Editing George Akropolites

{{Short description|Byzantine Greek historian and statesman}}
'''George Akropolites''' ([[List of Latinised names|Latinized]] as '''Acropolites''' or '''Acropolita'''; {{langx|el|{{lang|grc|Γεώργιος Ἀκροπολίτης}}}}, ''Georgios Akropolites''; 1217 or 1220 – 1282) was a [[Byzantine Greeks|Byzantine Greek]] [[historian]] and statesman born at [[Constantinople]].

== Life ==
In his sixteenth year he was sent by his father, the [[logothete]] Constantine Akropolites the elder, to the court of [[John III Doukas Vatatzes]], [[Empire of Nicaea|emperor of Nicaea]], where Akropolites continued his studies under [[Theodore Hexapterygos]] and [[Nicephorus Blemmydes]]. The emperor afterwards entrusted George with important state missions, as did his successors ([[Theodore II Laskaris]] and [[Michael VIII Palaiologos]]). The office of [[Megas Logothetes|Grand Logothete]], or chancellor, was bestowed upon him in 1244. He tutored Theodore II during the 1240s.

As commander in the field in 1257 against [[Michael II Komnenos Doukas|Michael II]], [[Despotate of Epirus|despot of Epirus]], he showed little military ability. George was captured and kept for two years in prison, from which he was released by [[Michael VIII Palaiologos|Michael Palaiologos]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} Meanwhile, Michael Palaiologos was proclaimed emperor of Nicaea, afterwards expelling the [[Latin Empire|Latins]] from Constantinople, and became emperor of the restored [[Byzantine Empire]]. From this moment Akropolites becomes known in the history of the eastern empire as one of its greatest diplomats. After having discharged the function of ambassador at the court of the [[Second Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarian]] Tsar [[Constantine Tikh of Bulgaria|Constantine]], he became the first head of the [[University of Constantinople]], where he lectured on mathematics and philosophy.<ref>[[Steven Runciman]], ''The Last Byzantine Renaissance'' (Cambridge: University Press, 1970), p. 54</ref> His students included [[Gregory II of Constantinople|George of Cyprus]]<ref>[[Steven Runciman]], ''Last Byzantine Renaissance'', Cambridge University Press, 1970, p. 58.</ref> and [[George Pachymeres]].<ref>Dimitri Korobeinikov, ''Byzantium and the Turks in the Thirteenth Century'', Oxford University Press, 2014, 1970, p. 14.</ref>

In the meantime, Michael, afraid of a new Latin invasion, proposed to [[Pope Clement IV]] to reunite the Greek and the Latin Churches; and negotiations ensued which were carried on during the reign of five popes, Clement IV, [[Pope Gregory X|Gregory X]], [[Pope John XXI|John XXI]], [[Pope Nicholas III|Nicolaus III]], and [[Pope Martin IV|Martin IV]]. Akropolites was chosen as the emperor's ambassador, and in 1273 he was sent to Pope Gregory X. In 1274, at the [[Second Council of Lyon]], he confirmed by an oath in the emperor's name that that confession of faith which had been previously sent to Constantinople by the pope had been adopted by the Greeks. The reunion of the two churches however roused considerable opposition in Byzantium and was afterwards broken off. It did however serve its main purpose, delaying and ultimately entirely averting a Latin attack on Constantinople.

Later negotiations George Akropolites led included leading a mission to the [[Empire of Trebizond]] in 1281 to convince the Emperor [[John II of Trebizond|John II]] to discontinue using the title of "Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans"—which Michael Palaiologos held as his sole right. He failed in this endeavor, for John responded to his arguments that he was simply following the practice of his predecessors, and his chief nobles would not permit him to give up this honor.<ref>[[William Miller (historian)|William Miller]], ''Trebizond: The Last Greek Empire of the Byzantine Era'', 1926 (Chicago: Argonaut, 1969), p. 28</ref>

William Smith in his ''[[Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology]]'' follows Hankius ''De Byzantinarum Rerum Scriptoribus Graecis'' in stating that Akropolites was sent on an embassy to the king of [[Bulgaria]] in 1282; [[George Finlay]] has shown that both are in error. Finlay notes, "in this case he [Hankius] seems inadvertently to have written ''Bulgarorum'' instead of ''Lazorum Principem'', for he quotes at length the passage of [[George Pachymeres|Pachymeres]] as his authority, which states distinctly that Acropolita was sent to the prince of the Lazes, as the vain Constantinopolitan writers called the emperor of Trebizond."<ref>Finlay, ''A History of Greece: Medieval Greece and the Empire of Trebizond AD 1204-1461'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1877), p. 345 n. 1</ref>

== Works ==
Akropolites' historical work, the ''Annals'', embraces the period from the [[Siege of Constantinople (1204)|capture of Constantinople]] during the [[Fourth Crusade]] by the Latins in 1204 to its recovery by Michael Palaiologos in 1261, thus forming a continuation of the work of [[Nicetas Choniates]]. It is valuable as written by a contemporary, whose official position as Grand Logothete, military commander, and confidential ambassador afforded him frequent opportunities of observing the course of events.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

Akropolites is considered a trustworthy authority as far as the statement of facts is concerned, and he is easy to understand, although he exhibits special carelessness in the construction of his sentences. His style is archaising but lucid. He was also the author of several shorter works, amongst them being a funeral oration on John Vatatzes, an [[epitaph]] on his wife [[Irene Laskarina]] and a [[panegyric]] of Theodore II Laskaris of [[Nicaea]]. While a prisoner at [[Despotate of Epirus|Epirus]] he wrote two treatises on the procession of the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

== Editions ==
Authorities: ''[[Editio princeps]]'' by [[Leo Allatius]] (1651), with the editor's famous treatise ''De Georgiis eorumque Scriptis''; editions in the ''Bonn Corpus Scriptorum Hist. Byz.'', by [[August Immanuel Bekker|I. Bekker]] (1836), and [[Jacques Paul Migne|Migne]], ''[[Patrologia Graeca]]'', cxl; in the [[Teubner]] series by A. Heisenberg (1903), the second volume of which contains a full life, with bibliography; see also [[Karl Krumbacher]], ''Geschichte der byzantinischen Litteratur'' (1897).{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}
* A. Heisenberg (ed). ''Georgii Akropolitae Opera''. Vol. 1-2 (Leipzig, 1903); reprinted with corrections by P. Wirth (Stuttgart, 1978).
* Ruth Macrides (intr. and comm.), George Akropolites. ''The History'' (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2007) (Oxford Studies in Byzantium).
* French translation ''Acropolitès: chronique du XIIIe siècle'' by Jean Dayantis, Les Belles Lettres ed., collection "La roue à livres", Paris 2012.
* Spanish translation in: ''Jorge Acropólites: Narración histórica''. Estudio preliminar, traducción, notas y comentarios de Teresa Vila Vilar. Granada: Centro de Estudios Bizantinos, Neogriegos y Chipriotas, 2012.

== See also ==
* [[Constantine Akropolites]], his son

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Acropolita, George|volume=1|page=156}}
*{{Citation  | last = Plate  | first = William  | contribution = Acropolita, Georgius  | editor-last = Smith  | editor-first = William  | title = [[Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology]]  | volume = 1  | pages = 15–16  | place = Boston, MA  | year = 1867  | contribution-url = http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0024.html }}
* R. Macrides, "George Akropolites' Rhetoric", in E. Jeffreys (ed.), ''Rhetoric in Byzantium. Papers from the Thirty-fifth Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Exeter College, University of Oxford, March 2001'' (Aldershot, 2003), 201–211.

== External links ==
* [http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/30_20_1217-1282-_Georgius_Acropolita.html Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Graeca with analytical indexes]

{{Byzantine historians}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akropolites, George}}
[[Category:13th-century births]]
[[Category:1282 deaths]]
[[Category:13th-century Byzantine historians]]
[[Category:Byzantine diplomats]]
[[Category:13th-century Byzantine government officials]]
[[Category:People from Constantinople]]
[[Category:People from the Empire of Nicaea]]
[[Category:13th-century diplomats]]
[[Category:Byzantine Empire–Empire of Trebizond relations]]