Antony Joasaph I Kokkas ( el, ), (? – after 1463) was
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...
in the 1460s. The exact dates of his reign are disputed by scholars at various times ranging from 1462 to 1465.
Life
Antony Kokkas was born probably to Western parents and he became a monk. According to Laurent and Kiminas he was elected as Patriarch with the name of Joasaph on 1 April 1462, in a rush the day after the death of Patriarch
Isidore II. During his patriarchate he had to face troubles caused by clashes with monks and intrigues of the Greek nobility.
The intrigue that led to the tragic end of Joasaph's patriarchate involved the scholar and politician
George Amiroutzes
George Amiroutzes (; 1400–1470) was a Pontic Greek Renaissance scholar, philosopher and civil servant of the late Byzantine era. He was praised and respected for his outstanding knowledge, not only of theology and philosophy, but also of the nat ...
, renowned for having persuaded Emperor
David of Trebizond
David Megas Komnenos ( gr, Δαυίδ Μέγας Κομνηνός, David Megas Komnēnos; – 1 November 1463) was the last Emperor of Trebizond from 1460 to 1461. He was the third son of Emperor Alexios IV of Trebizond and Theodora Kantakouzen ...
to surrender to the
Ottomans, and who, along with all the nobility of the former
Empire of Trebizond, had moved to
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
. George Amiroutzes had become an intimate of
Sultan Mehmed II
Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...
and wanted to marry the beautiful ''Mouchliotissa'', widow of last
Duke of Athens
The Duchy of Athens ( Greek: Δουκᾶτον Ἀθηνῶν, ''Doukaton Athinon''; Catalan: ''Ducat d'Atenes'') was one of the Crusader states set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade as part of ...
Franco Acciaioli, notwithstanding that he was already married and his wife was still alive. Patriarch Joasaph refused to grant his permission because it was a case of
bigamy
In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. I ...
under
canon law
Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...
. George Amiroutzes pressed forward and turned to his cousin, the
Grand Vizier Mahmud Pasha Angelović
Mahmud Pasha Angelović ( sr, Махмуд-паша Анђеловић/Mahmud-paša Anđelović; tr, Veli Mahmud Paşa; 1420–1474) was the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1456 to 1466 and again from 1472 to 1474, who also wrote Persia ...
, who tried to influence the
Holy Synod
In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox C ...
to depose Joasaph. Some scholars propose different details for these events.
Irritated by the refusal of Joasaph to allow the new marriage of Amiroutzes, Sultan Mehmed II ordered the Patriarch's humiliation by cutting his beard, and punished also the ''Megas Ekklesiarches'' (i.e. Head
Sacristan) Manuel, the future Patriarch
Maximus III, by cutting his nose. These events led Joasaph to a state of depression which culminated in his attempted suicide: the day of Easter 1463 (10 April) he deliberately threw himself in the
cistern
A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...
beneath the
Pammakaristos Church
The Pammakaristos Church, also known as the Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos ( el, , "All-Blessed Mother of God"), is one of the most famous Byzantine churches in Istanbul, Turkey, and was the last pre- Ottoman building to house the Ecumenical ...
.
Joasaph was rescued, deposed and exiled to
Anchialos, opening the way for George Amiroutzes to marry his new wife.
Disputed chronology
The chronology of the reign of Joasaph I Kokkas is disputed among scholars. Recent scholarship, such as Kiminas (2009), Podskalsky (1988), Laurent (1968) and Runciman (1985) place the reign of Joasaph I Kokkas after
Isidore II and before
Sophronius I, dating it between April 1462 and Easter 1463.
Other scholars, following Bishop Gemanos of Sardeis (1933–8) and Grumel (1958), as well as the official website of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, propose that Joasaph I reigned after Sophronius I and before
Mark II
Mark II or Mark 2 often refers to the second version of a product, frequently military hardware. "Mark", meaning "model" or "variant", can be abbreviated "Mk."
Mark II or Mark 2 may refer to:
Military and weaponry
* 16"/50 caliber Mark 2 gun ...
, suggesting that his reign begun in early 1465 (or July 1465) and ended in first months of 1466. Blanchet (2001) places the beginning of the reign of Joasaph in summer 1464 directly after Sophronius.
Furthermore, there is no consensus among scholars on the length and chronology of the second and third terms of
Gennadius Scholarius which supposedly alternated the patriarchates of Joasaph and Sophronius. For a comparison of the main scholar suggestions, see the
List of Patriarchs of Constantinople
This is a list of the Patriarchs of Constantinople.
Bishops of Byzantium (until 330)
*1. St. Andrew the Apostle (38), founder
*2. St. Stachys the Apostle (38–54)
*3. St. Onesimus (54–68)
*4. Polycarpus I (69–89)
*5. Plutarch (89–10 ...
.
Notes
Sources
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*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joasaph 01 Of Constantinople, Patriarch
15th-century patriarchs of Constantinople
15th-century Byzantine people