνικος, romanized: Andrónikos), possibly to honour the memory of his father, Andronikos IV Palaiologos, though he reigned under his birth name. After a failed rebellion in 1373, Andronikos IV was imprisoned and partially blinded, the same punishment possibly being carried out on John VII, then only three years old. Though deposed in 1379 by his brother Manuel II Palaiologos and their father John V, Andronikos IV never renounced his claims. To prevent further conflict, it was agreed in 1381 that Andronikos IV was to succeed John V, making John VII second-in-line to the throne.

During John VII Palaiologos' reign, John I of Portugal ruled Portugal, Bayezid I ruled Ottoman Empire, and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu ruled Japan (Shogunate).

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