[15], John's hostile attitude towards Genoa was explained by one contemporary, the Spanish traveller Pero Tafur, as a fear of a potential Byzantine-Genoese alliance that could place his brother Alexander on the throne of Trebizond. [7] According to the Europäische Stammtafeln, his second wife was the daughter of Dawlat Berdi Khan of the Golden Horde, although no basis for this identification is given. This incident is notable for the anecdote it relates about John, who gleefully related to Sphrantzes the news of the death of Sultan Murad II, and that Mehmed II's youth meant that now his empire could last longer and be blessed. John had been designated despotes, or heir apparent, by his father as early as 1417, but had come into conflict with his parents. He was the youngest son of Emperor Manuel I and his third wife, Irene Syrikaina, a Trapezuntine noblewoman. Once these two sources are accepted as plausible, then there is no longer any basis to reject the evidence of the lost inscription Fallmerayer reported seeing on the Kule boylu. The first was from his half-brother George, who returned to Trebizond and made an unsuccessful attempt to seize the throne. The penultimate Trapezuntine ruler, John IV, recognized the threat of the Ottomans. John IV of Trebizond. Further diplomatic initiatives by Genoa failed in 1443, and in 1447 the Genoese of Caffa advanced on Trebizond with their fleet, threatening to set up an embargo. The two armies met at Kapanion. Reverse: John seated on horse walking right. John IV Megas Komnenos (Greek: Ιωάννης Δ΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός, Iōannēs IV Megas Komnēnos), (c. 1403 – 1459) was Emperor of Trebizond from 1429 to 1459.He was a son of Emperor Alexios IV of Trebizond and Theodora Kantakouzene. John apparently failed to cooperate, and in 1456 the Sultan dispatched his governor of Amasya Hizir Bey to attack Trebizond by both land and sea. He is commonly said to have as many as three children—a son and either one or two daughters. [2] As a result, his brother Alexander was designated despotes in his place. [12], Aware of the Ottoman advance against the remaining Byzantine possessions in the Morea, John IV attempted to bolster his position by resorting to an old family tradition; the same year David delivered the tribute to Mehmed, John married his daughter Theodora to Uzun Hasan of the Ak Koyunlu. Ganchou explains the discrepancies in the rest of the evidence facilely. Written in Caffa and dated 19 April 1460, this memorandum includes a postscript dated 5 May 1460, that states that John has died and was succeeded by his brother the despotes. [10], His conversation with Sphrantzes should have warned John IV the new peril which had come forth. Cf. He was a son of Emperor Alexios IV of Trebizond and Theodora Kantakouzene. This page was last edited on 11 February 2020, at 13:57. Sphranzes, ch. John was recognized as emperor in Trebizond some time before 28 October 1429, the date of the first document that mentions him on the throne. A Genoese document dated November 8, 1427 orders the consul at Caffa in the Crimea to keep on good terms with the Emperor of Trebizond for news of John arriving at Caffa had reached Genoa. They learned they had misunderstood John's wishes: he had the eyes of one man put out and the hand of the other cut off.[6]. Celebrity Births Deaths and Ages. [13] He also pursued Western support through effecting a union with the Roman Catholic Church. Because this document shows that this news reached Caffa between 19 April and 5 May, and that Trebizond was not more than a two weeks' journey from Caffa, this strongly suggests John died in April 1460. KurÅ¡anskis has argued that Alexios was correctly the son of John's brother Alexander. Although John owed his throne to a Genoese crew, he repeatedly failed to reimburse the Genoese for debts owed to them in 1431, and in 1441 refused to provide reparations for a Genoese ship ordered seized and looted six years earlier. 259–283. Sphrantzes, however, was taken aback and explained to him that Mehmed's youth and seeming friendship were only ploys, and that under John's brother-in-law John VIII the empire had been deeply in debt, but now his new emperor was trying to change that. [7] It may be both versions contain part of the truth: although John ascended to the throne on the murder of his father, it may be the Turkish Sultan provided John with financial or military support to return to Trebizond. Ióannész trapezunti császár; itwiki Giovanni IV di Trebisonda; jawiki ヨハネス4世 (トレビゾンド皇帝) kawiki იოანე IV (ტრაპიზონი) It will enhance any encyclopedic page you visit with the magic of the WIKI 2 technology. [1] According to Trebizond: The Last Greek Empire of the Byzantine Era (1926) by William Miller, earlier in that same year John had murdered a courtier who allegedly served as the lover of his mother. John IV Megas Komnenos (Greek: Ιωάννης Δ΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός, Iōannēs IV Megas Komnēnos) (c. 1403 – c.1459 ) was Emperor of Trebizond from 1429 until his death. John sent his brother David to ratify the treaty before Mehmed II himself, which he did in 1458, but the tribute was raised to 3,000 gold pieces. Death . In about 1426, Bagrationi married John IV of Trebizond. John IV went on to marry an unnamed Turkish lady. VF. [23] The two doubtful children are: Congratulations on this excellent venture… what a great idea! This may have been settled with the discovery of a memorandum in the Genoese archives. After the Fall of Constantinople to Mehmed II in 1453, Trebizond and the Morea were left as the last remnants of the Byzantine imperial tradition. [4], Landing at Saint Phokas (the modern Kordyle), John and his supporters made their base in the monastery. John II of Trebizond (1262-16 August 1297) was Emperor of Trebizond from 1280 to 1284 (succeeding George and preceding Theodora) and from 1285 to 1297 (succeeding Theodora and preceding Alexios II).. In 1442 the Ottoman Sultan Murad II sent out a fleet to plunder the shores and to attempt to capture the city. [2] As a result, his brother Alexander was designated despotes in his place. The Metropolitan of Trebizond joined the Byzantine clergy at the Council of Basel-Ferrara-Florence (1438-1439). Once these two sources are accepted as plausible, then there is no longer any basis to reject the evidence of the lost inscription Fallmerayer reported seeing on the Kule boylu. This expedition did not seriously affect Trebizond itself, but attacked Trebizond's dependencies in the Crimea and was partly destroyed by a storm on its return journey. en For this purpose, he marched to Trebizond during Emperor John II Comnenus’ absence at Constantinople in April 1282; and although he failed to take the city, the Georgians occupied several provinces and helped John’s half-sister Theodora, daughter of Manuel I of Trebizond by his Georgian wife, Rusudan, seize the throne in 1285, only to be put suddenly to flight. [18] Beginning with Jakob Philipp Fallmerayer, modern scholars have inferred it from two records: one was a letter from John's successor and brother, David of Trebizond, dated 22 April 1459, but because it was associated with the dubious embassy led by Ludovico da Bologna, and internal inconsistencies, this letter has been considered at the least a partial forgery; the other record was a damaged inscription Fallmerayer reported to have seen in the citadel Kule boylu ("high tower"), which was made by John and dated to the year 6968 (= A.D. 1 September 1459 – 31 August 1460); however this inscription was never seen by any other historian, despite determined efforts, and the citadel itself has since been destroyed. Never fully settled and seriously injured commerce in the Black Sea 4 ], Landing at Saint Phokas ( modern. To 1238, and made it back to Trebizond, 0.64 g, 5h ) of. The two doubtful children are: Congratulations on this excellent venture… what a great idea the shores and to to. 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