Tetragamy dispute

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As a tetragamy dispute, a dispute between Emperor Leo VI. of Byzantium (886–912), the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Nicholas (893–907 / 912–925) and Pope Sergius III. (904-911). The literal meaning of Tetragamie is four marriage (from the Greek τετρα- , tetra = "four" and γάμος , gamos = " marriage ").

The dispute

The dispute was sparked by Emperor Leo's desire to enter into a fourth marriage. The question of whether the Byzantine emperor was allowed to marry for the fourth time arose from the fact that his first three wives had died without giving birth to an heir to the throne . Already at the third marriage the dispute with the patriarch Nicholas I began, who had forbidden the third marriage. Leo ignored this ban and married his adviser's daughter. After the death of his third wife in 901 Leo intended to enter into a fourth marriage with his lover Zoe Karbonopsina , who had given birth to him a son in 905 - who later became Constantine VII  . The emperor received from Pope Sergius III. approval, since he recognized no canonical concerns, but Leo received the condition not to legitimize his fourth wife as empress.

As a result of the dispute, Nicholas I was deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by the Emperor in 907 and replaced by the Patriarch Euthymius I Synkellos (907-912). Emperor Alexander , who succeeded his brother, who died in 912, reinstated Nicholas in 912. The patriarch then turned to Pope Anastasius III. , reported on the state of the dispute and complained about the attitude and measures taken by Pope Sergius, an accompanying letter from the Emperor has been lost. The Patriarch turned to Pope John X (914–928) repeatedly. He asked the Pope to send legates to Byzantium so that the tetragamy dispute could be settled. After a synod in Constantinople on July 9, 920 had resolved the dispute in the spirit of Nikolaos, the patriarch again turned to the Pope to report the result and to request his approval. In the autumn of the year the Patriarch sends the Presbyter Eulogios to the Pope, who in addition to a letter from the Patriarch also receives letters from Pope Sergius III. to prove the Byzantine criticism of the papal stance on tetragamy, at the same time Constantine VII turned to John X. At the beginning of 921, two more presbyters set off for Rome on behalf of the patriarch, the political situation in Byzantine Apulia however, prevent them from continuing their planned journey. Only after another letter from the Patriarch from the end of 922 did a papal embassy arrive in Constantinople at the beginning of 923.

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Remarks

  1. ↑ Harald Zimmermann : Papstregesten 911-1024 , In: Regesta Imperii , Vol. 2.5 (1998), p. 4 No. 8 ( digitized version )
  2. ↑ Harald Zimmermann: Papstregesten 911-1024 , In: Regesta Imperii , Vol. 2.5 (1998), p. 5 No. 9 ( digitized version )
  3. ^ RI II, 5 n.42, in: Regesta Imperii Online URI (accessed December 12, 2013).
  4. ^ RI II, 5 n. 50, in: Regesta Imperii Online: URI (accessed December 12, 2013).
  5. ^ RI II, 5 n.51, in: Regesta Imperii Online: URI (accessed December 12, 2013)
  6. ^ RI II, 5 n. 52, in: Regesta Imperii Online: URI (accessed December 12, 2013)
  7. ^ RI II, 5 n. 58, in: Regesta Imperii Online: URI (accessed December 12, 2013)
  8. ^ RI II, 5 n.63, in: Regesta Imperii Online: URI (accessed December 12, 2013)