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 EECONSTEUCTING THE EMPIEE 35 persevered, and with his consent Veccus, who had now gone over to the emperor's side, was named patriarch. On the return of the delegates from Lyons, preaching friars were sent to Constantinople by Innocent the Fifth. On his death, in 1276, his successor, John the Twenty-fifth, sent nuncios, who were received with great honour, and Michael, in return, together with the patriarch sent delegates to confirm the Union. They arrived, however, in Rome after the death of John. In 1277 Michael and his son Andronicus, the heir to the throne, who was now of full age, formally con- firmed the Union of the Churches. Thereupon there began a struggle with those who opposed it. The patriarch Yeccus excommunicated its adversaries, mentioning the leaders by name. John the Bastard, the despot of Epirus, who was the foremost, at once called a Council and submitted the question to its decision. This Council anathematised alike the emperor, the pope, and the patriarch. Some of the nobles and officers sent against John openly declared for him as the defender of the ancient faith. The new pope was convinced that the emperor was doing his utmost to bring about Union, and in consequence re- fused permission to Charles of Anjou to send an expedition against him. When his nuncios arrived, in 1279, in the capital, they learned that, in spite of the emperor and the patriarch, the clergy and people would not accept Union. The nuncios were taken to the prisons and saw nobles, even of the emperor's own family, as well as many others, loaded with chains on account of their opposition on this question to the imperial wish. They were convinced of the emperor's good faith, but no definite statement could be obtained from the bishops. Nonpossumus remained the expression of their attitude. When, however, Martin the Fourth learned from the nuncios what was the position in Constantinople; he seems either to have lost all hope of bringing about Union by persuasion, or possibly to have thought that his predecessor had been deceived by Michael ; for in 1281 he excommuni- cated the emperor and all the Greeks as schismatics. By D 2