The Most Reverend John III of Soltaniyeh | |
|---|---|
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Soltaniyeh Archdiocese of Khanbaliq |
| Appointed | 9 May 1398 |
| Predecessor | Francis of Soltaniyeh |
| Successor | John IV of Soltaniyeh |
| Previous post(s) | Bishop of Nakhchivan (preceded byJohannes de Galonifontibus) |
| Orders | |
| Rank | Archbishop |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Died | c. 1412 |
John III of Soltaniyeh (Latin:Iohannes Sultaniensis archiepiscopus) was aDominican friar, diplomat and archbishop ofSoltaniyeh, often mistaken for his namesake,Johannes de Galonifontibus, with whom he shared a post -Bishopric of Nakhchivan.[1]
He was probably born toPaduan[2]Italian merchant family inKastamone,[1] then ruled byCandar dynasty.
He succeededJohannes de Galonifontibus as bishop of Nakhchivan in late14th century, then appointed asArchbishop of Soltaniyeh byPope Boniface IX on 9 May 1398. He was granted papal bull by Boniface on 19 August 1398 during his visit toRome on granting indulgences to all Christians who contributed to the restoration of churches destroyed byTimur inGeorgia andArmenia and to the ransom of Christians captured and enslaved.[3]
In 1402, after his victory over theOttoman Turks at theBattle of Ankara,Timur sent Johannes on an embassy toEuropean courts to announce his victory.[4] Timur proposed treaties to facilitate commercial exchanges between European powers and his realm.[4] He also carried a portrait of Timur and a letter from his sonMiran Shah.[1]Henry IV of England andCharles VI of France replied by congratulating Timur.[4] During his travels, he visitedMartin of Aragon,Robert of the Palatinate, as well asKonrad von Jungingen. Despite Timur's death in 1405, John never returned to his post. In June 1407, John was inVenice, in September 1408 inPisa, then with a delegation of participants in theCouncil of Pisa he visitedHungary, where negotiations were held withSigismund regardingthe Papal schism. He was tasked with sending invitations toManuel II, PrinceMircea the Elder andAlexander the Good.[1] He granted undulgencies inChurch of St. Mary, in Kronstadt (nowBrașov,Romania).[5] He remained in Pisa after 2 April 1409.
On December 1410,Antipope John XXIII named him as administrator ofArchdiocese of Khanbaliq. Latest document by him was dated to 12 February 1412, where granted the indulgencies to visitors ofDominican Church inLviv.[1]
He wrote Timur's biography, as well asLibellus de notitia orbis (Book of the Knowledge of the World), where he described his own travel impressions and information received from other travelers, mainly merchants aboutCaucasus,Asia Minor,Iran and other regions. A part of his book was published by Anton Kern, the librarian ofGraz University.[3] According toRaymond-Joseph Loenertz he spent his last years inCrimea.[6]