Античная древность и средние века (Dec 2023)
Byzantine Riddle of the Council of Constance: The Problem of the Motives of Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos
Abstract
This article discusses the aims and means of the Byzantine diplomacy at the initial stage of the Council of Constance. Shortly before the opening of the Council, the Roman King Sigismund of Luxembourg and Venice concluded a truce, but the hidden struggle between them continued. At the Council Sigismund had for an object to create the anti-Turkish coalition for organising the Crusade which would be the means of peace enforcement of Venice on his terms. Analyzing the motives of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos, the author of this article denies his intention to achieve the alliance with the West against the Turks at the Council. The concept of the study is based on the assertion that Byzantium sought to occupy the central place in the interests of three key players (King Sigismund, Venice and the Turkish Sultan Mehmed I). The solution of the problem allowed the Byzantine emperor to bring all these forces into the state of equilibrium controlled by him. The author of the article reveals two main tools Byzantine diplomacy used to achieve its object. On the one hand, the Greeks deliberately provoked rumours in the West that the emperor had sympathies for the Church Union and alliance with the Roman king. On the other hand, they demonstrated the theoretical possibility of the alliance with the Ottoman Prince Mustafa. This way, the Byzantines simultaneously exerted the necessary influence on both Venice and the sultan. In result, they tied interests of all key players in the international arena to their ruler. From this point of view, the paper has revealed the reasons for the stay of Byzantine diplomat Manuel Chrysoloras at the Council of Constance. The massacre of Jan Hus is seen as an attempt by opponents of Sigismund, behind whom Venice stood, to prevent discussion of the issue of the Church Union with Byzantium.
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