Empire of Trebizond
The Empire of Trebizond ( medium Greek Βασίλειον τής Τραπεζούντας Basileion Tēs Trapezuntas modern Turkish Trabzon Rum imparatorlugu ) was one of the successor states of the Byzantine Empire and extended times on the historic landscapes Paphlagonia , Pontus and Colchis . The empire existed from 1204 to 1461.
history
The empire lay in the east of the south bank of the Black Sea and was founded in 1204 by the Byzantine ruling dynasty of the Comnenes , who had fled the capital before the conquest of Constantinople by the knights of the Fourth Crusade , but a separate empire around Amastris (Anatolian northwest coast until 1204 to the Black Sea). With Georgian support, the Komneni were able to conquer and hold a stretch of coast that was of strategic and political importance because important trade routes ran here. The territory essentially corresponded to the former theme of Chaldia . Like the rum - Seljuks , the Komnenen 1243 had after the Battle of Köse Dağ the Mongolian Ilchanen as vassals subject. Until 1282 they held against the Laskaris and Palaiologoi claim to the title of Emperor of the Romäer upright.
The empire and its capital, which is now called Trabzon , experienced an economic and cultural boom during the 13th and early 14th centuries, as can be seen from buildings such as the church of Hagia Sophia to this day.
After the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453, Trebizond became the last refuge of Byzantine culture in Asia Minor , but could only hold its own for a few years. After the last emperor David Komnenos tried in vain to forge an alliance against the Ottomans with the empire of the Turkmen Aq Qoyunlu , other local Beyliks , the Georgians and Western European powers, it finally became part of the Ottoman Empire under Mehmed II in 1461 .
The history of the empire was first researched by Jakob Philipp Fallmerayer in his History of the Trapezunt Empire (Munich, 1827–1848). Particularly revealing for the history of the empire of Trebizond is its coinage, which on the one hand is based on Byzantine models, on the other hand is based on Seljuk guidelines.
List of the emperors of Trebizond
| portrait | Surname | Full name | Reign | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Komnenen | ||||
| Alexios I. | Alexios Megas Komnēnos | 1204-1222 | against Constantine and Theodor Laskaris (both Nikaia), Caesar 1183/85, until 1212/1214 with David ( Caesar 1184/85, 1204 / 05–1207 in Paphlagonia) | |
| Theodoros Gabras | Theodōros Gabras | 1204–1208? | Usurper (?) In Pontus | |
| Andronikos I. | Andronikos Komnēnos Gidos | 1222-1235 | ||
| John I. | Iōannēs Axouchos Megas Komnēnos | 1235-1238 | with Johannikios (Emperor 1238?) | |
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|
Manuel I. | Manouēl Megas Komnēnos | 1238-1263 | against Johannikios (?); recognized Kai Khosrow II. and Hülegü as Suzeräne to |
| Andronikos II. | Andronikos Megas Komnēnos | 1263-1266 | Despot since 1240? | |
| George | Geōrgios Komnēnos | 1266-1280 | against Andronikos II .; Counter-Emperor 1284 | |
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John II | Iōannēs Megas Komnēnos | 1280-1297 | against Georg, nominally despot from 1282, deposed from 1284–1285; recognized Michael VIII. as a Byzantine emperor on |
| Theodora | Theodōra Megalē Komnēnē | 1284-1285 | by David VI. Narin | |
| Alexios II | Alexios Palaiologos Megas Komnēnos | 1297-1330 | until 1300 next to Andronikos II (Byzantium) | |
| Andronikos III. | Andronikos Megas Komnēnos | 1330-1332 | ||
| Manuel II | Manouēl Megas Komnēnos | 1332 | ||
|
Basil | Basil Megas Komnēnos | 1332-1340 | against Manuel II. |
| Irene | Eirēnē Palaiologina | 1340-1341 | ||
| Anna | Anna Megalē Komnēnē Anachoutlou | 1341-1342 | against Irene, deposed in 1341 | |
| John III | Iōannēs Megas Komnēnos | 1342-1344 | by Niketas Scholarios , against Anna | |
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Michael | Michaēl Megas Komnēnos | 1344-1349 | Counter-emperor 1341; Regent: Niketas Scholarios (until 1345, usurper 1355) |
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Alexios III | Alexios (Iōannēs) Megas Komnēnos | 1349-1390 | against Michael, crowned in 1350; Despots: Andronikos (1355–1376), Basileios (after 1358 – before 1377) |
| Michael | Michael Palaiologos | 1373 | Despot since? 1351 (by John V ) | |
| Manuel III | Manouēl Achpougas Megas Komnēnos | 1390-1417 | Despot since 1376; recognized Timur as suzerain | |
| Alexios IV | Alexios Megas Komnēnos | 1417-1429 | Despot since 1395, from 1426 with Alexander (Despot since 1418, co-regent Johannes IV. 1453-1459 / 60?) | |
| John IV | Iōannēs Megas Komnēnos | 1429-1460 | Despot 1417-1426; Despot: Alexios (from 1454/55) | |
| David | David Megas Komnēnos | 1460-1461 | Despot since 1429; Ottoman successor: Sultan Mehmed II. | |
Explanations: see list of Byzantine emperors .
literature
- Anthony Bryer : The Empire of Trebizond and the Pontos . London 1980
- Anthony Bryer, Richard Winfield: The Byzantine Monuments and Topography of the Pontos . Dumbarton Oaks, Washington DC 1985.
- Jakob Philipp Fallmerayer : History of the Trapezunt Empire . Munich, 1827–1848
- Sergej Pavlovich Karpov: The Empire of Trebizond. In: Lexikon des Mittelalters , Vol. 8, Sp. 958f. (Overview, sources and literature).
- Otto Retowski : The coins of the Komnenen of Trebizond. Synodal-Buchdruck, Moscow 1910, and Klinkhardt & Biermann, Braunschweig 1974, 1977 (reprint)
- Andreas Urs Sommer: The Empire of Trebizond and its coins (1204–1461) . In: Money Trend. International coin magazine. No. 10 (1989), p. 12ff. ISSN 1420-4576
