Page:Destruction of the Greek Empire.djvu/71

 EECONSTEUCTING THE EMPIEE 37 During the long reign of Andronicus the Second (1282 Reign of to 1328), the son and successor of Michael, the party which C us n., the latter had headed in favour of Union with Eome fell 1282-132 to pieces. The older emperor's disappointment probably hastened his death. Veccus the patriarch within a few months was forced to withdraw to a monastery. His writings in favour of Union were burned. He was put upon his trial before a synod and saved himself by signing a declaration against further attempts at reconciliation with the Latin Church. The ex-patriarch Joseph was brought back in triumph, and a persecution at once commenced of those who had favoured the emperor's plans. This hostility to the Unionist party was contemporaneous with a short period during which the fear of an attack to re- establish a Latin empire had lessened. The attention of the pontiff was directed towards sending aid to the king of Armenia, who had been for years making a brave defence against his Moslem assailants. But the attempt at Union and the re-establishment of a Latin empire was not forgotten. In 1287 Nicholas the Fourth endeavoured to accomplish these objects while allowing the Greek emperor to remain on the throne. He favoured, and perhaps sug- gested, a marriage between Michael, the eldest son of An- dronicus, and Catherine of Courtenay, the granddaughter of Baldwin. Her other grandfather, Charles of Anjou, king of Sicily, claimed the imperial throne on her behalf. 1 The proposal of marriage had much to recommend it to the emperor, because it appeared to be a means of putting an end to the attempts to regain the imperial throne by the deposed family. The arrangements were broken off because Andronicus would not agree to recognise the pope's supre- macy, without which the pontiff refused his consent. Con- sidering the attitude of the Greek ecclesiastics, there can be little doubt that if the emperor had agreed to the pope's member of the Latin Church. He deals with the doings of the emperor and the Greek ecclesiastics in a fair spirit. His History is essentially that of his own times and covers the period from 1261 to 1308. 1 Pach. part 2, ii. 18.