Nicholas Eudaimonoioannes facts for kids

Nicholas Eudaimonoioannes (Greek: Νικόλαος Εὺδαιμονοϊωάννης) was an important official in the Byzantine Empire in the early 1400s. He is best known for being an ambassador (a special messenger) for the Byzantine Emperor. He traveled to meet the Pope during a big meeting called the Council of Constance. He also visited the powerful city-state of Venice many times.

Life

Nicholas Eudaimonoioannes was a well-known member of the noble Eudaimonoioannes family. We know a lot about him from old writings. He was connected by marriage to Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos. This means someone in his family married into the Emperor's family. Some historians think Nicholas's son, George, might have married one of Emperor Manuel II's daughters.

Nicholas is first mentioned in a special stone carving (an epitaph) from 1407. This carving also mentions his wife and children, but not their names. In the same year, he became a teacher and helper for young Theodore II Palaiologos. Theodore was made the ruler of a region called the Morea, which was part of the Byzantine Empire. Nicholas likely held a high military title, perhaps megas stratopedarches.

Diplomatic Missions

Nicholas was very good at languages spoken in Western Europe. Because of this, he was chosen to lead a Byzantine group to the Council of Constance in early 1416. This was a very important meeting for Christian leaders. His son Andronikos also went with him.

The Byzantine messengers first visited Venice in February 1416. There, they offered to help make peace between Venice and the King of Hungary, Sigismund. They also asked for help to rebuild the Hexamilion wall. This wall protected the entrance to the Morea. They also wanted Christian countries to join together against the Ottoman Empire. The Venetian leaders were happy about the peace offer. However, they were not ready to help with the wall or the Christian alliance.

The Byzantines arrived at Constance on March 25, 1416. They stayed there for over a year. Nicholas helped with the election of the new Pope, Pope Martin V, in 1417. Nicholas asked the new Pope for permission for Emperor Manuel II's two sons to marry Catholic princesses. The Pope agreed.

Nicholas returned to Constantinople in 1417. He carried letters from the Pope to Emperor Manuel and the Patriarch of Constantinople.

Later Travels

In April 1419, Nicholas was in Venice again. This time, it seemed to be for a personal reason. He asked for permission to buy wood to fix a church in his hometown of Monemvasia. The Venetian leaders gave him permission.

He was back in Venice in January 1420 for another diplomatic mission. He again talked about peace with Sigismund. He also discussed other matters between the two states. One important task was to get Venice's permission for the two Catholic princesses, Sophia of Montferrat and Cleopa Malatesta, to travel to Byzantium. They were going to marry the Emperor's sons. After getting permission, Nicholas went with the two princesses on a Venetian ship back to Greece in August 1420.

His last known diplomatic mission was in February 1422. He met with a Venetian official named Dolfin Venier in Coron in the Morea. Venier later suggested to his leaders that they should try to get Nicholas and his sons to settle in Venetian territory. He thought they could offer them land.

Nicholas likely died on November 1, 1423. His son George remained an important person in the court of the rulers of the Morea until around 1450. Nicholas was also known for an astronomical manuscript that was linked to him.

Sources

• Trapp, Erich (1976–1996). "Prosopographisches Lexikon der Palaiologenzeit".. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.