Maximus IV of Constantinople

Maximus IV
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Church	Church of Constantinople
Appointed	early 1491
Term ended	early 1497
Predecessor	Dionysius I
Successor	Nephon II
Previous post(s)	Metropolitan of Serres

Maximus IV (Greek: Μάξιμος), previously known as Manasses (Μανασσῆς), was an Orthodox Christian monk and bishop. He was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1491 to 1497.

Life

He was abbot of the Vatopedi monastery on Mount Athos before being appointed by Patriarch Symeon I of Constantinople as Metropolitan bishop of Serres, which he governed under the religious name of Manasses.

In the first months of 1491, he was elected Patriarch of Constantinople with the support of the monks of Mount Athos.^[1]^: 198 On his election, he changed his name to Maximus, an unparalleled case in the history of the Ecumenical Patriarchate^[2] because usually a monastic name is maintained throughout an ecclesiastic career. As Patriarch, he defended the rights of Orthodox Christians living in territories under the Venetian Republic.^[3]

During his reign arose some pieces of gossip about him, not specified by the sources, which led to his deposition in early 1497.^[4]

After his resignation, he remained actively involved with ecclesiastic issues, even plotting against his successor Nephon II, until he was forced to retire in the Vatopedi monastery, where he died at an unknown date.^[5]

Notes

^ Runciman, Steven (1985). The Great Church in captivity. Cambridge University Press. pp. 198. ISBN 978-0-521-31310-0.
^ Kiminas, Demetrius (2009). The Ecumenical Patriarchate. Wildside Press LLC. p. 37,46. ISBN 978-1-4344-5876-6.
^ Haldon, John (2008). The Oxford Handbook of Byzantine Studies. Oxford Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-19-925246-6.
^ B.G.Niebuhr, I.Bekker, ed. (1849) [1584]. "Historia Politica et Patriarchica Constantinopoleos". Corpus scriptorum historiae byzantinae, Volume 49. Bonn. pp. 133–4.(in Latin)
^ "Maximos IV". Ecumenical Patriarchate. Retrieved 15 August 2011.

External links

Historia politica et patriarchica Constantinopoleos, Cap XII: P. Maximus, (trans. Martin Crusius, 1584) Primary source. (in Greek and Latin)

v t e Bishops of Byzantium and Patriarchs of Constantinople
Bishops of Byzantium (Roman period, 38–330 AD)	Andrew Stachys Onesimus Polycarpus I Plutarch Sedecion Diogenes Eleutherius Felix Polycarpus II Athenodorus Euzois Laurence Alypius Pertinax Olympianus Marcus I Philadelphus Cyriacus I Castinus Eugenius I Titus Dometius Rufinus Probus Metrophanes Alexander
Archbishops of Constantinople (Roman period, 330–451 AD)	Alexander Paul I Eusebius Macedonius I Eudoxius Evagrius Demophilus Maximus I Gregory I Nectarius John I Chrysostom Arsacius Atticus Sisinnius I Nestorius Maximianus Proclus Flavian Anatolius
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Byzantine period, 451–1453 AD)	Anatolius Gennadius I Acacius Fravitta Euphemius Macedonius II Timothy I John II Epiphanius Anthimus I Menas Eutychius John III John IV Cyriacus II Thomas I Sergius I Pyrrhus Paul II Peter Thomas II John V Constantine I Theodore I George I Paul III Callinicus I Cyrus John VI Germanus I Anastasius Constantine II Nicetas I Paul IV Tarasius Nicephorus I Theodotus I Antony I John VII Methodius I Ignatios Photios I Stephen I Antony II Nicholas I Εuthymius I Stephen II Tryphon Theophylact Polyeuctus Βasil I Αntony III Nicholas II Sisinnius II Sergius II Eustathius Alexius Michael I Constantine III John VIII Cosmas I Eustratius Nicholas III John IX Leo Michael II Cosmas II Nicholas IV Theodotus II Neophytus I Constantine IV Luke Michael III Chariton Theodosius I Basil II Nicetas II Leontius Dositheus George II John X Michael IV^† Theodore II^† Maximus II^† Μanuel I^† Germanus II^† Methodius II^† Manuel II^† Arsenius^† Nicephorus II^† Germanus III Joseph I John XI Gregory II Athanasius I John XII Nephon I John XIII Gerasimus I Isaias John XIV Isidore I Callistus I Philotheus Macarius Nilus Antony IV Callistus II Matthew I Euthymius II Joseph II Metrophanes II Gregory III Athanasius II
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Ottoman period, 1453–1923 AD)	Gennadius II Isidore II Joasaph I Sophronius I Mark II Symeon I Dionysius I Raphael I Maximus III Nephon II Maximus IV Joachim I Pachomius I Theoleptus I Jeremias I Joannicius I Dionysius II Joasaph II Metrophanes III Jeremias II Pachomius II Theoleptus II Matthew II Gabriel I Theophanes I Meletius I Neophytus II Raphael II Cyril I Timothy II Gregory IV Anthimus II Cyril II Athanasius III Neophytus III Parthenius I Parthenius II Joannicius II Cyril III Paisius I Parthenius III Gabriel II Parthenius IV Dionysius III Clement Methodius III Dionysius IV Gerasimus II Athanasius IV James Callinicus II Neophytus IV Gabriel III Neophytus V Cyprianus Athanasius V Cyril IV Cosmas III Jeremias III (Callinicus III) Paisius II Seraphim I Neophytus VI Cyril V Callinicus IV (III) Seraphim II Joannicius III Samuel Meletius II Theodosius II Sophronius II Gabriel IV Procopius Neophytus VII Gerasimus III Gregory V Callinicus V (IV) Jeremias IV Cyril VI Eugenius II Anthimus III Chrysanthus Agathangelus Constantius I Constantius II Gregory VI Anthimus IV Anthimus V Germanus IV Meletius III Anthimus VI Cyril VII Joachim II Sophronius III Joachim III Joachim IV Dionysius V Neophytus VIII Anthimus VII Constantine V Germanus V Meletius IV
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Turkish period, since 1923 AD)	Gregory VII Constantine VI Basil III Photius II Benjamin Maximus V Athenagoras Demetrius Bartholomew
^† in exile at Nicaea Christianity portal