Symeon I of Constantinople | |
|---|---|
| Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople | |
| Church | Church of Constantinople |
| In office | Autumn 1466 – end 1466[1] Late 1471 – early 1475 April 1482 – autumn 1486 |
| Predecessor | Mark II of Constantinople[1] Dionysius I of Constantinople Maximus III of Constantinople |
| Successor | Dionysius I of Constantinople[1] Raphael I of Constantinople Nephon II of Constantinople |
| Personal details | |
| Died | Autumn 1486 |
| Denomination | Eastern Orthodoxy |
Symeon I of Constantinople (Greek:Συμεὼν ὁ Τραπεζούντιος; died autumn 1486) wasEcumenical Patriarch of Constantinople three times: for a short time in 1466,[1] from 1471 to 1475 and from 1482 to 1486. In 1484 he presided over theSynod of Constantinople of 1484 which repudiated theCouncil of Florence.
Symeon was born between 1400 and 1420 to anoble family of theEmpire of Trebizond.[2] After Trebizond's fall to the Ottomans in 1461, all the nobles of the former empire were forced byMehmed II to move to Constantinople and Symeon too, who was already a monk, went to the capital.[3] The Trapezuntine nobility formed a separate faction among the Greeks of the capital, led probably by the scholar and politicianGeorge Amiroutzes. This faction supported Symeon as its own candidate for the patriarchal throne[4] against the faction led bylayarchons such as theGreat ChartophylaxGeorge Galesiotes and the Grand Ecclesiarch (i.e. HeadSacristan) Manuel, the future PatriarchMaximus III of Constantinople.[3]
In autumn 1466 Symeon successfully obtained the throne after he presented the Ottoman government with 2000 pieces of gold, thus beginning asimoniac practice that marked the history of the Patriarchate of Constantinople for the following centuries.[4] Here a new player made an entrance in disputing the patriarchal throne,Mara Branković, daughter of theSerbianDespotĐurađ Branković and one of the stepmothers of Mehmed II. Although Mara remained a lifelong Christian, she was quite influential with Mehmed II.[3] Mara was outraged by the simoniac action of Symeon I, and she went to Constantinople to complain to Mehmed II. In response to her requests, and to a donation by her of 2000 pieces of gold, the Sultan deposed Symeon I and appointed to the Patriarchate the candidate of Mara,Dionysius I of Constantinople.[4] Symeon I retired for some years in a monastery nearStenimachos.
The reign of Dionysius I was marked by the opposition to him by both of the other factions, including Symeon I's. He was finally deposed at the end of 1471 after false accusations that he had converted to Islam and had beencircumcised.[5] Afterwards Symeon I paid a further 2000 pieces of gold and allegedly promised to the Sultan to suppress designs for an anti-Ottoman revolt inTrebizond, and so he became Patriarch. Actually, in May 1472 there was a failed attempt to capture the city led by Caterino Zeni and Alexios Komnenos (a nephew ofDavid of Trebizond), supported byUzun Hassan.[6] Symeon I sided with the Ottoman Sultan and in June 1472 he deposed the Metropolitan of TrebizondPankratios, who was involved in the rebellion, and replaced him with another bishop,Dorotheos, a formerMetropolitan of Athens, more aligned with the Ottomans.[2] The second reign of Symeon I was marked by an increased debt up to 7000florins, and on 10 October 1474, theHoly Synod also accepted to pay an annual fee of 2000 florins to theOttoman Government. Consequently, in the winter of 1474, Symeon I was forced to begin searching for funds.[3] On his return to Constantinople in early 1475, Symeon I was outbid byRaphael I of Constantinople, probably supported by Mara Branković. Raphael I could not pay the amount he had promised after a year and he was overthrown byMaximus III of Constantinople, the leader of the faction of the Constantinopolitan nobles.
Maximus III died on 3 April 1482 and Symeon I returned on the throne for the third time until autumn 1486, when he was succeeded byNephon II of Constantinople. Symeon I died shortly after, surely before 1488, without making his will, and his rich inheritance was heavily contended for after his death.[2] The most remarkable act of his third and last reign was theSynod of Constantinople of 1484.
There is no consensus among scholars concerning the chronology of the first reign of Symeon I. Many scholars, such as Kiminas (2009),[7] Runciman (1985),[4] Grumel (1958)[8] and Bishop Germanos of Sardeis (1933–1938)[9], as well as the official website of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,[10] follow the chronicles ofPseudo-Dorotheos of Monemvasia and place the reign of Symeon I afterMark II of Constantinople.
Laurent (1968),[3] followed by Podskalsky (1988),[11] believes that the clashes with Symeon I happened when Mark II was still Metropolitan of Adrianople, and place Symeon I's reign before Mark II's. For a comparison of the main proposals, see theEcumenical patriarchs of Constantinople.
| Eastern Orthodox Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1466 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1471 – 1475 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1482 – 1486 | Succeeded by |
