Michael was the son of Andronikos II and grandson of Michael VIII. He never ruled in his own right, and is the only co-emperor to be commonly numbered without having ruled in his own right. He was crowned co-emperor in 1294, though he had been acclaimed as emperor during his grandfather's reign. He was married to Rita, an Armenian princess, around the same time as his coronation. In 1320 Michael's son Manouel was murdered inadvertantly on the orders of Michael's eldest son, Andronikos, who sought to murder his mistress's lover, not realising it was his brother. Michael died soon after, reputedly of grief. The whole episode cause the disinheritance of Andronikos and sparked the first Palaiologan civil war.

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