John III of Trebizond
Encyclopedia
John III Megas Komnenos (c. 1321 – 1362) was Emperor
of Trebizond
from September 4, 1342 to May 3, 1344. He was a son of Emperor Michael of Trebizond
(who had reigned for a day in 1341) and Acropolitissa
, a daughter of Constantine Acropolites.
John lived most of his life in Constantinople
where his father had lived since c. 1297. When Michael became Emperor of Trebizond for a day in 1341 and was quickly deposed and imprisoned by Grand Duke John the Eunuch of Limnia, John was still in Constantinople. However, in 1342 the leaders of the Scholarioi, Niketas Scholares
and Gregory, visited him there and persuaded the young man to come with them to Trebizond and take the throne. With the approval of the Byzantine government, the group set out for Trebizond in September 1342 after enlisting the support of three Genoese
galleys, bringing their little fleet to a total of five ships. After a short but fierce fight John and his supporters captured the city on September 4, aided by a popular uprising in their favor. After the coronation of John III as emperor, the deposed Empress Anna Anachoutlou
was strangled, and her noble supporters executed or exiled shortly following John's coronation.
John III turned out to be a weak and dissolute ruler, who cared only for entertainment, self-indulgence, and luxury. He did not bother to show any concern over his own father who was still being held captive by Grand Duke John the Eunuch. On the latter's murder, Niketas marched to Limnia where he released Michael from captivity and then returned with him to depose Michael's son. On May 3, 1344 John was banished to the monastery of St. Sabas (where he was kept under a Byzantine guard) and his father was installed as emperor for the second time.
The deposed emperor was eventually transferred by his father to Constantinople and then Adrianople in 1345. He escaped from there in c. 1357 and made his way to Sinope
, where he died in 1362.
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...
from September 4, 1342 to May 3, 1344. He was a son of Emperor Michael of Trebizond
Michael of Trebizond
Michael Megas Komnenos , , 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...
(who had reigned for a day in 1341) and 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 Constantine Acropolites.
John lived most of his life in 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:...
where his father had lived since c. 1297. When Michael became Emperor of Trebizond for a day in 1341 and was quickly deposed and imprisoned by Grand Duke John the Eunuch of Limnia, John was still in Constantinople. However, in 1342 the leaders of the Scholarioi, 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, visited him there and persuaded the young man to come with them to Trebizond and take the throne. With the approval of the Byzantine government, the group set out for Trebizond in September 1342 after enlisting the support of three Genoese
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
galleys, bringing their little fleet to a total of five ships. After a short but fierce fight John and his supporters captured the city on September 4, aided by a popular uprising in their favor. After the coronation of John III as emperor, the deposed Empress 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....
was strangled, and her noble supporters executed or exiled shortly following John's coronation.
John III turned out to be a weak and dissolute ruler, who cared only for entertainment, self-indulgence, and luxury. He did not bother to show any concern over his own father who was still being held captive by Grand Duke John the Eunuch. On the latter's murder, Niketas marched to Limnia where he released Michael from captivity and then returned with him to depose Michael's son. On May 3, 1344 John was banished to the monastery of St. Sabas (where he was kept under a Byzantine guard) and his father was installed as emperor for the second time.
The deposed emperor was eventually transferred by his father to Constantinople and then Adrianople in 1345. He escaped from there in c. 1357 and made his way to Sinope
Sinope
Sinope may refer to:*Sinop, Turkey, a city on the Black Sea, historically known as Sinope** Battle of Sinop, 1853 naval battle in the Sinop port*Sinope , in Greek mythology, daughter of Asopus*Sinope , a moon of the planet Jupiter...
, where he died in 1362.