and though the degradation of papal support is the most direct cause for his hardships, the failure ultimately was in the Palaiologan policy of looking to the West for aid itself. The emperors had adopted this policy since their situation in the 14th and 15th centuries offered few other options. They clung to it even though little aid ever arrived, despite many promises. The fact that the West was ultimately powerless to aid Byzantium was a factor in the empire's downfall and ensured that Andreas never returned to his homeland. See also Succession to the Byzantine Empire Notes References Bibliography 1453 births 1502 deaths 15th-century Byzantine people 16th-century Greek people Andreas Greek Roman Catholics Byzantine pretenders after 1453 Burials at St. Peter's Basilica