Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos
(8 February 1405 – 29 May 1453) He was the last reigning Romanand Byzantine Emperor, ruling as a member of the Palaiologos dynastyfrom 1449 to his death in battle at the fall of Constantinoplein 1453.

君士坦丁Xl•德拉加塞斯•巴列奥略
（1405年2月8日-1453年5月29日）他是最后一位在位的罗马皇帝，从1449年作为古罗马王朝的统治者，直到1453年君士坦丁堡沦陷时阵亡。

Previously serving as regent for his brother John VIII 1437–1439, Constantine succeeded his brother, who died in Constantinople of natural causes in 1448, as Emperor following a short dispute with his younger brother Demetrios. Despite the mounting difficulties of his reign, contemporary sources generally speak respectfully of Constantine. Constantine would rule for just over 4 years, his reign culminating in the Ottoman siege and conquest of Constantinople, the imperial capital, under Sultan Mehmed II. Constantine did what he could to organize the defenses of the city, stockpiling food and repairing the old Theodosian walls, but the reduced domain of the Empire and the poor economy meant that organizing a force large enough for the defense of the city was impossible. Constantine led the defending forces, numbering approximately 7,000, against an Ottoman army numbering around 10 times that and died in the ensuing fighting.

Following his death, he became a legendary figure in Greek folklore as the "Marble Emperor" who would awaken and recover the Empire andConstantinoplefrom the Ottomans.His death marked the final end of theRoman Empire, which had continued in the East (often known inhistoriographyas theByzantine Empire) for an additional 977 years after thefallof theWestern Roman Empirein 476. The Empire had begun with the reign ofAugustusin 27BC,1479 years prior.

他死后成为希腊民间传说中的传奇人物，被冠为“大理石皇帝”， 在未来将会被唤醒并恢复帝国和君士坦丁堡。他的去世标志着罗马帝国的最后终结。476年西罗马帝国垮台后，东罗马帝国（在历史学上通常称为拜占庭帝国）又延续了977年。而罗马帝国始于公元前27年Augustus的统治。

Biography
Constantine was born inConstantinople,as the eighth of ten children toManuel II PalaiologosandHelena Dragaš, the daughter of theSerbianmagnateConstantine Dragaš. He was extremely fond of his mother and added her surname (Dragases) next to his own dynastic one when he ascended the imperial throne. He spent most of his childhood in Constantinople under the supervision of his parents.

传记
君士坦丁在君士坦丁堡出生，是曼努埃尔二世罗马皇帝和海伦娜·德拉伽德斯的十个孩子中的八分之一，德拉伽德斯是塞尔维亚大公君士坦丁·德拉伽德斯的女儿。他非常喜欢他的母亲，当他登上皇位时，就把她的姓（德拉伽德斯）加上了自己王朝的姓。他童年大部分时间都在父母的监督下度过君士坦丁堡。

Almost nothing is known of his physical appearance or his character. The surviving contemporary images are highly stylized and include a seal now in Vienna (of unknown provenance, probably from an imperial chrysobull), a few coins, and his portrait among the other Byzantine emperors in the Biblioteca Estense copy of the history of Zonaras. In the latter he is shown with a rounded beard, in noted contrast to his forked-bearded relatives, but it is unclear whether that reflects his actual appearance.Likewise his character, and the image he is known with to posterity, are heavily skewed by the accounts composed after his death; they portray his life with a view to his final fate, and are thus highly eulogizing in nature.

几乎没有人知道他的外表或性格。现存的当代图像是高度程式化的，包括现在在维也纳（来源不明，可能来自皇家金牛）的一枚印章，几枚硬币，以及他的肖像和其他拜占庭皇帝的肖像在《爱斯登圣经》中关于佐纳拉斯历史的副本。后者的胡须呈圆形，与叉胡子的亲戚形成鲜明对比，但尚不清楚这是否反映了他的真实面貌。同样，他的性格和后人所熟知的形象，也严重地被他死后所写的叙述歪曲了。阐述他的命运来讴歌他的生命，并因此在民间中高度颂扬。

He was governor of Selymbria for a time, until surrendering the role to his brother Theodore in 1443. During the absence of his older brother John at the Council of Florence in Italy, Constantine served as his regent in Constantinople (1437–1440).

他曾任塞利布里亚(君士坦丁堡附近的一个行政区)省长，直到1443年把他的位置交给他的弟弟西奥多。在他哥哥约翰参加意大利佛罗伦萨会议的期间，君士坦丁在君士坦丁堡（1437-1440）担任摄政王。

Despot of the Morea
Constantine became the ruler of theDespotate of the Morea(the medieval name for thePeloponnesus) in October 1443. He ruled from the fortress and palace inMistra, a fortified town also calledSpartaor Lacedaemon due to its proximity to the ancient city.Mistra was a center of arts and culture rivalling Constantinople.Twenty years before, Constantine had aided his brother John in consolidating Byzantine control over the Morea, campaigning against the Latin princes of thePrincipality of Achaeawho still held parts of it, and except for the Venetian possessions ofModon,Coron, andNauplion, the entire peninsula came under Byzantine control.

摩里亚的专制君主
1443年10月，君士坦丁成为摩里亚的统治者。他统治着米斯特拉的堡垒和宫殿，这个堡垒和宫殿由于与古城相邻，也被称为斯巴达或拉西达蒙。米斯特拉是艺术和文化的中心，与君士坦丁堡媲美。在这20年前，君士坦丁曾协助他的兄弟约翰巩固拜占庭对摩里亚地区的控制，与仍然拥有该地一部分的阿卡亚公国的拉丁王子进行斗争，最后除了威尼斯人所拥有的莫顿、科隆和纳普隆，整个半岛被重新受到拜占庭的控制。