John I Komnenos Axouchos ( gr, Ιωάννης Κομνηνός Ἀξούχος, Iōannēs Komnēnos Axouchos) was Emperor of Trebizond from 1235 to 1238. One editor reads the text of the chronicle of

Michael Panaretos Michael Panaretos ( el, ) (c. 1320 – c. 1390) was an official of the Trapezuntine empire and a Greek historian. His sole surviving work is a chronicle of the Trapezuntine empire of Alexios I Komnenos and his successors. This chronicle not only pr ...

as stating that John ruled six years; although William Miller follows Fallmerayer in assuming this was a mistake for three years, another possible solution is that John was co-ruler with his predecessor Andronikos I Gidos for three years then ruled alone for three more.

Background

He was the eldest son of

Alexios I of Trebizond Alexios I Megas Komnenos ( el, Αλέξιος Κομνηνός; c. 1182 – 1 February 1222) or Alexius I Megas Comnenus was, with his brother David, the founder of the Empire of Trebizond and its ruler from 1204 until his death in 1222. The two ...

and a woman the primary sources do not identify; some writers have named her

Theodora Axuchina Alexios I Megas Komnenos ( el, Αλέξιος Κομνηνός; c. 1182 – 1 February 1222) or Alexius I Megas Comnenus was, with his brother David, the founder of the Empire of Trebizond and its ruler from 1204 until his death in 1222. The two ...

. Miller suggests that he was perhaps a minor at the time of his father's death in 1222, for his father was succeeded by the throne passed to Alexis' son-in-law, Andronikos I Gidos. During the

Siege of Sinope The siege of Sinope in 1214 was a successful siege and capture of Sinope by the Sultanate of Rum under their Sultan, Kaykaus I (r. 1211–1220). Sinope was an important port city on the Black Sea coast of modern Turkey, at the time held by the ...

, one of the sources states that Alexios has "grown sons in Trebizond who are capable of governing", so it is clear John was born before 1214.

Reign and death

Little is recorded of John's reign, except that John died while playing tzykanion, a variant of polo fashionable among the Byzantine nobility, when he fell from his horse and was trampled to death. His heir apparent was one Ioannikios, who was confined to a monastery and John's second brother

Manuel I Manuel I may refer to: *Manuel I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (1143–1180) *Manuel I of Trebizond, Emperor of Trebizond (1228–1263) *Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was ...

ascended the throne. Since Fallmerayer, most historians have assume that Ioannikios was John Axouchos' son, but Panaretos' ''Chronicle'' does not state how Ioannikios was related to John Axouchos.

Rustam Shukurov use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = Kabulistan , death_cause = With the conspiracy of his half-brother Shaghad, he fell into a wel ...

has argued that Ioannikios was the brother of both John and Manuel. Whether John I issued the silver coins, or

aspers Aspers is a census-designated place in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 486. At the 2000 census it was listed as the Bendersville Station-Aspers CDP. Geography Aspers is located at (39.97 ...

, is disputed since some recent authorities believe the coins attributed to him better fit with the aspers struck during John II Megas Komnenos on numismatic grounds.A.A. Gordus and D.M. Metcalf, "Non-destructive Chemical Analysis of the Byzantine Silver Coinage of Trebizond", ''Archeion Pontou'', 33 (1975-1976), p. 29

References

External links

Vougiouklaki Penelope, "John I Grand Komnenos"
''Encyclopedia of the Hellenic World: Asia Minor'' {{DEFAULTSORT:John 01 Of Trebizond 13th-century emperors of Trebizond Grand Komnenos dynasty Deaths by horse-riding accident Year of birth missing 1238 deaths Eastern Orthodox monarchs Axouch family