Photian schism facts for kids
The Photian Schism was a big disagreement, or split, in the Christian Church. It happened between the leaders in Rome (the Pope) and Constantinople (the Patriarch). This split lasted about four years, from 863 to 867.
The main problem was about who had the power to choose and remove the leader of the church in Constantinople. The Byzantine Emperor Michael III removed the church leader, Ignatius, for political reasons in 857. He was replaced by Photius the next year.
Pope Nicholas I disagreed with this. He felt Ignatius was removed unfairly. He also thought it was wrong that Photius, who was not a church official, became patriarch so quickly. In 861, the Pope's helpers agreed to Photius's new role. But in 863, Pope Nicholas changed his mind and said Photius was no longer a church leader.
This disagreement continued until 867. Both the Western (Rome) and Eastern (Constantinople) churches were sending missionaries to Bulgaria. In 867, Photius held a meeting and said Pope Nicholas and the entire western Church were no longer part of the church. Later that year, a new emperor, Basil I, took over. He put Ignatius back as patriarch. After Ignatius died in 877, Photius became patriarch again. He and Pope John VIII worked out a deal to stop another split.
The main issue was Rome's claim to have power over the Eastern Church. It was also a fight for control of the southern Balkans. The leaders of both churches, Pope Nicholas and Patriarch Photius, were chosen in 858 and both left their roles in 867. The Photian Schism helped create a divide between the East and West for many years.
Contents
How the Conflict Started
In the years before 858, the Byzantine Empire was becoming more stable. This was after a long period of fighting about religious art. For about 120 years, from 720 to 843, people argued if religious images were idols or simply respected art. Emperors usually sided with those who thought images were idols.
In 842, Emperor Theophilos died. His wife Theodora became empress. In 843, she brought back the use of icons. This time after the icon arguments was mostly peaceful. However, there were still some disagreements.
Choosing a New Patriarch
After Patriarch Methodius I died in 847, there was a big struggle to choose his replacement. The monk Ignatius was chosen. He was very strict with church officials who had supported the iconoclasts.
For example, Archbishop Gregory Asbestas wanted to visit Ignatius before his special ceremony. Ignatius told Gregory he could not come because he was suspected of being an iconoclast. Gregory was very angry. He was later removed from the church for heresy and disobedience. He complained to Pope Leo IV in 853. The Pope allowed his case to continue with the next Pope, Pope Benedict III.
Ignatius had also removed Gregory and other bishops without asking the Pope first. Earlier patriarchs had always asked the Pope before holding such meetings. Pope Leo complained about this in a letter. Some of Ignatius's enemies also said he was not a true patriarch because he was chosen by Empress Theodora, not by a meeting of bishops. This made the Pope interested in what was happening in Constantinople.
Ignatius is Removed from Power
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The split started because of problems in the Byzantine court. Emperor Michael III was very young. His uncle Bardas was a powerful advisor. The young Emperor enjoyed making fun of church ceremonies. Former court officials later said they were forced to take part in these fake ceremonies.
Bardas was accused of a crime. Because of this, Ignatius publicly refused to give Bardas holy communion in the Hagia Sophia. This put Ignatius against the Emperor's court. Bardas wanted more power. In 855, he ordered the death of Theoktistos, another powerful official. Soon after, Bardas and Michael accused Empress Theodora of plotting against them. She was sent away to a monastery.
Bardas then asked Ignatius to approve Theodora's removal. Ignatius had been chosen by Theodora. He refused to agree, likely out of loyalty. Some of Ignatius's supporters tried to kill Bardas, but they were caught and executed. Then, a man claimed to be Theodora's son and the true king. Many of Ignatius's supporters gathered around him. Ignatius defended this man in court, but they lost, and the man was executed. Ignatius was then accused of treason and sent away to Sedef Island in July 857.
There is a debate about whether Ignatius resigned or was forced out. If he resigned, his removal would have been allowed. If he refused, it would not have been. Some old writings say he did not resign, even when threatened. Other writings say he did resign, partly by choice and partly under pressure.
Photius Becomes Patriarch
A meeting was held to choose Ignatius's replacement. The bishops chose Photius. Photius came from an important Byzantine family known for being faithful to the church. His uncle, Tarasios, was also a patriarch. Photius was a very smart scholar with many interests.
Photius quickly became a monk on December 20, 858. Over the next four days, he became a lector, sub-deacon, deacon, and priest. He was made patriarch on Christmas Day. This quick rise was against Western church rules, but it had happened before in Constantinople.
Photius's Time as Patriarch and the Pope's Involvement
Photius's time as patriarch immediately faced problems. Some bishops and most monasteries refused to accept him. Photius held a meeting in 859. This meeting declared that Ignatius was no longer the patriarch. He also told people not to protest against the Emperor. He reportedly arrested several bishops loyal to Ignatius.
Ignatius's supporters asked Pope Nicholas I for help. Even though the Pope had problems with Ignatius before, he strongly disliked how Ignatius was removed. The Pope sent two helpers, Bishops Radoald and Zachary, to Constantinople to check things out.
The Pope wrote to Photius, saying he was happy Photius was a good Christian. But he criticized Photius's quick rise to power. He promised that if the helpers found that Ignatius was rightly accused, he would accept Photius as patriarch. The Pope's helpers went to a meeting in May 861. They knew their job was only to report back to Rome. But Photius refused to continue the meeting unless they made a decision right away. They agreed to accept Photius, possibly because they were bribed or pressured.
Pope Nicholas I later disagreed with his helpers' decision. In 863, he held his own meeting in Rome. This meeting canceled what happened in Constantinople in 861. It said Photius was wrong and put Ignatius back in power. The Pope said that no church meeting could be held without his permission. His helpers were called to Rome. Zachary admitted he went too far and was forgiven. Radoald refused to appear and was condemned.
Bulgaria and Problems with Rome
After Pope Nicholas ruled against him, Photius did not react openly. He stayed quiet. Emperor Michael sent Pope Nicholas a strong letter. It attacked the Pope's power and the use of the Latin language. Pope Nicholas wrote back, strongly defending Rome's power as the most important church center. He invited both Ignatius and Photius to Rome to present their cases.
But then, a rivalry started over Bulgaria. Khan Boris I of Bulgaria fought the Byzantines. He lost and agreed to become Christian and convert his people. Photius refused to give the new Bulgarian Christians their own patriarch. So, Boris invited Latin missionaries from Rome. These missionaries tried to convert Bulgarians to Latin Christianity. They criticized Byzantine customs like priests marrying and using leavened bread in communion.
The mission was very successful. Boris asked that a Roman bishop named Formosus be made the Bulgarian archbishop. But Pope Nicholas called Formosus back to Rome. Church rules said a bishop could not lead two areas at once.
In 867, Photius criticized the Latin missionaries. He said they added the word filioque to the Nicene Creed. Filioque means "and from the Son." In the Creed, it meant that the Holy Spirit comes from the Father and the Son. The West thought this was correct. They also believed the Pope had the right to add it to the Creed. The East disagreed with both ideas. This argument about the Holy Trinity became less important than the question of whether the Pope could change the Creed without other bishops agreeing.
Khan Boris I of Bulgaria also asked Pope Nicholas many questions about being a Christian leader. Pope Nicholas answered them. But because the Pope would not make Formosus the archbishop of Bulgaria, Boris turned back to Constantinople. Constantinople then gave Bulgaria its own church leader. In 865, Boris was baptized and took the name Michael.
Further north, in Greater Moravia, a Slavic prince asked Photius to send Byzantine missionaries. Photius sent Cyril and Methodius. They later sided with the West against Photius. In 866, Emperor Michael and Basil I plotted to kill Bardas. Basil then became co-emperor.
With the Emperor's approval, Photius invited other church leaders to Constantinople. In 867, this meeting took the serious step of saying Pope Nicholas was a heretic. They said he was no longer Pope. They also removed anyone who followed him, which meant the entire Western Church.
The End of the Schism
Pope Nicholas died in November 867 before he heard about this. In 867, Basil killed Michael and removed Photius. He replaced Photius with Ignatius. Ignatius did not officially make peace with the West. But he did take action against Photius that pleased the West.
A church meeting in Constantinople from 869–870 said that "Photius never was a bishop." This made all his actions invalid. He was condemned for his "evil actions" and "bad writings" against the Pope. The meeting also said that no one could become a bishop without serving in a lower church role for at least ten years.
Ignatius also strongly believed Constantinople should control Bulgaria. Tensions between Rome and Constantinople continued. Ignatius asked Pope Adrian II to lift the punishments on bishops who had supported Photius. Adrian refused. Ignatius ruled until his death on October 23, 877. Before he died, he secretly agreed with Emperor Basil I and Photius to bring Photius back as patriarch.
Photius became patriarch again on October 26. The Pope's helpers were shocked. They had no instructions from Pope John VIII on what to do. They did nothing. Emperor Basil was frustrated by the delay. He wrote to Pope John VIII asking him to accept Photius. He said that Photius's election was accepted by almost everyone. Basil also said that the Pope was the head of the universal Church.
Pope John was probably not happy about Photius's return. But he understood the political situation. He suggested a compromise. He said he would accept Photius as patriarch. But he demanded that Photius apologize to a meeting of bishops for his past actions. This was a big problem. Photius said his actions in 867 were right because Nicholas interfered in the Eastern Church. He also said he had been punished enough in 869 and had made peace with Ignatius.
The Pope's helpers agreed to Photius's demands. In return, Photius agreed that the Pope had power over Bulgaria. Rome was given official power over Bulgaria, but Constantinople actually controlled it.
A church meeting from 879–880 officially brought the leaders of Rome and Constantinople back together. A letter from Pope John VIII to Photius confirmed that he agreed with his helpers' actions.
What Happened Next
Photius served as patriarch for six more years. A small group of Ignatius's supporters still refused to accept him. In 886, Emperor Basil died. Leo VI the Wise became emperor. Leo quickly made Photius resign. He replaced Photius with his own brother, Stephen I. Photius was sent to live in a monastery. There, he wrote a book criticizing the Western idea of the filioque.
Overall, relations between the East and West were mostly peaceful until just before the East–West Schism in 1054. That later split was mainly about disagreements over beliefs, not politics. During the Photian Schism, the Pope was still widely seen in the Byzantine Empire as "first among equals." Only later did people say he lost that standing because of heresy.
Legacy of the Schism
Photius and the split connected to him have been seen differently by Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians. The West saw him as a heretic and someone who caused a split. The East saw him as a hero for standing up to Western interference.
Part of the reason for these different views was a false story about a second removal of Photius in 880. People claimed that Pope John VIII changed his mind and removed Photius again. This removal was supposedly continued by later Popes. The widespread belief that Photius was a "major heretic" was questioned by some Protestants in the 1600s.
However, it was not until the 1900s that scholars carefully looked at the historical records. From their research, they found that there was no second split. This has helped to improve Photius's reputation.
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