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RaymondDetrez
wellinformedthoughnotaneyewitness,givesanaccountoftheeventsrelatedtothe
enthronizationofthefirstpost-ByzantinepatriarchGennadiosScholariosbySultan
MehmedtheConqueror.Theothersobviouslyhadtheirownreasonsforignoring
theevent.GeorgeSphrantzes,whofaithfullyservedthelastByzantineemperor
Constantine,hatedMehmedandwasprobablynotinclinedtogivehimcreditforhis
gesture.2LaonikosChalkokondylesandDoukas,ontheotherhand,hadsupportedthe
reunionoftheChurchesofRomeandConstantinople,whichGennadiosScholarioshad
successfullyopposed,hencetheirreluctancetopaytributetohimasthenewpatriarch.
CritobuluswasbornonImbros(nowGökçeadainTurkey)andspentalmostall
hislifeontheisland.3InConstantinople,wherehereceivedasolideducation,hewas
afellowstudentofthefuturepatriarchGennadios.AfterthefallofConstantinople,
hesentadelegationtoMehmedIItoensurethattheislandsofImbros,Lemnos,and
Thasos,insteadofbeingannexedtotheempire,wouldbegiventoaGenoesedynasty
asanOttomanfief.Afterthesultanfinallyconqueredtheislandsin1455-1456,
CritobulusbecamethegovernorofImbros.WhentheVenetianstookImbrosin1466,
helefttheislandforConstantinople.There,hecompletedhisHēzoētouMōameth
B’(LifeofMehmedII),coveringtheperiodfrom1451to1467andoferingavivid
descriptionofthefallofConstantinopleandMehmed’svariouscampaignsinthe
Balkans.HisbiographyoftheSultanremainedunknownuntil1860whentheGerman
theologistConstantinvonTischendorfdiscovereditinthelibraryoftheTopkapıPalace
inIstanbulandpublishedtheaccompanyingdedicatorylettertoMehmed.4Obviously,
thecopythatvonTischendorfbroughttolightisCritobulus’sownmanuscript.
Noothercopiesofithavebeenpreserved,anditisnotmentioned,norhasitleftany
trace,inlatersources.
Giventheauthor’sgoodrelationswithbothSultanMehmedandPatriarch
Gennadios,Critobulus’saccountoftheenthronizationshouldbereadwithcaution.
However,sinceitistheonlycontemporarysourcethatwehaveatourdisposal,it
remainsanobviousstartingpointforadiscussionoftheevent.
Critobuluswrites:
WhentheSultanhadcapturedtheCityofConstantine,almosthisveryfirstcarewastohavethe
Cityrepopulated.Healsoundertookthefurthercareandrepairsofit.Hesentanorderintheformof
animperialcommandtoeverypartofhisrealm,thatasmanyinhabitantsaspossiblebetransferredto
theCity,notonlyChristiansbutalsohisownpeopleandmanyoftheHebrews.
2Foralongtime,theChroniconmaius,attributedtoGeorgeSphrantzes,wascitedasthemajorcon-
temporarysourceonGennadios’sinstallation.However,sinceithasbeenproventohavebeenauthored
bythewell-knownforgerMakariosMelissenos-MelissourgosinItalyc.1580,theChroniconmaiuswill
notbetakenintoaccounthere.
3DietherRoderichReinsch,“KritobulosofImbros-LearnedHistorian,OttomanRayaandByzan-
tinePatriot,”ZbornikradovaVizantološkoginstituta/Recueildestravauxdel’Institutd’étudesbyzantines
40(2003),299-301.
4Aenoth.Frid.Const.Tischendorf,NotitiaeditioniscodicisBibliorumSinaitici,Lipsiae:
F.A.Brockhaus,1860,123-4.
