John II of Trebizond

John II Komnenos (c. 1262; † August 16, 1297 in Limnia ) was from 1280 to 1284 and after a brief interruption from 1285 to 1297 and Emperor of Trebizond Großkomnene.

Life

John II, was born as the son of Trebizond Emperor Manuel I and his third wife, the noblewoman Irena Syrikaina. After his older brother George Komnenos, who was the common father initially succeeded as emperor, had fallen into captivity Turkmen, John took advantage of the opportunity they have to be the successor to take over the reign in 1280 itself.

During his reign, he had to devote himself primarily to relations with the Eastern Roman Empire restored after the expulsion of the Latin domination of Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos. This demanded that John should be guided by him and adopted by his predecessors title Emperor of the Romans to give up. Reason for this was that Michael that ruled Trebizond from territory that was formerly part of the kingdom of Constantinople Opel, still considered as its part and it was reserved for the ruling in Constantinople Opel regent to lead the imperial title. John gave the desire Michaels first, relying on the negative attitude of Trebizond nobility, who did not tolerate the tearing down of the title by John, and the fact that this title had been traditionally been done by his predecessors, not after. John was also considered by Michael as a potential threat for his own throne, as some of his opponents as being within the Eastern Roman Empire who refused to come to terms with Michael's acceptance of proclaimed in the Second Council of Lyons Union of Orthodox Church with the Church of the West to John Orthodox possible pretender to the Byzantine throne looked. In addition to that, the family of Comnenus had held the imperial throne of Constantinople Opel itself for more than a hundred years, until 1185.

To show the relationship between their two kingdoms on a new basis, offered Michael to John at the hand of his third daughter Eudocia Palaiologina. In 1282 they married in Constantinople Opel. Eudocia gave birth to John in the episode, the two sons and later Trebizond Emperor Alexios II Komnenos and Michael.

After his return from the wedding John took off the title of Emperor of the Romans and adopted in its place the title of emperor and Despot of the entire East, Iberia and the overseas provinces. He ignored that was lost Iberia, which was located approximately in the area of present-day Georgia, already under the reign of Andronikos ' I. for Trebizond. Instead of the new adopted by Johannes title but he used as his predecessors and his successors preferably derived from the surname name Großkomnene ( Megas Komnenos ) as ruler designation.

During the absence of John the Georgian King of Imereti, David VI undertook. Narin, the attempt to increase its influence in the Empire of Trebizond, and besieged the capital. Although he himself did not succeed, the capture of the city of Trebizond, he could occupy some areas. From this position of strength helped David in 1284 the half-sister of John, Theodora Comnena, daughter of Manuel I and the Georgian Rusudan, to power. John, however, succeeded already in 1285, Theodora to wrest the rule again and take the throne again.

In 1291 Pope Nicholas IV tried John to move to convert to the Catholic faith and therefore sent two letters to him, in which it invited him to participate in a new crusade to recapture the Holy Land and to him also the position of ambassador of Christianity held out the prospect with the Tatars.

John died in 1297 in Limnia. His body was transferred to the capital and buried there in the church of the Virgin goldhäuptigen. As emperor of Trebizond was succeeded by his eldest son Alexios II to the throne.

Swell

  • The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, 1991.
  • W. Miller, Trebizond: The Last Greek Empire of the Byzantine Era, Chicago, 1926.
  • Kaiser ( Trebizond )
  • Komnenen
  • Born in the 13th century
  • Died in 1297
  • Man
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