Laonikos Chalkokondyles

Laonikos chalcogenides ( ko) ndyles (medium Greek Λαόνικος Χαλκοκονδύλης * to 1423, † 1490 ) was a Byzantine historian. He came from an aristocratic family in Athens, where he was born around 1423. His father initially played an important role in the city administration, but was banned in 1435 with the family on the Peloponnese. There he was taught by Georgios Gemistos Plethon.

As a young man Laonikos entered the service of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI. Konstantin in Opel. The conquest of Constantinople Opel in 1453, he experienced a terrible itself where he was staying after that is unclear, perhaps he emigrated to Italy ( where yes even his famous relative Demetrios Chalkokondyles resided since 1447 ). In his Greek-speaking historical work, which is often quoted by the Latin title Historarium Demonstrationes, Laonikos describes the style of Thucydides, the time from 1298 to 1463 in ten books. The focus of the universal history is the decline of Byzantium and the rise of the Ottomans.