George Doukas (pretender)

George Doukas (c. 1320- August 2nd 1356) was a pretender who proclaimed himself Emperor of the Romans shortly after the death of Pope Samuel, claiming to present a better alternative as Emperor to the then youthful and untested Isaac III. Doukas' revolt was only backed by a few members of his large, aristocratic family, and he was quickly betrayed by his own ambitious brother John who would become very close to the Emperor Isaac III and his son Leo VII. Arrested, Doukas was thrown into prison, and blinded so brutally that he died a week later.