Manuel, a learned Greek, who was instrumental in spreading Greek literature in the West. He was born at Constantinople, of a distinguished family, which had removed with Constantine to Byzantium. While still very young, he was sent by the emperor John Palaeologus to implore the aid of the Christian princes against the Turks. After an absence of some years, Chrysoloras returned to Constantinople; but at the invitation of the magistrates of Florence he became professor of Greek language in that city about the year 1393, and taught three years. From Florence he passed to Milan; and from Milan to Pavia, at the request of Gian Galeazzo, duke of Milan. On the death of Galeazzo in 1402 he retired to Venice, where he lived several years. He subsequently went to Rome, upon the invitation of Aretino, who had been his disciple, and was then secretary to Gregory XII. In 1408 he was sent to Paris with an important mission from Manuel Palaeologus, the Greek emperor. In 1413 he accompanied cardinals Chalanco and Zaharella on a mission from Pope Martin V. to the emperor Sigismund, to appoint a place of meeting for a general council; and was preparing to go to Constance when he was suddenly cut off, on the 15th of April 1415, in the forty-seventh year of his age. Only two of his works have been printed, viz., his *Erotemata*, or grammatical questions, and *Epistle III.* de comparatione veteris et novae Romae*; but numerous others exist in MS.