Who Was the Last Roman Emperor?

[@TheArmchairHistorian]

Looks like you cartoonified me! Love your art style :)

[@itachi-fh1ky]

I'M SUBBED TO YOU

[@itachi-fh1ky]

Your so cool

[@teamturtle7021]

I’M SUBBED TO YOU TOO

[@teamturtle7021]

Your so cool

[@acebalistic1358]

Hello armchair historian, I believe we can both agree this channel doesn’t have enough subscribers, so i know you probably won’t read this comment but I would like to request you give this channel a shoutout, if that’s possible.

[@mikethequestioningpineappl5083]

Fun fact : Conqueror Mehmed of Ottoman Empire viewed the last Byzantium emperor as a hero because he died fighting with his men, which was seen as a high status and many Ottoman sultans did this(Biggest example being Selim the Brave)

[@howdoyouturnthison7827]

Actually Selim's title was grim. Yavuz means grim in Turkish.

[@mikethequestioningpineappl5083]

@@howdoyouturnthison7827 It actually means strong and strict

[@AbuzerKadayif]

@@howdoyouturnthison7827 yavuz means brave and unpliable however, westerners called him as grim because they were exactly scared of him having annexed another entire realm and marching against Europe.

[@taylannurlu8752]

Moreover Mehmet II kept statue of constantin near hagia sophia. However It was melt for upcoming war with all bronze materials in city.

[@apparentlyjeremy]

Mehmet: I tip my hat to you, one legend to another

[@thefrenchkiwi9435]

4:29 Quite ironic considering that their grandson, Carlos I/Charles V would become both king of Spain and Holy Roman emperor, and would go on to embody the idea of a universal monarch. Had they accepted, we could have technically seen an emperor that could have, at least in theory, reunited both the West and the East. It would have also been even more ironic, since Theodosius I, the last emperor of a united Roman Empire was actually from Hispania or modern day Spain.

[@jacksonevans5679]

Except the Holy Roman Empire was not a successor state to the western empire, since the HRE was set up by the Franks, who ended the kingdom of Soissons, a rump state of the western empire.

[@be2081]

@@jacksonevans5679 it was the successor to the west tho

[@minutemansam1214]

@@be2081 No, it wasn't.

[@ivankaizer5388]

@@be2081 No, never was. They only borrowed the name "Roman", but never be the one.

[@amazinggaming9870]

@@jacksonevans5679 and also the hre emperors were crowned by pope,who didn't have any right to crown one to begin with

[@justinian-the-great]

My vote goes for Constantine XI, because he lived and died how the real Roman emperor would do: in an epic defense of his capital, while firing off some sick quotes all around!

[@mattkacar]

The last roman emperor was Francis II, the true successor of Rome was the Holy Roman Empire not the Greek pretender state

[@lilholm9446]

@@mattkacar bruh what

[@debarpandutta6722]

💀

[@crusaderman8476]

@@mattkacar How though?

[@mihailupu5107]

@@mattkacar the HRE has as much claim to Rome as a rock

[@SuchIsLife424]

And I initially thought that Jerusalem was the most besieged city on Earth but I was wrong. It's quite amazing to know that the Theodosian Walls fended off numerous armies over the centuries only to yield to cannons by 1453.

[@ΣτελιοςΠεππας]

Yes and no. The cannons of the time had am incredibly slow rate of fire (one shot every couple of hours). This meant that the defenders had the time to fix any damage done. So in the end the Ottomans just pulled an old fashioned and rushed the walls. P.S. It should also be mentioned that the Byzantines only had enough soldiers to man the outer wall so the Ottomans had it easy compared to other attackers.

[@adivtayudhatama3926]

@@ΣτελιοςΠεππας yep. That, and dragging their ships across the land to flank the Byzantine navy guarding the mouth of the Bosphorus Straits and the blocking chains.

[@majorianus8055]

even the cannons was not enough. in the end, there was a traitor that left a gate open that enabled the turks to rush inside, and since they outnumbered the roman militia 10 to 1, they quickly breached the defences.

[@m60tsabra24]

​@@majorianus8055and they their already proven wrong

[@brutusthebear9050]

David Megas Komnenos could count as well. He was the last of the Komnenos line, and ruled the Empire of Trebizond, which was one of the fractured states that came out of the Eastern Roman Empire.

[@mysteryjunkie9808]

Yeah they always saw themselves as the true line of Roman Emperors. They held out to 1461 8 years after Constantinople fell.

[@wierdo-jc7xv]

Empire of Trebizond was basicly a Georgian share of the remnants of the Byzantine empire. King Tamar founded it and put the Komnenos who were raised in Georgia and was her nephew on the throne and when Georgian Kingdom fell Trebizond became irrelevant.

[@dikaios6]

The emperors of Trebizond had relinquished their claim to the Roman Empire during the late 13th c.

[@MasonGreenWeed]

@@wierdo-jc7xv Trapezous was pontic Greek not Georgian

[@jonijoestar6871]

Then that make Ismail and his Safavid descendant more legit claim as Roman emperor than whatever nonsense Russian claim was

[@MonsieurDean]

Arguably, the original empire ended when the Praetorian guard eliminated the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, and basically became a shadow government that assassinated emperors at their whim. Even then, however, any suggestions of the emperor having royal status was downplayed to preserve the illusion of the Republic's continuation.

[@dylanthechillinvillain2488]

Was not expecting a Mon. Z appearance. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

[@PanBrosGaming]

@@dylanthechillinvillain2488 he comments on all his videos

[@Exo88712]

2 replies lmao

[@DotDotDot0272]

That's just stupid

[@rhetoric5173]

Or in other words, Caesar ended the empire.

[@jorgejustin461]

The term Byzantine appears in Renaissance literature shorty after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. This was a deliberate move by the academics of the day to A) de-legitimise the claims of the Ottoman's and B) Strengthen the claims of the Europeans (both claimed to be the Inheritors of Rome)

[@RexGalilae]

Not just that, it was a clever way to posture the pope and the HRE as the "real Rome all along" even though they clearly weren't

[@riptrojans7237]

"Shortly" makes it sound like it happened right after the fall. Took a full century before it even started, let alone before it became the norm.

[@RexGalilae]

@@riptrojans7237 Good point! It's like saying, shortly after the fall of the Russian Tsardom, Russia invaded Ukraine

[@chheinrich8486]

and to get away with the idea that the roman empire existed until 1453, because the renaisance was all about rediscovering the knowledge of the ancient greeks and romans

[@karlxgustav3336]

“Claims of the Europeans” what? The romans where Europeans, same with Greeks.

[@TomboyTommy]

Odd thing actually, I found this channel through an Ad, I watched a video, liked it, and subscribed. The animation is very unique! Keep up the work!

[@tfljmartis]

The common person: who? A slightly historically literate person: Romulus Augustus A historically literate person: Constantine XI A legalist (which is how the Romans saw things: Felipe VI of Spain (who is still alive)

[@KaiserFranzJosefI]

A Roman Legalist would not accept that some larper who never ruled a whorehouse let alone an Empire could have possibly given the title to anyone. Moreover, the Spanish Monarchs refused to use the title because it was utterly worthless

[@xELITExKILLAx]

An actual historically literate person: Justinian the Great

[@jonoc3729]

@@xELITExKILLAx Actually I`d say Honorius, after the muslim conquest the Eastern Roman Empire forever lost north africa, egypt and the levant and became a greek state, rather than a latin one. But thats a historiographic view, not the technical one, which actually would be Constantine XI. And the most legalist, as pointed out, would be Felipe VI.

[@tritojean7549]

an overhistorically literate person: Napoleon 3

[@kestutisvaiciunas8663]

@@tritojean7549 LARPing doesn't count If that were the case, then it would be the Ottoman Empire, actually.

[@Ruosteinenknight]

Bridge of the death-style: "What do you mean? Last roman emperor to rule unified roman empire or last person who held the title?" 3:06 his niece Sophia Palaiologina however managed to escape and married grand prince of moscow, Ivan III. You probably know her grandson better. Ivan IV, better known as Ivan the terrible. That's also where Russian tsardom's claim of being "the third rome" comes from.

[@hachibidelta4237]

Ye but that line died out, and the Rurikid have better chances of trying to link to Monomakh and his mistress Skleraina.

[@Quromato]

​@@hachibidelta4237Many Roman emperors were adopted.

[@Yatagurusu]

The funniest part of this is Mehmed himself took the title Caesar of the Romans, which his descendants didn't really care about

[@cloudftw113]

Mehmed II was like the ultimate Romaboo. Guy collected Roman land like rare Yugioh Cards.

[@samtheman4931]

@@cloudftw113 Fr

[@wankawanka3053]

@@cloudftw113 but never touched italy

[@kuduzdoktorhektor]

@@wankawanka3053 He did- Otranto

[@mehmetalipasa]

Interestingly enough, one of the official Titels of the ottoman sultans was Kaiser-i Rum, Caesar of Rome until the sultanate was abolished in 1922.

[@ahscott2001]

4:17 I’m imagining an alternative timeline where Henry VII takes up this offer and therefore the British Empire would’ve gone on to also technically be the Roman Empire. It would just be fitting.

[@madhurawat155]

But after the war of the roses, England simply wasn't in a condition to purchase an effectively empty, non-enforcable title.

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

I love this idea, purely because then there'd be a Roman Emperor who was Welsh.

[@michaelmccomb2594]

@@TheSmart-CasualGamerwales was apparently the last Roman province (of the west) to be conquered by ‘Barbarians’

[@rob5462]

@@TheSmart-CasualGamer I'm Welsh and currently buying the home of a claimant to the title of Roman Emperor. Ferdinando Paleologus, a descendant of the last Emperor of Byzantium, Constantine XI Paleologus, whose family was driven from the throne of Constantinople by the Turks. Ferdinando died in Barbados in 1678, after being a resident here for over 20 years. He was reportedly the owner of the lands at Clifton Hall, In the parish of Saint John, including the magnificent plantation home which boasts a unique historical legacy. He is buried in St. John's parish church. I moved to Barbados 17 years ago and I'm currently purchasing Clifton Hall in Barbados.

[@wrightroenigk]

The last emperor was Constantine XI Palaeologus

[@Reuel-Jazwa]

The last Roman Emperor was Abdulmecjid 2

[@Ultraviolencemode]

@@Reuel-Jazwa he wasn't even roman he was ottoman

[@mrskhan5524]

@@Ultraviolencemode it actually is francis the second

[@Ultraviolencemode]

@@mrskhan5524 he isn't an emperor he's a Pope 😭

[@conmanalbuquerque3116]

@@mrskhan5524 no??? its tsar nicholas ii

[@ajarofmayonnaise3250]

Was waiting for a new video, you Guys are so underrated

[@dominicg3311]

It's fun to watch the subscribe count go up a few K every video. Soon it will explode.

[@ajarofmayonnaise3250]

@@dominicg3311 certainly with this quality of content, they are destined to blow up just need the blessing of algorithm

[@jacobbehring6532]

I've never clicked on an ad and enjoyed it like this

[@austinh7110]

I had that like 4 months ago now it’s the only channel I have notifications on for lol

[@bigmoniesponge]

Me either lol

[@dirtegarbage]

I had an ad for his ww1 vid lol never looked back

[@sc6658]

I’m a Constantine XI voter. I’m actually of the opinion that he should be an Orthodox saint too. I was actually pretty surprised when I found out he wasn’t.

[@catalyst772]

Well Constantine the Great is a Saint. His mother, Helen, too.

[@mysteryjunkie9808]

Who do we need to contact about this? To canonize him?

[@sc6658]

@@mysteryjunkie9808 I don’t know but I had a dream the other night I tried to lead a movement to canonize him lol. I’m not even religious let alone Orthodox Christian either.

[@catalyst772]

@@mysteryjunkie9808 The Patriarch in Constantinople/Greece, Romania, Serbia and or Bulgaria

[@Hiroakiarai88]

@@mysteryjunkie9808 saints get canonized after their death most of the time and the church decides who

[@emircalvin669]

Julius Nepos could also be a candidate for last emperor since he was considered the legitimate emperor and romulus augustulus was a usurper

[@jahterminatedlmao5473]

he was the last western roman emporer to be recognized by the east, and he wasnt a puppet for odoacer like romulus was. Nepos also ruled dalmatia until his death in 480

[@juliusnepos6013]

Interesting

[@jeremiahblake3949]

Last WESTERN emperor, not the last emperor

[@danielefabbro822]

But he wasn't recognized nor by the army nor by the senate.

[@ugurugurel1769]

@@danielefabbro822 He was recognized as .emperor by Zeno, the Emperor of the East (Primus Interpares) which gives legtimacy.

[@mikeg2306]

Fun Fact: Thomas Palaiologos had another daughter (Sofia) who he married off to the king of the Kievan Rus, a fellow named Ivan who is known as The Great. That’s why their grandson Ivan the Terrible could rightfully claim the title Czar.

[@ahscott2001]

Does this mean that the current King of Spain is technically Roman Emperor?

[@WladylawGomulka]

i think dynasty in spain changed several times so depends

[@KaiserFranzJosefI]

No because the Spanish Crown refused to use the utterly worthless title given to them by someone who never held it

[@egesisli5694]

they probably refused it to stay on good term with the holy roman empire, its kinda funny that a clown named Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria trashtalks the title given to iberians in in the replies

[@palatasikuntheyoutubecomme2046]

Arguably

[@palatasikuntheyoutubecomme2046]

@Bryan Villafuerte Not as clear cut as you'd say 1. How did Alexios Palaiologos have the right to give out the title of "Roman Emperor" in the first place 2. The dynasty in spain changed several times 3. Most spanish kings didn't know they had the claim in the first place

[@dylanthechillinvillain2488]

Nice video guys! There are the “german Romans” which replaced the Western Romans centuries later. But I mean they weren’t Romans, they definitely weren’t holy, and they were barely an empire.

[@be2081]

They spoke latin and had Rome as a city aswell as being Catholic and a feudal state with an Emperor, so atleast during medieval times the name fits

[@williemherbert1456]

@@be2081 Well, technically, the Church owned Rome. And they have more or less same hierarchical degree of power and influence in secular political affair in macro sense.

[@adothariman966]

@@be2081 That didn't make them Roman. Charlemagne was not a Roman citizen and was never ratified [as Emperor] by the Roman Senate. And the Franks were certainly not Romans either Roman Empire was not feudal. It was a republic

[@mathisb2889]

Yes, that's right. However, it wasn't just about claiming to be Rome. Many people at that time believed in the "four kingdoms doctrine" based on Nebuchadnezzar's dream. In short, it's about the fall of empires: Babylon, Median-Persian, Greece (Alexander's empire) and of course Rome. After Rome fell, the kingdom of God was to be revealed to man. But since, as is well known, the "Kingdom of God" never came to earth, the Holy Roman Empire was justified as being the true successor of Rome.

[@adothariman966]

@@mathisb2889 The existing Roman Empire [at that time] disagreed. Only the Roman Senate could ratify an Emperor. The Roman Senate in the West was dissolved by the Gothic rulers of Italy in I think the 6th century, while the last Roman Emperor in the West was in 426 But I do agree that the Fourth Beast was the Frankish Empire [the predecessor of modern Europe]. This however didn't have to mean that it was legally a Roman Empire

[@acebalistic1358]

Saw the ad, clicked on the channel, I do not regret it. Subscribed.

[@oinkmeistergeneral]

the algorithm is doing this channel proud. I found this channel literally hours ago it's already got over 10k more subs, well deserved awesome content.

[@muneeb-khan]

This episode was genuinely hilarious. Great job!

[@aluminumcoffee760]

Even though everyone has already said this, you deserve to hear it a million more times. I love your content and you are one of my favorite youtubers. I wish you got more recognition, but know you have a small but devout following. Keep up the good work 😁

[@Bee11213]

I don't know how many people will get the Snatch reference, but thanks for including it, you're a man of culture.

[@denoro.]

I'm a romanian and even though i learnt in school that what today many call the bulgarian empire was actually a bulgarian and vlachs empire, but you are the first i see here on youtube to call it like that. Thank you.

[@allisonkuechlesilva3332]

Iirc, the Austrians, the Holy Roman Empire, The Russians and the Ottomans all claimed to be heirs of Rome, so depending on how you count, you could call Charles I of Austria. Wilhelm II of Germany, Mehmed VI of the Ottoman Empire or Nicholas II of Russia the last Roman Emperor. All of those guys were ousted in one way or another as a result of World War I. Three of them were ousted in 1918, but Mehmed VI managed to hang onto power until 1922, so if you want the last possible person with a claim to being Roman Emperor it may be him.

[@xELITExKILLAx]

Only Mehmed claimed it. The ottomans just did try to anymore

[@turkmapping130]

@@xELITExKILLAx suleiman the great , selim the grim , Murad IV , abdulhamid II used too

[@zuba4347]

I like the Armchair Historian nod at 0:05

[@christopherevans2445]

Last emperor of the west of Julius Nepos. He was still recognized in east and nomally by Odovacar after Romulus abdication.

[@adamparris8353]

I definitly agree. The answer isnt a simple "[insert name here] was THE last roman emperor". There are 3; the last roman emperor to rule the united empire (Theodosius I), the last western roman emperor (Romulus Augustulus), and the last Byzantine emperor (Constantine XI).

[@adamparris8353]

However, the crowning of Charlemagne as emperor in the west by Pope Leo III, and his recognition as legitimate Roman emperor by Constantine VI would make him the true Roman emporer (while officially transforming the "Eastern Roman Empire" into the "Byzantine Empire") and would simultaneously tie up the Holy Roman Empire into this timeline. So i guess on a technicality, the LAST "Roman" emperor would be Francis I of Austria (by way of the Holy Roman Empire).

[@ivankaizer5388]

@@adamparris8353 Nope, HRE never was a Roman, Pope crowned Charlemagne illegitimately without the Eastern Empire's approval during that time.

[@adamparris8353]

@@ivankaizer5388 the crowning might have been illegitimate, but the eastern roman emperor recognized him as "emperor of the romans" in 812.

[@adamparris8353]

@@ivankaizer5388 When Odoacer compelled the abdication of Romulus Augustulus, he did not abolish the Western Empire as a separate power, but caused it to be reunited with or sink into the Eastern, so that from that time there was a single undivided Roman Empire ... [Pope Leo III and Charlemagne], like their predecessors, held the Roman Empire to be one and indivisible, and proposed by the coronation of [Charlemagne] not to proclaim a severance of the East and West ... they were not revolting against a reigning sovereign, but legitimately filling up the place of the deposed Constantine VI ... [Charlemagne] was held to be the legitimate successor, not of Romulus Augustulus, but of Constantine VI ...

[@ivankaizer5388]

@@adamparris8353 It could be seen that way, but the true motive of Charlemagne coronation was to give the papacy and the church implicit authority over the Empire, since pope used to be directed by the Eastern Roman Emperors. Filling up the vacancy was only pretext for the pope to secede from the Eastern Roman Control, which at that time was a perfect chance to do so. Eastern Roman Emperors only referring Charlemagne as the Emperor of Franks, not Roman. Only pope said so. Hence why it never sat right for the Eastern Roman Empire to having foreign "Western Roman Empire" as their neighbor,which they never acknowledged, and till it fell apart at 1453, they still considered themselves the true heir of Romans, not HRE.

[@azypk]

Probably one of the best History show I saw on KZbin. Keep going its awesome

[@alaknandakalkar880]

Don't worry sidequest we both will reconquer Constantinople together just keep posting these amazing videos 😃😃

[@godlymarine]

The voice acting is simply amazing.

[@renzoberzabatneyradelacruz9733]

Everybody forget my man Julius Nepos in the West He was the legitimate emperor until Orestes deposed him to place Romulo Augustulus, yet he ruled in Dlamatia with approval of the Eastern emperor, and Odoacer was nominally under his command, minting coin in his name.

[@ugurugurel1769]

Fully agree

[@MarkLawden]

Ferdinando Paleologos is buried in Barbados,where he became a church warden. A direct descendant of the last Imperial line, but I don’t think he claimed to be the rightful Emperor.

[@MSPaintDaily]

One of the few ads Im happy to get

[@plebulus]

A very good video for an ad, short, informative, entertaining.

[@maximgwiazda344]

You should have mentioned David Megas Komnenos, Autokrator of the Empire of Trebizond. It was one of those three Roman remnants after the IV Crusade (the others being Despotate of Epirus and Empire of Nicea), and it managed to survive the longest, even past the fall of Constantinople. Trebizond only fell to the Ottomans in 1461 AD. Trapezuntine Emperors considered themselves to be the true Roman Emperors, and after the desposition of Palaiologan dynasty they were uncontested. So, David Megas Komnenos is my pick for the last Roman Emperor.

[@bencekmeczik6595]

I love accidentally stumbling into awesome channels like this one :D

[@chheinrich8486]

Augustus rolling Was the funniets Part

[@justyahya7194]

I watched every single video and I can't stop loving this content, top notch work! Much love from Tunisia and congratulations on the 150k subscribers milestone :D

[@justinbell7309]

You forgot to make the point that the Mehmed the Conqueror claimed that, by virtue of conquest, he was the rightful "Qayser-i Rûm", a continuation of the Empire rather than its end. The Ottoman Sultans continued to bare the title until that empire collapsed in the 20th century.

[@haxel8929]

Yeah, but saying that you re something for the prestige and actually being it are 2 different things.

[@yuyutubee8435]

The Ottomans were Central Asian Muslims who had no cultural or political ties to the Italics or Hellenes. Might as well call the Emperor of Japan the Roman Emperor while we're at it, lol.

[@justinbell7309]

@@yuyutubee8435 The Japanese didn't conquer the Romans, nor make the capital of the Roman Empire their capital.

[@amirhosseinmaghsoodi388]

And they did fight the "Persians" so it's fitting.

[@Gulchih]

@@yuyutubee8435 Actually the Ottomans didn't think of themselves in terms of water-tight compartment races/ethnicities, as the European Christians did. Ar-Rum (the Romans) is a chapter in the Quran. The Muslims also thought of themselves and Christians and Jews as "ahl al kitaab", People of the Book. If you read into the Islamic perspective, there was much more continuity than you might think.

[@JoseOrtiz-ne8ts]

Yall must be doing something wrong with your marketing strategy because there is no way in hell a channel this good has so little views and subs

[@AureliusLaurentius1099]

If you count the passing down of the title to the monarchs of Spain and consider the HRE as legitimate, then Charles V technically reunited both the East and the West and the "Roman Empire" carved up a huge chuck of territory from California to Manila. Since Charles passed down the title of Roman Emperor to the Austrian Habsburgs then the last legitimate Emperor was Francis II who abolished the title in 1806 and died in 1835 If you recognize right of conquest, then you can say the Ottomans were the legitimate rulers of Rome and the last legitimate Roman Emperor died as late as 1944(Abdulmeijid II)

[@justinbell7309]

Yeah, from Mehmed II on, the Ottoman Sultans claimed the title of "Qayser-i Rûm", considering themselves a continuation of the Empire rather than its end.

[@mysteryjunkie9808]

The title of Roman Emperor would’ve stayed with Charles V son Phillip II King of Spain who’s descendants still rule Spain so current King Felipe VI is the true heir to the Roman Empire. Long Live the true Emperor

[@matusfekete6503]

@@mysteryjunkie9808 Probably not. The title Holy Roman Emperor was not heredidary but granted via election and when Francis II dissolved empire and made Austrian lands independent he practicaly made meeting of electoral college impossible.

[@alfredorotondo]

If you recognise the right of conquest, since Constantinople is no more, then the legitimate Emperor of the Roman Empire is the president of Italy, Mattarella Or the Savoy family if something

[@threedragonstalk2123]

Charles V was also interestingly the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned by the Pope and the last Emperor crowned in Italy. I don't know why he isn't mentioned more often in these sorts of discussions. That being said, his reign by no means counts as reuniting the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, because he ruled absolutely zero of the territory of the Eastern Empire, and he never used the title he had inherited from the Eastern Emperors either. If he'd managed to conquer Constantinople and Jerusalem like he dreamed of one day doing, it would be very different, but unfortunately that didn't happen.

[@hjalmarphilipson5994]

I must've watched 95% of your videos now. Every. Single. One. Is. AMAZING.

[@fandemusique4693]

4:38 well, their grandson Charles I of spain also became Holy roman emperor, thus making him technically the last roman emperor, and for once making the HRE sort of legit.

[@Mavrickman100]

Your Snatch reference earned you an instant subscription. God bless you.

[@huntclanhunt9697]

Constantine XI. Rome acknowledged then as Roman when the Empire agreed to the split. They were, for all intents and purposes, the (eastern) Roman Empire.

[@alexanderguerrero347]

You can’t call yourself Roman Empire without holding the city of Rome. Once they lost it they lost the right to call themselves Roman

[@huntclanhunt9697]

@@alexanderguerrero347 Nice opinion. Unfortunately, Rome is the one that granted them the right to be Roman. The Eastern Empire was recognized by the West as Roman. So... Sorry, but I don't think anyone has the authority to say they aren't Roman when the Romans said they were Roman.

[@KaiserFranzJosefI]

@@alexanderguerrero347 The Roman Empire was defined by the Romans themselves as something much greater than the city of Rome, greater than Italia and even the Western Empire. Rome was an entire civilization which was continued in Constantinople until 1453

[@Jacopopitaciu]

The reference to Snatch was priceless...and the video is awesome! (And I would say that you sound very much like to Stephen Fry)

[@strangedares1630]

He said he wasn’t going to re-conquer Constantinople any time soon. I knew my pledge wasn’t in vain. Now, we play the waiting game.

[@diesel1740]

The nod to Turkish from Snatch is hilarious ;)

[@theemperorofmankind7706]

Trebizond had a royal bloodline of Byzantium since the first crusade. The komnenons

[@TronXAxel]

Got an ad for this video. I can't say I regret clicking it. I finally got an ad for something I actually wanted to watch.

[@princepscivitatis4083]

I absolutely love your channel and I believe you deserve more exposure, but you made a few omissions that I see as detrimental to this specific question. For starters, neither Thomas nor his son; Andreas, were ever formally recognized by Constantine XI as his lawful successors. Thomas Palaiologos never claimed to be more than the Despot of Morea, and when he lost the Despotate, he was merely content being an ex-despot, living as a guest of the Pope, trying to organize a crusade. It was Andreas who made these fanciful claims of being the Emperor of Constantinople (not Roman Emperor, mind you). This claim was legitimatized by 3 individuals: Charles VIII of France, Maximilian I of Habsburg and Pope Alexander VI Borgia. These 3 individuals had 3 different motives for this. • Charles VIII wanted to challenge the hegemony of the Holy Roman Emperor, who at the time, was at odds with France over the Duchy of Burgundy. • Maximilian I part in legitimizing Andreas' claims was completely unintentional. It happened when he threw a tantrum saying there could be no more than one "Emperor" in the West when Charles started buttering up Andreas. • Pope Alexander VI Borgia was happy to aid Charles in his fanciful ambitions concerning Constantinople because his primary goal was to keep the French the fuck away from Italy. Charles VIII actually bought Andreas' titles under the conditions that he immediately sire a biological son and launch a crusade to take back Constantinople. Neither happened and when Charles VIII knocked his head on his doorway and died, these hypothetical titles reverted back to Andreas. It was around this time that the King of Spain; Ferdinand the Catholic did 3 crucial things: 1- He ousted the Turks from Naples and made a solemn vow to avenge the Massacre of Otranto. 2- He aided the Venetians in their war with the Ottomans and crushed the Turks at Cephalonia. 3- He welcomed Orthodox Greeks expelled from Thessaloniki by Bayezid II and Moses Capsali, and settled them in Majorca (he even gave them full run of the University of Palma-Majorca). Ferdinand had already usurped France and made Spain seem the foremost defender of Christendom. This made him a prime candidate in the eyes of Andreas Palaiologos. That's why he did what he did in his last will & testament. Only, Ferdinand never even bothered acknowledging this will much less claim the titles afforded to him by it. The reason being, the titles were never real to begin with. Ergo, the last undisputed Emperor of the Romans is Constantine XI Palaiologos.

[@RojoSC843]

First ad I've sat through, enjoyed, and subscribed as a result of it. Keep up the good work

[@-helpergamming-4163]

I think it would be good to also mention Julian the Apostate since he was the last pagan emperor, I'm not saying that's why he's the last but this video tries to give all the possible options.

[@markmoore1651]

Best page I’ve seen in a long time love it

[@matthewbrandin6947]

Everyone knows Finland is the true hier to the Roman Empire, and that the current Imperator is President Sauli Niinistö

[@anderskorsback4104]

Correct. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople did anoint the Russian Tsar as the successor of the Byzantine Emperor. With the rest of the Russian Empire going Communist, Finland was all that remained of it, making it the only remnant of the Roman Empire. Sure, there were other parts of Imperial Russia that were not initially communist such as Poland and the Baltic states, but they became communist later so they don't count. However, a president with such constrained powers as our current one cannot be Imperator. Thus, the last Roman Emperor was obviously Kekkonen, the last true autocrat. The second-last being Mannerheim on account of him being temporary military dictator 1944-46.

[@progamer1110]

I love the style of your videos, so glad I saw your ad.

[@charleshalcomb5638]

I prefer the question of who was the last ROMAN emperor, as in, an Emperor born in Rome

[@gabrieldossantos1116]

Well, most of the iconic roman emperors weren't born in Rome. Aurelian was born in Dalmatia, Hadrian and Trajan were born in Spain and Diocletian on Croatia. The only exception are the Julio-Claudians since they were born in the political class rather than being generals who rose to power

[@charleshalcomb5638]

@@gabrieldossantos1116 Twas a mostly facetious comment, but I actually find your answer very interesting. That Trajan and Hadrian were born in Spain was a genuine surprise to me

[@mayanthought]

Love these man keep it up!

[@MrGranddy]

Sultans of the Ottoman Empire, especially Mehmed the Conqueror whom conquered Istanbul, did claim that they are the Ceaser of the Roman Empire, and I think they did have a strong claim on the title. So it is sad that you did not mention this possibility.

[@sevelofficial2696]

Saw this on an ad, and now i'm subbed!

[@reignadams6692]

Id say the legal heir to Rome would be Spain, The religious heir of Rome would be Russia, The greatest claimants via ancestral lands of Rome would be Italy and Greece, The heir of the Eastern Romans through conquest is the Ottomans/Turkey, The heir of the Western Romans through conquest is France and Germany/HRE

[@milliereynolds165]

Great video as always so informative and fun brilliant.

[@lsthero5863]

I’m team Constantine XI

[@kinnelyuwu5771]

Well, arguably one of the better things I've found through adverts, this is pretty poggers

[@MegaTang1234]

So legally speaking...Does this mean Rome conquered the new world and "Romans" fought the aztecs and incas?

[@jeremiahblake3949]

No because the title wasn't something that the gifter actually held. That's like a hobo selling a burnt house he never owned, no one would recognize new ownership.

[@tylermarsh7517]

U deserve WAAAY more subs and views man

[@Spinozathecat]

I like your art style 👍 The ottomans also has a good claim because after sultan mehmet II conquered constantinople he proclaimed himself as kaiser-el-rome and hunted down anyone who threatened his claim in anatolia(empire of trebizond) and the rest of greece(the peloponnesian peninsula)

[@niclasjohansson5992]

I feel like the ottomans being Roman imperials breaks all of the Theseus' ship rules: there's neither continuance or essential parts

[@adalbertocarmona6056]

The idea of the ottomans being the legitimate heir of Rome has every emperor from augustus to constantine rolling in their grave

[@Nolaris3]

At the time the "right of conquest" was somewhat seen as a valid reason to invade (not so much nowadays). The Ottomans basically said they deserved to be Rome for, among other reasons, that they had the right to just take the title. So to the Ottomans, the last Roman emperor would be Sultan Mehmed VI. Edit: Also want to add that the Russians believed they inherited the Roman legacy as the new protector of the Orthodox faith, so the last Roman Emperor to them was Nicholas II.

[@hakan9502]

@@adalbertocarmona6056 I don't think Augustus would be happy with the later state of the empire either.

[@bbbbbbbb539]

You forgot David Komnenos last Emperor of Empore of Trebizod

[@nationalist1910]

Ivan III, the Grand Prince of Moscow, proclaimed his lands the third Rome through his marriage to Sofia Paleologue, niece Constantine XI, the last Eastern Emperor. Moscow whold be elevated to the rank of Empire through his Grandson, also named Ivan, who would become known to history as Ivan the terrible. Ivan the terrible was the first ruler of Russia to adopt the title of Czar. A name derived from the Roman title of Caesar. So one could argue that the last Roman Emperor was Nicholas II of Russia, who died in 1918.

[@islammehmeov2334]

Mehmet khan II the CONQUEROR is the true ROMAN EMPEROR he proclaimed his lads as the third ROMAN through his CONQUESTS of konstantinopol and the OTTOMAN STATED became OTTOMAN EMPIRE so the last ROMAN is ABDUL MEJIT

[@luccondevaux4197]

Finland declared independence after the Bolshevik revolution Finland is the true Roman Empire

[@islammehmeov2334]

@@luccondevaux4197 nope it's TURKKYE ☪

[@davidantoniocamposbarros7528]

@@islammehmeov2334 Ottomans didn't spoke Latin nor Greek and were Islamic,so they aren't successors of the Roman Empire

[@palatasikuntheyoutubecomme2046]

@0:49 Well, the empire was re-united after Romulus Augustus was deposed by Odoacer in 476 - Odoacer (The new German Duke) ruled as a vassal state of the Eastern Empire and was an actually decent ruler. The middle ages didn't start in italy until Jusinian conquered it in the 500s Just a little nitpick

[@chraman169]

You completely did not mention that the Ottoman Sultans would refer to themselves as 'Kayser-i Rum' (ruler of rome) and were also reffered to as 'Basileus' (which means rightful ruler as opposed to 'Tyranos', an unrighftul ruler) by the greek population of the ottoman empire. Even the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople recognized Sultan Mehmet II as the successor to Constantine.

[@Ultraviolencemode]

to be a roman emperor you have to be a roman emperor of Rome, not of the Ottoman empire

[@chraman169]

@@Ultraviolencemode Was Constantine roman or did he rule the actual city of rome? No

[@Ultraviolencemode]

@@chraman169 neither did the ottomans, they never conquered rome, just Constantinople

[@chraman169]

@@Ultraviolencemode I totally see not acknowledging the ottomans as the roman rulers if you also do not acknowledge the byzantinians. I think the eastern roman empire was the true one, that's why I think the ottoman empire is also the successor of the roman empire. If you think the western roman empire isnthe true successor (since they ruled rome and had actual romans in it), then yes, the ottoman empire was not the successor.

[@Ultraviolencemode]

​@@chraman169 To be honest, to be a roman emperor you need to have Rome, and since there's no traced ancestry to the paleologos dynasty then, the rightful successor could also be the king of Spain considered to be the current most legitimate heir to the holy roman empire. But it's a situation of complication and simplicity at the same time.

[@TheKipchak]

There is a graveyard in Barbados which houses the tomb of Ferdinand Palaiologos. He was the last known descendant of that line and he passed away in 1670. His father was a mercenary from Italy, who relocated to England where Ferdinand was born. He ended up as a sugar planter in Barbados and would forever be known as "The Greek Prince From Cornwall."

[@foakjljrwajkltawtrawtwa441]

There was another family tree, ending at Margaret Palaelogue. They resided in Italy. By the way, she had descendants and the hereditary princess of Liechtenstein is related to her. The first Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible was related to Constantine XI too

[@plasticharp9247]

If you don’t hold Rome and you speak Greek not Latin your not Roman. It’s as simple as that and I don’t understand why people don’t see it like thay

[@crownprincesebastianjohano7069]

Because Rome ceased being capital in the 3rd Century. And many emperors after the 2nd century didn't speak Latin as a 1st language. By your metric the Empire simply ceased to be in the 240s.

[@plasticharp9247]

@@crownprincesebastianjohano7069 sad

[@pavolg1590]

Majority of roman elite spoke greek in private. Latin is for pleb just ask ceasar

[@legioromanaxvii7644]

@@plasticharp9247 All the tens of millions of Romans who spoke Greek and not Latin would like to laugh at you.

[@KaiserFranzJosefI]

Greek was the co-equal of Latin throughout Roman history and Constantinople was the New Rome as declared by Constantine the Great. Your metric is stupid and unobjective

[@bustdownkevin7712]

Got a concussion so listening to your videos is helping tremendously💪

[@crownprincesebastianjohano7069]

Having a title of Roman Emperor, as part of your titles, does not make one a Roman Emperor. It is two parts: one has to be 1) An emperor, and 2) of the Roman Empire. It requires the empire, without it the title is meaningless. No Roman Empire, no Roman Emperor. So, sorry Ottomans (who didn't even get the title right, Caesar is not Emperor, Augustus/Basileus is), Franks, and whomever after Constantine XI. One can call themselves whatever, but it does not make it so. Austrians and Ottoman Turks can call themselves whatever they like, but they're no more Emperor of Rome than Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden is the King of the Goths and Vandals.

[@threedragonstalk2123]

By this logic, Constantine XI was not a Roman Emperor either since he didn't rule an empire - just one city and a tiny island. That's not the "Roman Empire", it was hardly even Roman at that point.

[@verylostdoommarauder]

But wait, do we know the descendance of Andreas and Manuel Palaiologos? Then we can add it onto the list of "People that have a claim to Roman Emperor today".

[@ScapularSaves]

Most Catholic Monarch Carlos V was both within right to claim title of Eastern Roman Emperor (via Andreas Palaiologos' donation to the Spanish Royal Line of Succession) and was elected Western Roman Emperor (via Charlemagne's line) re-unifying Roman Empire potency as Theodosius the Great had once before him with a large intercontinental territory including inside of Italy and "Plus Ultra" throughout Europe, Africa, New World, and Asia. Also Carlos protected the Ecumenical Council of Trent as Theodosius did for the Ecumenical Council of Constantinople. Rightly #CarlosV was consecrated and coronated THE ROMAN EMPEROR. #ESPERANZA kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJOseqesrc5qppI

[@OrthodoxKatholikos]

🦅

[@OrthodoxKatholikos]

I agree with your observation.

[@SententiaeOracli]

Fiat fiat

[@ScapularSaves]

@@OrthodoxKatholikos ☀️

[@sfarhat3294]

Your subscriber count is growing so fast !

[@yoshi3665]

well, after the conquest Mehmed II took the title of Kayser-i Rûm (“Caesar of Rome”) by right of conquest. All the Ottoman sultans who came after him took the title as well. Remind you that the Ottoman sultans were recognized as the legitimate rulers of the Roman Empire by the Greek Orthodox Church and by the inhabitants of the former Byzantine Empire.

[@PowerhouseMac]

1:06 Love "The Snatch" reference. I love that movie!

[@parthchopra2811]

Vader earned you a subscribe. The german accent, however, earned you my respect.

[@TheManCaveYTChannel]

Amazing video!

[@georgesedwardh461]

This channel is the best!!!

[@nicolaseknicolasek4452]

This shit is so funny man!! Keep it up 👍🏻 great content.

[@BuddySweyzer]

I read the thumbnail like "Who was Roman? The last emperor"

[@mylesjude233]

Just found your channel, great video you got yourself one new subscriber

[@aidanwotherspoon905]

4:57 Augustus’ ashes were scattered to the wind when one of the Christian Emperors decided they needed to stop revering those devil-worshippers from Rome’s pagan past

[@cyberrinkie]

Do a video... on how you make your videos, they are great!

[@CJBroonie]

Nicely done. Enjoy your videos.

[@freddiemercury6808]

Awesome as always!

[@Steven-dt5nu]

Great topic! History is hindsight

[@urielsanchez767]

I once met a homeless man who came out from the bushes claiming to be the rightful heir to the HRE. He said if i gave him money he would reward me with lands, titles and women. I gave him a dollar and he dove back into the bushes, its been over a year now where are my lands and wives

[@karlemata3275]

The last Roman Emperor is definitely Constantine XI he technically ruled the surviving "remnants" of the old Roman Empire

[@pepperVenge]

Great video! Very accurate and informative! I personally consider Constantine XI to be the last Roman Emperor, as he actually ruled a land that could be considered Roman territory.

[@Evadooker]

how is there only 39 patreon supporters... come on people give them a dollar

[@franzferdinand4679]

I'll give side quest 2k.

[@GlatHjerne]

Love your channel bro 🥰