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Michael Grand Komnenos

Συγγραφή : Vougiouklaki Penelope (18/10/2003)
Μετάφραση : Velentzas Georgios

Για παραπομπή: Vougiouklaki Penelope, "Michael Grand Komnenos",
Εγκυκλοπαίδεια Μείζονος Ελληνισμού, Μ. Ασία
URL: <http://www.ehw.gr/l.aspx?id=8244>
Μιχαήλ Μέγας Κομνηνός (29/12/2009 v.1) Michael Grand Komnenos (15/2/2006 v.1) 
 

1. Βiography

Michael Grand Komnenos was born in Trebizond around 1285. He was the son of the emperor of Trebizond John II (1280-1285/1287-1297) and Eudokia Palaiologina and the brother of the subsequent Emperor Alexios II Grand Komnenos (1297-1330). In 1297, after his brother ascended the throne of Trebizond, Michael was sent along with his mother to Constantinople, where he came under the protection of his uncle and Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos (1282-1328) and got familiar with life in Constantinople.1

On July 30, 1341, Michael returned to Trebizond and tried to overthrow Anna Anachoutlou (1341-1342), though without success. Therefore, on August 7 he was arrested and was held in confinement. In May 1344, he escaped and, helped by the Scholarios family, managed to ascend the imperial throne after overthrowing his son John III Grand Komnenos (1342-1344). Michael Grand Komnenos was crowned emperor of Trebizond on May 24 of the same year. On December 13, 1349, Michael resigned due to some illness he was suffering from. His successor, Alexios III Grand Komnenos (1349-1390), forced him to become a monk at the cave-church of St. Sabas, where he remained for one year. He was then sent to Constantinople along with Michael Samson in order to ask a female member of the Palaiologos family to become the bride of Alexios III. In 1355 he tried unsuccessfully to regain the throne of Trebizond before he returned to Constantinople. There is no other information about his activities.

2. Ascension to the Throne

2.1. Τhe Events

On July 30, 1341 Michael, with the support of the Byzantine Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos (1341-1355), sailed from Constantinople to Trebizond with three military ships, accompanied by Niketas Scholares, Gregory Meizomates and other members of aristocracy in order to marry Empress Eirene Palaiologina (1340), the widow of Basil Grand Komnenos (1332-1340), and become the head of the empire. However, before he arrived in Trebizond, a rebellion against Eirene had already broken out instigated by Anna Anachoutlou, the daughter of Emperor Alexios II Grand Komnenos (1297-1330). The empress had to resign and the throne was occupied by Anna (1341-1342).2 On the night he arrived in Τrebizond, Michael was greeted as emperor by the nobles and the metropolitan of Trebizond Akakios. However, he was not officially proclaimed. On the following day the people rose against him, while the Laz of Anna Anachoutlou set his ships to fire and killed some of his disciples. On August 7, 1341 he was arrested and held in confinement initially at Oinaion and later at Limnia.

In March 1344, Michael escaped with the help of Niketas Scholares. He arrived in Trebizond on May 3 of the same year and on the 24th he was proclaimed emperor after overthrowing his son John III, whom he exiled to the cave-church of St. Savvas. In this attempt he was joined by the people of Trebizond, who had turned against John Grand Komnenos (1342-1344) because the latter had tolerated and abetted his father’s captivity imposed by Anna Anachoutlou (1341-1342). Michael was crowned at the church of Theotokos Chrysokephalos.

2.2. Τhe Reasons

The first unsuccessful attempt of Michael to ascend the throne as well as his subsequent ascension in 1344 indicates the troubled relationships among the aspiring aristocrats. The aristocracy of Trebizond was represented mainly by two families, the Scholarios of Constantinople and the native Amytzantarios families. Each of these two groups aimed separately at enforcing its sociopolitical power and assuming ultimate political power.3 The prevalence of the Amytzantarios family, when Anna Anachoutlou ascended the throne (1341-1342), drove the Scholarios family to repeated attempts to overthrow her with the support of other aristocratic families as well. The family was also helped by Constantinople, for the capital was displeased with the fall of Eirene Palaiologina (1340) and the ascension of Anna Anachoutlou, while Venetian and Genoese forces were involved too. Michael and his son John III led the efforts to dethrone Anna Anachoutlou. The disputes between the two aristocratic families continued in the years of Michael’s reign due to the favourable attitude of the emperor towards the Scholarios family, which had actually instigated and supported his efforts to ascend the throne.

3. The Reign

3.1. Internal policy

During his reign Michael honoured the nobles that had helped him in his efforts to occupy the throne of Trebizond by awarding them top imperial titles and offices, such as the megas doukas to Niketas Scholares, the megas domestikos to Leo Kabasites, the protovestiarios to Constantine Doranites, the scholarios to his son John and the megas logariastes to Michael Meizomates. The favourable attitude towards the Scholarios group and the families that supported them caused discontent and reaction from the Amytzantarios family.

Some time later, in November 1345, when Michael was afraid of new civil conflicts against him, provoked even by people who had helped him occupy the throne, he ordered the arrest of the megas doux Niketas Scholares and the megas domestikos Leo Kabasites as well as of other members of aristocracy, and sent his son, John, to Constantinople.

3.2. Εxternal Affairs

While he was on the throne, apart from the internal disputes he had to confront, Michael had also to deal with Turkmen threats. In 1346, the Türkmen captured St. Andrew and Oinaion, while on June 29, 1348, they unsuccessfully attacked the city of Trebizond. In addition, the emperor should settle the disputes between the merchants of Trebizond and Genoa. From the early 14th century the relations of the locals with the Genoese merchants settled in the city had been tense, while they often led to generalised conflicts. The Trebizondians besieged the quarter of the Genoese merchants and killed a large number of people because the latter, for unknown reasons, had acted violently against Cherson and had contemned Trebizond.

In 1348, the Genoese captured Cerasous and shattered the naval forces sent against them,4 while after the new attack against the Genoese quarter Italian forces were sent to help them. Therefore, Michael had to succumb in January of the same year. By virtue of this agreement Michael allowed the Genoese to settle again at Leontokastron, which they had deserted by force in 1316 following a peace treaty signed between them and the then Emperor Alexios II Grand Komnenos (1297-1330).

1. The strong bonds between Constantinople and Trebizond, forged with intermarriages, were one of the main factors that contributed to his subsequent ascension to the throne of Trebizond.

2. See Χρύσανθος, μητροπολίτης Τραπεζούντος, “Η Εκκλησία της Τραπεζούντος”, Αρχείον Πόντου 4-5 (Athens 1933), pp. 241-242.

3. See Λυμπερόπουλος, B., O Bυζαντινός Πόντος. H αυτοκρατορία της Τραπεζούντας (Athens 1999), p. 138.

4. According to the editors of the Εγκυκλοπαίδεια του Ποντιακού Ελληνισμού [Encyclopedia of Pontic Hellenism, in Greek]  the Genoese in 1348 destroyed the imperial fleet and killed John Kabasites and Michael Tzanichites. See Γεωργιάδης, Θ. (ed.), Εγκυκλοπαίδεια του Ποντιακού Ελληνισμού. Ο Πόντος. Ιστορία, Λαογραφία και Πολιτισμός 1 (Thessaloniki 1991), p. 123.
     
 
 
 
 
 

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