Johannes Bessarion, or Basilius (c. 1395-1472), titular patriarch of Constantinople, and one of the illustrious Greek scholars who contributed to the great revival of letters in the 15th century, was born at Trebizond, the year of his birth being variously given as 1389, 1395 or 1403. Events End of reign of Hungary by Capet-Anjou family. ... Events February 20 - The Orkneys and Shetlands are annexed to the crown of Scotland Discovery of Newfoundland by Didrik Pining and João Vaz Corte-Real. ... The Latin Patriarch of Constantinople was an office established as a result of Crusader activity in the Middle East. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... Trabzon, formerly known as Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey. ...

He was educated at Constantinople, and in 1423 went to the Peloponnese to hear Gemistus Pletho expound the philosophy of Plato. On entering the order of St Basil, he adopted the name of an old Egyptian anchorite Bessarion, whose story he has related. In 1437 he was made archbishop of Nicaea by John VIII Palaeologus, whom he accompanied to Italy in order to bring about a reunion between the Greek and Latin churches (which have been separated since the Great Schism of 1054) with the object of obtaining help from Western Europe against the Turks. Map of Constantinople. ... Events July 31 - Hundred Years War: Battle of Cravant - The French army is defeated at Cravant on the banks of the river Yonne. ... Though Peloponnese is used to refer to the entire peninsula, the periphery with that name includes only part of that landmass. ... Georgius Gemistos Plethon (or Pletho), (c. ... Plato Plato (Greek: Πλάτων Plátōn) (ca. ... Basil (ca. ... A hermit, also known as an anchorite or anchoress, is a person living in voluntary seclusion, often for religious reasons. ... Iznik (formerly Nicaea) is a city in Anatolia (now part of Turkey) which is known primarily as the site of two major meetings (or Ecumenical councils) in the early history of the Christian church. ... John VIII (1390 - Constantinople October 31, 1448), surnamed Palaeologus, Byzantine emperor, the oldest son of Manuel II, became sole emperor in 1425. ... Great Schism redirects here. ... Events Cardinal Humbertus, a representative of Pope Leo IX, and Michael Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople, decree each others excommunication. ...

The Greeks bitterly resented his attachment to the party which saw no difficulty in a reconciliation of the two churches. At the councils held in Ferrara and Florence Bessarion supported the Roman church, and gained the favour of Pope Eugenius IV, who invested him with the rank of cardinal. A decree of the Council of Constance (9 October 1417), sanctioned by Pope Martin V obliged the papacy to summon general councils periodically. ... A decree of the Council of Constance (9 October 1417), sanctioned by Pope Martin V obliged the papacy to summon general councils periodically. ... Eugenius IV, né Gabriele Condulmer (1383 – February 23, 1447) was pope from March 3, 1431 to his death on 23 February 1447. ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking just below the Pope and appointed by him as a member of the College of Cardinals during a consistory. ...

From that time he resided permanently in Italy, doing much, by his patronage of learned men, by his collection of books and manuscripts, and by his own writings, to spread abroad the new learning. He held in succession the archbishopnic of Siponto and the bishoprics of Sabina and Frascati. Sabina, the region in the Sabine Hills of Latium named for the Sabines, is the ancient territory that is today identified with the Province of Rieti, in Lazio (Roman Latium). ... Frascati is a town in the province of Rome in the Latium region of central Italy. ...

In 1463 he received the title of Latin patriarch of Constantinople; and it was only on account of his Greek birth that he was not elevated to the papal chair. For five years (1450-1455) he was legate at Bologna, and he was engaged on embassies to many foreign princes, among others to Louis XI of France in 1471. Vexation at an insult offered him by Louis is said to have hastened his death, which took place on November 19, 1472, at Ravenna. Events January 5 - Poet Francois Villon is banned from Paris Births January 17 - Frederick III, Elector of Saxony (died 1525) February 24 - Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Italian philosopher (died 1494) October 20 - Alessandro Achillini, Italian philosopher (died 1512) Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de Medici, Italian patron of the arts (died 1503... Bologna (from Latin Bononia, Bulåggna in the local dialect) is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, between the Po River and the Apennines. ... Louis XI the Prudent (French: Louis XI le Prudent) (July 3, 1423 – August 30, 1483), also informally nicknamed luniverselle aragne (old French for universal spider), was King of France (1461 - 1483). ... November 19 is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events February 20 - The Orkneys and Shetlands are annexed to the crown of Scotland Discovery of Newfoundland by Didrik Pining and João Vaz Corte-Real. ... Ravenna is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. ...

Bessarion was one of the most learned scholars of his time. Besides his translations of Aristotle's Metaphysics and Xenophon's Memorabilia, his most important work is a treatise directed against George of Trebizond, a violent Aristotelian, entitled In Calumni atorem Platonis. Bessarion, though a Platonist, is not so thoroughgoing in his admiration as Gemistus Pletho, and rather strives after a reconciliation of the two philosophies. His work, by opening up the relations of Platonism to the main questions of religion, contributed greatly to the extension of speculative thought in the department of theology. His library, which contained a very extensive collection of Greek manuscripts, was presented by him to the senate of Venice, and formed the nucleus of the famous library of St Mark. Aristotle, marble copy of bronze by Lysippos. ... Xenophon (In Greek , c. ... George of Trebizond (1395- August 12, 1484), Greek philosopher and scholar, one of the pioneers of the revival of letters in the Western world, was born in the island of Crete, and derived his surname Trapezuntios from the fact that his ancestors were from Trebizond. ... Platonic idealism is the theory that the substantive reality around us is only a reflection of a higher truth. ... Theology is reasoned discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason). It can also refer to the study of other religious topics. ... Location within Italy Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venessia in the local dialect), the city of canals, is the capital of the region of Veneto and of the province of Venice, 45°26′N 12°19′E, population 271,663 (census estimate January 1, 2004). ...

Most of Bessarion's works are in Migne, Patrologia Graeca, vol. 161. Jacques Paul Migne (25 October 1800 - 25 October 1875) was a French priest who published inexpensive and widely-distributed editions of theological works, encyclopedias and the texts of the Church Fathers. ... The Patrologia Graeca is an edited collection of writings by the Christian Church Fathers in the Greek language in 161 volumes, produced in 1857–1866 by J.P. Migne It includes both the Eastern Fathers and those Western authors who wrote before Latin became predominant the West in the 3rd...

Literature

• AM Bandini, Dr Vita et Rebus Gestis Bessarionis (1757)
• H Vast, Le Cardinal Bessarion (1878)
• E Legrand, Bibliographie Hellinique (1885)
• G Voigt, Die Wiederbelebung des klassischen Altertums, ii. (1893)
• A Sadov, Bessarion de Nicée (1883)
• A Kandelos (in Greek, Athens, 1888)

References

• This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, a publication in the public domain.