Theodore Skoutariotes ( el, Θεόδωρος Σκουταριώτης; born ) was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

cleric and official during the reign of

Michael VIII Palaiologos Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( el, Μιχαὴλ Δούκας Ἄγγελος Κομνηνὸς Παλαιολόγος, Mikhaēl Doukas Angelos Komnēnos Palaiologos; 1224 – 11 December 1282) reigned as the co-emperor of the Empire ...

(). Skoutariotes was born about 1230. As a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

, he served as '' epi ton deeseon'' (receiver of petitions) and was named as ''

dikaiophylax The ''dikaiophylax'' ( el, δικαιοφύλαξ, "guardian of the laws") was a Byzantine judicial office of the 11th–15th centuries. The title is first attested in the middle of the 11th century, both in Constantinople and the provinces. Its ho ...

'' in 1270. He served as Michael VIII's ambassador to the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

in 1277, and was metropolitan bishop of Kyzikos from 1277 until he was deposed in 1282. The German historian A. Heisenberg identified Skoutariotes with the anonymous author of a

chronicle A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and ...

preserved in the Marcian Library in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

(''Marc. gr.'' 407), which begins with the

Creation Creation may refer to: Religion *''Creatio ex nihilo'', the concept that matter was created by God out of nothing *Creation myth, a religious story of the origin of the world and how people first came to inhabit it *Creationism, the belief that ...

and reaches to 1261. The chronicle is particularly valuable for its additions to the narrative of

George Akropolites George Akropolites ( Latinized as Acropolites or Acropolita; el, , ''Georgios Akropolites''; 1217 or 1220 – 1282) was a Byzantine Greek historian and statesman born at Constantinople. Life In his sixteenth year he was sent by his father, th ...

, which are of great importance for the history of 13th-century Byzantium.

Sources

* 13th-century births 13th-century Byzantine bishops Byzantine officials 13th-century Byzantine historians Ambassadors of the Byzantine Empire to the Holy See Bishops of Cyzicus Date of death unknown 13th-century diplomats 13th-century Byzantine writers {{EasternOrthodox-bishop-stub