Godscall Paleologue facts for kids

Godscall Paleologue (born January 12, 1694) was a very important person because she might have been the last living member of the Paleologus family. This family claimed to be linked to the Palaiologos dynasty, who were the emperors of the powerful Byzantine Empire from 1259 until it fell in 1453.

Godscall was born after her father, Theodore Paleologus, had already passed away. He was a privateer, which was like a legal pirate working for a government. The only information we have about Godscall comes from her baptism records. We don't know anything about her life after that.

Her unusual name, Godscall, has a mysterious meaning. It might be an old English way of saying a Greek name, or it could mean that her parents were very religious. Some even think it might have been a family name.

Godscall's Story

St Dunstan's, Stepney, the church where Godscall was baptised in 1694.

Godscall Paleologue was born on January 12, 1694, in London. Her father, Theodore Paleologus, had died the year before she was born. Her mother was Martha Bradbury.

Just twelve days after she was born, on January 24, Godscall was baptised. The church records from St Dunstan's Church in East London show her entry. It says: "January 24 Godscall daughter of Theodore Paleologus of upp. Wapping Gent: and of Martha uxor. 12 days old." This means she was 12 days old when she was baptised.

The Imperial Connection

Godscall was the last known person from the Paleologus family. This family said they were related to the ancient Palaiologos dynasty. The Palaiologos were the rulers of the Byzantine Empire for many years, until the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

The Paleologus family believed they were descendants of Thomas Palaiologos. He was a brother of Constantine XI Palaiologos, who was the very last Byzantine emperor. Their claim comes through a son named John, but we don't have old records to fully prove John existed. However, other family members after John can be confirmed. This makes their claim to be related to the emperors seem possible, but not completely certain.

Historians have written about Godscall. Patrick Leigh Fermor, an English historian, called her "the last authentic descendant of the Paleologi." Another historian, John Julius Norwich, said she was "the last known descendant of the Emperors of Byzantium." If her family line is true, she could be seen as the last true heir to the Roman imperial title.

What Happened Next?

After her baptism in 1694, we don't know anything else about Godscall's life. There are no other records of her. We don't even know if she lived past being a baby.

Some people, like John Hall, who wrote a book about Godscall's great-grandfather, think she might have died very soon after her baptism. He doesn't have proof, though, just that there are no other records. Other writers simply say that what happened to Godscall after her baptism is unknown.

Her Unique Name

Godscall's name is very unusual, and many people have wondered about it. It's often called "strange" or "eccentric."

One idea is that "Godscall" was actually a surname, a family name from her mother's side. Another idea is that her parents were Puritans. Puritans were a religious group in the 1600s who often gave their children very unique, religious names like "Sorry for Sin" or "Fear the Lord." However, there's no proof that Godscall's parents were Puritans.

John Hall, the author, has another idea. He thinks Godscall might have been a sickly baby. Her mother might have feared she would die soon and believed that "God was calling her." So, she named the child "Godscall."

A Greek historian named Georgios Zoras thought that "Godscall" was an English version of the Greek name Theocletiane (Θεοκλητιανή). This Greek name also means "God's call."

Her Legacy and Discovery

For centuries, Godscall's existence was unknown because the only record of her was in the church baptism books. It wasn't until 1946 that a researcher named Cregoe Nicholson found her entry while looking through the old registers of St Dunstan's Church.

Searching for Descendants

During the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829), which was over a hundred years after Godscall's time, a group from the Greek government went looking for living descendants of the old imperial family. They searched in places like Cornwall and Barbados, where Godscall's ancestors were known to have lived. However, they didn't know about Godscall in London because her baptism record hadn't been found yet. So, their search was unsuccessful.

In Popular Culture

The Paleologus family has sometimes appeared in books and stories. Most of these stories are about Theodore Paleologus of Cornwall (Godscall's great-grandfather, who had the same name as her father) or made-up descendants of the family.

• In the novel The Course of the Heart (1992) by M. John Harrison, the Paleologus family is given magical powers because they are imperial descendants. In this book, Godscall is born in 1666 (not 1694) and is described as carrying a special "heritage of the Empress." She becomes an almost magical "deathless empress."
• In Jane Stevenson's novel Empress of the Last Days (2003), a character falls in love with a girl named Melita Paleologue from Barbados. They trace her family line back to a marriage between a daughter of King James VI & I, Elizabeth Stuart, and a dark-skinned doctor. In this book, Godscall's father dies as a hero in battle, and Godscall herself marries a son of Elizabeth Stuart. The historical search for descendants during the Greek War of Independence also appears in this novel. However, in the book, the searchers ignore proof from Godscall's descendants because of their skin color.

John Hall, the author, has said that Godscall "rises phoenix-like from the grave" and becomes "a deathless empress in another dimension" in these fictional stories.