Michael of Trebizond
Encyclopedia
Michael Megas Komnenos (1285– after 1355), Emperor
of Trebizond
for one day, July 30, 1341 and from May 3, 1344 to December 13, 1349. He was a younger son of Emperor John II of Trebizond
and Eudokia Palaiologina
. His wife was Acropolitissa
, a daughter of the nobleman Constantine Acropolites, and from this marriage he had a son, John III
.
In c. 1297, he was brought to Constantinople
by his mother Eudokia, and probably remained in the Byzantine capital until 1341. In that year he was dispatched by the regency for John V Palaiologos
to claim the throne of Trebizond at the invitation of the Scholarioi faction, led by Niketas Scholares
and Gregory. Michael was also intended to marry the deposed Empress Irene Palaiologina.
When Michael's three ships reached Trebizond on July 30, 1341, he found Irene deposed and his own niece, Anna Anachoutlou
ruling as empress. As the legitimate male descendant of the ruling family, Michael received the support of much of the populace and was acclaimed emperor. Some of the nobility, led by the Metropolitan Akakios received him as their lord and escorted him into the palace. As soon as night fell, however, the nobles imprisoned Michael, not wishing to be ruled by a mature and forceful monarch. Anna's Lazic troops dispersed Michael's supporters and plundered his ships. The following day he was sent off to Oinaion and then Limnia, where he was held captive by the Grand Duke John the Eunuch.
When Michael's own son, John III
, became emperor in September 1342, Michael remained in prison. John's incompetent rule infuriated his chief supporters, and Niketas who marched with the army to Limnia (where John the Eunuch had recently been slain), freed Michael and returned with him to Trebizond. John III was deposed, sent to the monastery of St Sabas under a Byzantine guard and the nobles supporting him were killed. Michael was crowned on May 3, 1344.
Michael granted Niketas the title of Grand Duke (megas doux) and was forced to sign the document which gave Niketas and his ministers almost all power in the Empire, promising to seek their counsel in all official actions. This constitutional experiment was short-lived, because the greatest opposition came from the people of Trebizond. They were infuriated to see the Emperor stripped of his effective authority and rose up in revolt against the oligarchy of the Scholarioi. Michael swiftly took advantage of the opportunity, and arrested and imprisoned Niketas in 1345. Also, he sent his son John off to Constantinople and then Adrianople where he was to be kept prisoner to prevent him from becoming a further focus for the discontented nobles of Trebizond.
Taking advantage of the instability in Trebizond, the Turkmen
attacked the Empire in 1346, taking Hagios Andreas and Oinaion
. In September 1347, however, the Black Death
struck Trebizond and raged for seven months. Another Turkmen invasion in 1348 was repulsed after a battle that lasted for three days. This victory did little to strengthen Michael's regime.
In 1348, the Genoese seized Kerasous
, the second most important city of the Empire in revenge for a massacre of Genoese by the Trapezuntines some years earlier. In May 1349, a Genoese expedition from Caffa was launched against Trebizond. The small Trapezuntine fleet under Michael Tzanichites was destroyed and the people of Trebizond responded by killing any Westerner they found in the capital. Eventually, peace was reached with the Genoese, but in exchange for Kerasous they were given the fortress of Leontokastron. From now on Trebizond's commercial capacity was lessened even further, as the Genoese came to increasingly command the lucrative Black Sea
trade of the port.
At that time the ailing Michael was both discredited and completely unable to govern the crumbling Empire. He was deposed on December 13, 1349 by the Grand Duke Niketas, whom he had been forced to release from prison. Niketas and his supporters placed on the throne John, the son of Emperor Basil
, under the name Alexios III. Alexios III was sent to Trebizond by the Byzantine Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos
and arrived on December 22.
The deposed Emperor Michael was forced to become a monk at the cave monastery of St Sabas. In 1351, he sent to Constantinople. Michael was released by Emperor John V Palaiologos
in 1355 and headed for Trebizond, hoping to recover his throne. His attempt failed and he returned to Constantinople, dying some time later.
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
of Trebizond
Empire of Trebizond
The Empire of Trebizond, founded in April 1204, was one of three Byzantine successor states of the Byzantine Empire. However, the creation of the Empire of Trebizond was not directly related to the capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, rather it had broken away from the Byzantine Empire...
for one day, July 30, 1341 and from May 3, 1344 to December 13, 1349. He was a younger son of Emperor John II of Trebizond
John II of Trebizond
John II Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from 1280 to 1297. He was the youngest son of Emperor Manuel I and his third wife, Irene Syrikaina, a Trapezuntine noblewoman...
and Eudokia Palaiologina
Eudokia Palaiologina
Eudokia Palaiologina or was the third daughter of Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos and his wife, Theodora Doukaina Vatatzaina, a grandniece of Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes of Nicaea....
. His wife was Acropolitissa
Acropolitissa, wife of Michael of Trebizond
- Family :Her father was Constantine Acropolites. According to his entry in "Porphyrogenita:Essays on the History and Literature of Byzantium and the Latin East" Constantine was married to Maria Komnene Tornikina. Constantine was a scholar in the courts of Michael VIII Palaiologos and Andronikos...
, a daughter of the nobleman Constantine Acropolites, and from this marriage he had a son, John III
John III of Trebizond
John III Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from September 4, 1342 to May 3, 1344...
.
In c. 1297, he was brought to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
by his mother Eudokia, and probably remained in the Byzantine capital until 1341. In that year he was dispatched by the regency for John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos was a Byzantine emperor, who succeeded his father in 1341, at age nine.-Biography:...
to claim the throne of Trebizond at the invitation of the Scholarioi faction, led by Niketas Scholares
Niketas Scholares
Niketas Scholares , was a Byzantine Greek aristocrat and military leader in the Empire of Trebizond.- Life :Nicetas was a leader of the Scholarioi faction in Trebizond. In 1341 Nicetas and his co-leader, Gregory, sent for Michael Megas Komnenos, who resided in the Byzantine capital Constantinople,...
and Gregory. Michael was also intended to marry the deposed Empress Irene Palaiologina.
When Michael's three ships reached Trebizond on July 30, 1341, he found Irene deposed and his own niece, Anna Anachoutlou
Anna of Trebizond
Anna Anachoutlou Megale Komnene , , Empress of Trebizond from July 17, 1341 to September 4, 1342. Anna was the elder daughter of Emperor Alexios II of Trebizond and his Georgian wife, Djiadjak Jaqeli....
ruling as empress. As the legitimate male descendant of the ruling family, Michael received the support of much of the populace and was acclaimed emperor. Some of the nobility, led by the Metropolitan Akakios received him as their lord and escorted him into the palace. As soon as night fell, however, the nobles imprisoned Michael, not wishing to be ruled by a mature and forceful monarch. Anna's Lazic troops dispersed Michael's supporters and plundered his ships. The following day he was sent off to Oinaion and then Limnia, where he was held captive by the Grand Duke John the Eunuch.
When Michael's own son, John III
John III of Trebizond
John III Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from September 4, 1342 to May 3, 1344...
, became emperor in September 1342, Michael remained in prison. John's incompetent rule infuriated his chief supporters, and Niketas who marched with the army to Limnia (where John the Eunuch had recently been slain), freed Michael and returned with him to Trebizond. John III was deposed, sent to the monastery of St Sabas under a Byzantine guard and the nobles supporting him were killed. Michael was crowned on May 3, 1344.
Michael granted Niketas the title of Grand Duke (megas doux) and was forced to sign the document which gave Niketas and his ministers almost all power in the Empire, promising to seek their counsel in all official actions. This constitutional experiment was short-lived, because the greatest opposition came from the people of Trebizond. They were infuriated to see the Emperor stripped of his effective authority and rose up in revolt against the oligarchy of the Scholarioi. Michael swiftly took advantage of the opportunity, and arrested and imprisoned Niketas in 1345. Also, he sent his son John off to Constantinople and then Adrianople where he was to be kept prisoner to prevent him from becoming a further focus for the discontented nobles of Trebizond.
Taking advantage of the instability in Trebizond, the Turkmen
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
attacked the Empire in 1346, taking Hagios Andreas and Oinaion
Ünye
Ünye is a large town and district of Ordu Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, 76 km west of the city of Ordu. In 2009 it had 74,806 inhabitants.-Geography:Ünye has a little port, in a bay on one of the flatter areas of the Black Sea coast...
. In September 1347, however, the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
struck Trebizond and raged for seven months. Another Turkmen invasion in 1348 was repulsed after a battle that lasted for three days. This victory did little to strengthen Michael's regime.
In 1348, the Genoese seized Kerasous
Giresun
Giresun is the provincial capital of Giresun Province in the Black Sea Region of northeastern Turkey, about west of the city of Trabzon.-Etymology:...
, the second most important city of the Empire in revenge for a massacre of Genoese by the Trapezuntines some years earlier. In May 1349, a Genoese expedition from Caffa was launched against Trebizond. The small Trapezuntine fleet under Michael Tzanichites was destroyed and the people of Trebizond responded by killing any Westerner they found in the capital. Eventually, peace was reached with the Genoese, but in exchange for Kerasous they were given the fortress of Leontokastron. From now on Trebizond's commercial capacity was lessened even further, as the Genoese came to increasingly command the lucrative Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
trade of the port.
At that time the ailing Michael was both discredited and completely unable to govern the crumbling Empire. He was deposed on December 13, 1349 by the Grand Duke Niketas, whom he had been forced to release from prison. Niketas and his supporters placed on the throne John, the son of Emperor Basil
Basil of Trebizond
Basil Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from August 1332 to his death in 1340. Basil was a younger son of Emperor Alexios II of Trebizond and his wife Djiadjak Jaqeli...
, under the name Alexios III. Alexios III was sent to Trebizond by the Byzantine Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos
John VI Kantakouzenos
John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzenus was the Byzantine emperor from 1347 to 1354.-Early life:Born in Constantinople, John Kantakouzenos was the son of a Michael Kantakouzenos, governor of the Morea. Through his mother Theodora Palaiologina Angelina, he was a descendant of the reigning house of...
and arrived on December 22.
The deposed Emperor Michael was forced to become a monk at the cave monastery of St Sabas. In 1351, he sent to Constantinople. Michael was released by Emperor John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos was a Byzantine emperor, who succeeded his father in 1341, at age nine.-Biography:...
in 1355 and headed for Trebizond, hoping to recover his throne. His attempt failed and he returned to Constantinople, dying some time later.