Editing John VI Kantakouzenos (section)

==Reign==
[[File:156 - John VI Kantakouzenos (Mutinensis - color).png|thumb|left|290x290px|15th century portrait of John VI Kantakouzenos from the [[Mutinensis gr. 122|codex mutinensis]].]]
During John's reign, the empire—already fragmented, impoverished, and weakened—continued to be assailed on every side.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}}

The [[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]], disregarding the terms of [[Treaty of Nymphaeum (1261)|the treaty]] which permitted their colony at [[Galata]], began fortifying and arming it. Their customs dues undercut the Byzantines and meant that as much as 87% of the revenue from control of the [[Bosphorus]] went to them instead of the empire. {{nowrap|John VI}} attempted to rebuild the shattered [[Byzantine navy]] in preparation for the war he expected to follow a reduction of Constantinople's own customs dues. He was able to borrow enough to construct 9 fair-sized ships and about 100 smaller ones before he lowered the rates and began siphoning off Genoa's income. When they [[Byzantine–Genoese War (1348–1349)|did declare war]], however, they were able to sink or capture his fleet by early 1349. The Genoese were forced to negotiate after major areas of Galata were burnt, including its wharves and warehouses, but the Byzantine Empire thenceforth was forced to turn to an alliance with the [[Republic of Venice]] for naval protection. This led to their involvement in Venice's [[Venetian–Genoese Wars#War of 1350.E2.80.9355|1350 war]] against Genoa, but [[Paganino Doria]] was able to force {{nowrap|John VI}} (and the twelve ships he had fielded) out of the war by a Pyrrhic victory off Constantinople the next year.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

In 1351, Kantakouzenos oversaw the [[Fifth Council of Constantinople]], wherein [[Gregory Palamas]]' mystical [[Hesychasm|hesychastic theology]] was declared [[Eastern Orthodox Christian theology|Orthodox]] over the objections of [[Barlaam of Calabria]] and other Byzantine philosophers.{{sfn|Sherrard|1966|pp=74–75}}

By this time, [[Stefan Dušan]] had taken [[Byzantine Albania|Albania]], [[Macedonia (region)#Medieval Macedonia|Macedonia]], and [[Epirus]]. {{nowrap|John VI}} secured help against further incursions by again allying with the Turks. Following an earthquake, they annexed Callipolis ([[Gallipoli]])—their first foothold in Europe—in partial payment of his many debts in 1354.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}}

He made his son [[Matthew Kantakouzenos]] another co-emperor in 1353,{{sfn|Teteriatnikov|2013|p=67}} but {{nowrap|John VI}}'s attempts to expand taxation to repay the government's debts had long been displeasing. He was soon removed from power by {{nowrap|John V}}, becoming a monk on 10 December 1354.{{efn|Some sources give the date as 3/4 December, such as in the ''[[Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium]]''.<ref name=O/> However, 9/10 December is most definitely the correct date.<ref>Failler, Albert (1976). «[https://www.persee.fr/doc/rebyz_0766-5598_1976_num_34_1_2046 Nouvelle note sur la chronologie du règne de Jean Cantacuzène]». [[Revue des études byzantines]] '''34''': 119–124.</ref> The ''[[Prosopographisches Lexikon der Palaiologenzeit]]'' gives 9 December,<ref name=PL/> the day in which John announced his abdication. The actual ceremony took place the day after, during sunrise.}}