A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

580 JOANNES. JOANNES.
stantinople. In reward for his services, he was January, 1347, he took the capital with scarcely"
appointed magnus domesticus. Aetolia and Lesbos, any resistance, the gates having been opened by
both in the hands of usurpers, were re-united Facciolati, an Italian captain, who was the secret adby him to the empire; and his influence was so herent of Cantacuzenus; and Apocauchus was slain
great, that he, rather than Andronicus, was the in the tumult. Being now sole master, Cantacureal sovereign of the Greeks, His administration zenus consented to acknowledge John Palaeologus
was wise: he enforced the laws with firmness, as co-emperor, on condition that until the majority
but also with forbearance; and at a time when of the young prince, who was then fifteen years,every public functionary was a robber of the people, and would be of age at twenty-five, according
he alone escaped the charge of peculation and fiscal to the Greek law, he should be the sole ruler;
oppression. The emperor bestowed upon him un- and as a guarantee for the future harmony be-)
bounded confidence, and was so fondly attached to tween the two princes, he married his daughter
him, that he proposed to share the throne with him. Helena to his youthful colleague. In the same'
This Cantacuzenus refused, from motives both of year Cantacuzenus was crowned a second time
modesty and prudence. Andronicus, on his death- in the capital, by Isidorus, patriarch of Constanbed (A. D. 1341), appointed him guardian of his tinople.
infant son, John, in whose name he was to govern The reign of John Cantacuzenus was not blessed
the empire. with peace. In the year of his accession, the
No sooner had Cantacuzenus begun to exercise plague made great havoc among the inhabitants of
his eminent functions, than he was checked by two the capital and other towns. The Genoese of Pera,
ambitious intriguers, the admiral Apocauchus and who enjoyed great privileges, despised the imperial
the patriarch of Constantinople, John of Apri, who authority, took up arms, and laid them down only
aspired to the regency, and for that purpose per- after having obtained still greater privileges; and
suaded the widow of the late emperor, Anna, during the same time Duscham, the kral of Servia,
princess of Savoy, to claim the guardianship of her made an inroad into Thrace, but was fortunately
son, although it was lawfully vested in Cantacu- compelled, by severe defeats, to sue for peace.
zenus. The conspirators found many adherents; The emperor's relations with the Turks were amicand from a system of calumny and petty annoy- able for several years. In his history (iv. 16) Can-:
ance, proceeded to bold attacks. During a temporary tacuzenus alludes to a project formed by Merjan,
absence from the capital, Cantacuzenus was suddenly an eunuch in the service of sultan Urkhan, to
charged with high treason; and his enemies being poison his young colleague; but it would seem as if
his judges also, he was found guilty, sentenced to the story had been invented by himself, for the
death, and deprived of his estates and emoluments. purpose of frightening young Palaeologus, and thus
Under such circumstances he had no alternative bringing him under a still closer watch. His friendbut rebellion or death: yet he hesitated till his ship with UJrkhan was, however, not very sincere,
friends showed him that even by submission and for he sent ambassadors to pope Clement VI. proimploring-the clemency of his adversaries, he could rmising to bring the Greek church under the papal
not save his life. Accordingly Cantacuzenus took authority if the holy father would preach a crusade
up arms, not against the infant emperor, but against against the Turks; but Clement declined the prohis powerful councillors, and assumed the title of position, knowing that the Greeks and Latins
emperor. On the 21st of March, 1.342, he was would agree upon religion only so long as the
crowned with great solemnity, together with his crusaders did upon a common plan of attack, and
wife, Irene, at Adrianople, by Lazarus, patriarch an equal mode of division in case of success.
of Jerusalem. His adherents not being numerous, Meanwhile, dissensions arose between Cantacuhe sought-assistance at the court of Stephen Dus- zenus and Palaeologus, who grew tired of his
chain, kral or king of Servia; and'having reason to inactivity, and listened to the advice of the former
suspect the faith of this prince, he reluctantly con — party of Apocauchus, although he was kindly
cluded an alliance with Umur Bey, the Turkish treated and allowed full domestic freedom by his
prince of Aidin (Lydia, Maeonia and Caria). father-in-law, which, it would seem, was quite
During the transactions which led to this alliance enough for so young a man. Suspecting some
Cantacuzenus was *at the Servian court, and his treachery, Cantacuzenus sent him to reside at
wife was at Didymoticum. Umur Bey sailed over Thessalonica, and employed Anne of Savoy, though
to Greece with a fleet of 380 vessels,.and an army in vain, as mediator between her son and him: the
of 28,000 men; and after having left a strong gar- young prince emancipated himself from the surveilrisonat Didymoticum, marched upon Servia. An lance of the officers charged with guiding and
early and very severe winter compelled him to re- watching him, and in 1353 raised the standard of
turn to Asia without having had an interview with rebellion. Defeated in a pitched battle by the
Cantacuzenus; but the two princes met in the fol- united forces of Cantacuzenus and Urkhan, Palaeolowing year, 1343, at Clopa, near Thessalonica, and logus took refuge with the Latins in Tenedos; and
in their operations against Apocauchus and his in order to exclude him for ever from the throne,
party, Greece and'Thrace were dreadfully ravaged. the emperor proclaimed his son, Matthaeus, coBribed by Apocauchus, Umur Bey ceased assisting emperor, and his future successor. However well
Cantacuzenus, who, however, found a more powerful calculated this step might have been had the emally in the person of Urkhan, sultan of the Turks peror enjoyed universal popularity, it proved
Osmanlis, to whom he gave his daughter in mar- disastrous under contrary circumstances, as the
riage. During five years Greece was desolated by Greeks felt much more sympathy with the house
a civil war. In 1346, however, Cantacuzenus be- of the Palaeologi than with the Cantacuzeni, and
came the more powerful; and having made a sort the emperor soon learned that the people's attachof reconciliation with the dowager empress, Anna, ment to a distinguished person is often much less
he advanced upon Constantinople, after re-enforcing strong than their love of a distinguished family.
his army by a body of Latin mercenaries. In Numerous bands organised themselves for the sup