Euthymius II of Constantinople (; died 29 March 1416) was the

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the List of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople, archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox ...

from 1410 to 1416. He became a monk at a young age and was soon after ordained a priest. He distinguished himself for his theological and rhetorical abilities, which he employed in defence of

Palamism Palamism or the Palamite theology comprises the teachings of Gregory Palamas (c. 1296 – 1359), whose writings defended the Eastern Orthodox practice of Hesychasm against the attack of Barlaam. Followers of Palamas are sometimes referred to a ...

and against the Union of the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

with the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, for which he was accorded the honorific appellation "

Doctor of the Church Doctor of the Church (Latin: ''doctor'' "teacher"), also referred to as Doctor of the Universal Church (Latin: ''Doctor Ecclesiae Universalis''), is a title given by the Catholic Church to saints recognized as having made a significant contribut ...

". Despite being a fervent anti-unionist, he was sent by the

Byzantine emperor The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...

Manuel II Palaiologos Manuel II Palaiologos or Palaeologus (; 27 June 1350 – 21 July 1425) was Byzantine emperor from 1391 to 1425. Shortly before his death he was tonsured a monk and received the name Matthaios (). Manuel was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, which ...

() to participate in the discussions for a prospective union with

Pope Urban VI Pope Urban VI (; ; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death, in October 1389. He was the last pope elected from outside the College of Cardinals. His pontificate be ...

(). The mission achieved some success, but with no firm commitments on either side and on his return to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

he was promoted to

archimandrite The title archimandrite (; ), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot ('' hegumenos'', , present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") whom a bishop appointed to supervise several "ordinary" abbots and monaste ...

and became abbot of the prestigious

Monastery of Stoudios The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" (), often shortened to ''Stoudios'', Studion or ''Stoudion'' (), was a Greek Orthodox Church, Greek Orthodox monastery in Constantinople (modern-day Istan ...

. Eventually, Euthymius II advanced to the post of ''

protosynkellos A protosyncellus, protosynkellos or protosyngel () is the principal deputy of the bishop of an eparchy for the exercise of administrative authority in an Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Catholic church. The equivalent position in the Western Christi ...

'', after which he became patriarch of Constantinople. During his tenure, he endeavored to remove the Church from imperial control and act autonomously. Of his writings, only a philosophical treatise "On being and not being" and two letters survive. Euthymius II died on 29 March 1416.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Euthymius 02 1340s births 1416 deaths 14th-century Byzantine monks 15th-century patriarchs of Constantinople 15th-century Byzantine writers Byzantine theologians Archimandrites Abbots of the Stoudios Monastery 14th-century Eastern Orthodox theologians 14th-century Christian abbots