Patriarch Theodotos I of Constantinople
Encyclopedia
Theodotos I Kassiteras, latinized as Theodotus I Cassiteras , Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from April 1, 815 to January 821.
Theodotos was born in Nakoleia as the son of the patrikios Michael Melissenos
by the sister of Eudokia
, the last wife of Emperor Constantine V
. Theodotos had become attached to the court bureaucracy and was a confidant of Emperor Michael I Rangabe
. He served as an administrative official (spatharokandidatos
), and retained imperial favor by espousing the cause of the usurping Emperor Leo V
. After Leo's accession, Theodotos convinced the emperor in the righteousness of Iconoclasm
, priming a saintly ascetic to urge Leo to adopt the example of Emperor Leo III the Isaurian
.
After deposing the Orthodox Patriarch Nikephoros in 815, Emperor Leo V had Theodotos tonsured and appointed him patriarch. The elderly official is described as meek, uneducated, and virtuous, although his previous actions had exhibited a taste for intrigue. Theodotos was charged with holding luxurious and frivoulous banquets, scandalizing some of the more conservative members of the clergy. Theodotos presided over the synod
of Constantinople
in 815 which reinstituted Iconoclasm, although much of the Iconoclast
effort was driven by other clerics, including the later Patriarchs Antony I
and John VII
. In the aftermath of this synod Theodotos is representing as torturing by starvation at more than one Iconodule abbot in an attempt to force them into agreement with his ecclesiastical policy.
Theodotos was born in Nakoleia as the son of the patrikios Michael Melissenos
Michael Melissenos
Michael Melissenos was a notable Byzantine aristocrat and general during the reign of Emperor Constantine V .Michael is the first attested member of the noble Melissenos family. A favourite of Constantine V, he was given an unnamed sister of Eudokia, Constantine V's third wife, in marriage...
by the sister of Eudokia
Eudokia, wife of Constantine V
-Family:According to the chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor, Eudokia was a sister-in-law of Michael Melissenos, strategos of the Anatolikon Theme. Her sister and brother-in-law were parents to Patriarch Theodotos I of Constantinople.-Empress:...
, the last wife of Emperor Constantine V
Constantine V
Constantine V was Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775; ); .-Early life:...
. Theodotos had become attached to the court bureaucracy and was a confidant of Emperor Michael I Rangabe
Michael I Rangabe
Michael I Rangabes was Byzantine Emperor from 811 to 813.Michael was the son of the patrician Theophylaktos Rangabes, the admiral of the Aegean fleet...
. He served as an administrative official (spatharokandidatos
Spatharokandidatos
Spatharokandidatos , Latinized as spatharocandidatus, was a mid-ranking Byzantine court dignity used in the 7th–11th centuries.-History:...
), and retained imperial favor by espousing the cause of the usurping Emperor Leo V
Leo V the Armenian
Leo V the Armenian was emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 813 to 820. A senior general, he forced his predecessor, Michael I Rangabe, to abdicate and assumed the throne. He ended the decade-long war with the Bulgars, and initiated the second period of Byzantine Iconoclasm...
. After Leo's accession, Theodotos convinced the emperor in the righteousness of Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
, priming a saintly ascetic to urge Leo to adopt the example of Emperor Leo III the Isaurian
Leo III the Isaurian
Leo III the Isaurian or the Syrian , was Byzantine emperor from 717 until his death in 741...
.
After deposing the Orthodox Patriarch Nikephoros in 815, Emperor Leo V had Theodotos tonsured and appointed him patriarch. The elderly official is described as meek, uneducated, and virtuous, although his previous actions had exhibited a taste for intrigue. Theodotos was charged with holding luxurious and frivoulous banquets, scandalizing some of the more conservative members of the clergy. Theodotos presided over the synod
Council of Constantinople (815)
The Council of Constantinople of 815 was held in the Byzantine capital, in the Hagia Sophia, and initiated the second period of the Byzantine Iconoclasm....
of 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:...
in 815 which reinstituted Iconoclasm, although much of the Iconoclast
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
effort was driven by other clerics, including the later Patriarchs Antony I
Patriarch Antony I of Constantinople
-Life:Antony was of undistinguished background but received a good education, becoming a lawyer in Constantinople in c. 800. He later became a monk and advanced to the position of abbot. By 814 he had become the bishop of Syllaion in Anatolia. Although Antony was an Iconodule, he became an...
and John VII
Patriarch John VII of Constantinople
John VII Grammatikos or Grammaticus, i.e., "the Grammarian" , Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from January 21, 837 to March 4, 843, died before 867. He is not to be confused with the much earlier philosopher John Philoponos.-Life:John was born to an aristocratic family of Armenian origin...
. In the aftermath of this synod Theodotos is representing as torturing by starvation at more than one Iconodule abbot in an attempt to force them into agreement with his ecclesiastical policy.