Makarios Melissenos ( el, Μακάριος Μελισσηνός), born Makarios Melissourgos (Μακάριος Μελισσουργός), was a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

scholar and

metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the b ...

Monemvasia Monemvasia ( el, Μονεμβασιά, Μονεμβασία, or ) is a town and municipality in Laconia, Greece. The town is located on a small island off the east coast of the Peloponnese, surrounded by the Myrtoan Sea. The island is connected ...

. He died in 1585.

Life

Born Makarios Melissourgos in the

Morea The Morea ( el, Μορέας or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used for the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the Ottom ...

to a wealthy landowning family, Makarios was

. In 1571, he was forced to flee his homeland for

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

when he became involved in a plot for an uprising against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in the aftermath of the

Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states (comprising Spain and its Italian territories, several independent Italian states, and the Sovere ...

. At Naples, he changed his name to Melissenos, echoing the Byzantine aristocratic family, and produced several works. Among them was a list of the bishops of Monemvasia, a history and description of the city, and a list of members of the Melissenos family. He also collaborated with

Andreas Darmarios Andreas Darmarios or Darmarius (1540 - after 1586) was a copyist and book trader based in Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is bu ...

to produce the ''Chronicon Maius'' (1573–75), an expanded revision of

George Sphrantzes George Sphrantzes, also Phrantzes or Phrantza ( el, Γεώργιος Σφραντζής or Φραντζής; 1401 – c. 1478), was a late Roman (Byzantine) historian and Imperial courtier. He was an attendant to Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos, '' ...

' ''Chronicon Minus'' with additional material from

George Akropolites George Akropolites ( Latinized as Acropolites or Acropolita; el, , ''Georgios Akropolites''; 1217 or 1220 – 1282) was a Byzantine Greek historian and statesman born at Constantinople. Life In his sixteenth year he was sent by his father, the ...

Nikephoros Gregoras Nicephorus Gregoras (; Greek: , ''Nikephoros Gregoras''; c. 1295 – 1360) was a Greek astronomer, historian, and theologian. Life Gregoras was born at Heraclea Pontica, where he was raised and educated by his uncle, John, who was the Bisho ...

, and other writers (whence he is also called Pseudo-Sphrantzes). Covering the period 1258 to 1477, it is an important historical source, particularly for his eyewitness account of the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had beg ...

in 1453, although doubts regarding the authenticity of his material remain. Earlier scholarship believed that Melissenos was also responsible for forging a

chrysobull A golden bull or chrysobull was a decree issued by Byzantine Emperors and later by monarchs in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, most notably by the Holy Roman Emperors. The term was originally coined for the golden Seal (emblem), ...

ascribed to Emperor Andronikos II with the intention of legitimizing increased powers for himself as metropolitan. However, this position has more recently been challenged by Haris Kalligas, who has reevaluated the evidence and dates the bull as authentic to 1314. See also Makarios Melissenos died at Naples in 1585.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Melissenos, Makarios 1585 deaths 16th-century Greek historians 16th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops Forgers Ottoman Peloponnese People from the Peloponnese Bishops of Monemvasia Greek exiles