ACROPOLITA (AKROPOLITES),

See also:

• GEORGE
• GEORGE, 8TH MARQUESS OF TWEEDDALE (1787-1876)
• GEORGE, HENRY (1839—1897)
• GEORGE, LAKE
• GEORGE, SAINT (d. 303)

GEORGE (1217–1282)  , Byzantine historian and statesman, was born at Constantinople . At an early age he was sent by his father to the court of John Ducas Batatzes (Vatatzes), emperor of Nicaea, by whom and by his successors (Theodorus II . Lascaris and Michael VIII . Palaeologus) he was entrusted with important state missions . The office of " great logothete " or chancellor was bestowed upon him in 1244 . As commander in the field in 1257 against Michael Angelus, despot of Epirus, he showed little military capacity . He was captuFed and kept for two years in prison, from which he was released by Michael Palaeologus . Acropolita's most important political task was that of effecting a reconciliation between the Greek and Latin Churches, to which he had been formerly opposed . In 1273 he was sent to Pope Gregory X., and in the following year, at the council of Lyons, in the emperor's name he recognized the spiritual supremacy of Rome . In 1282 he was sent on an embassy to John IL, emperor of Trebizond, and died in the same year soon after his return . His historical work (Xpovts')1vyypacaii, Annales) embraces the period from the capture of Constantinople by the Latins (1204) to its recovery by Michael Palaeologus (1261), thus forming a continuation of the work of Nicetas Acominatus . It is valuable as written by a contemporary, whose official position as great logothete, military commander and confidential ambassador afforded him frequent opportunities of observing the course of events .

Acropolita is considered a trustworthy authority as far as the statement of facts is concerned, and he is easy to under-stand, although he exhibits

special carelessness in the construction of his sentences . He was also the author of several shorter works, amongst them being a funeral oration on John Batatzes, an epitaph on his wife Eirene and a panegyric of Theodorus II . Lascaris of Nicaea . While a prisoner at Epirus he wrote two treatises on the procession of the Holy Ghost ('EKirbpevots, Processio Spiritus Sancti) . Editio princeps by Leo Allatius (1651), with the editor's famous treatise De Georgics eorumque Seriptis; editions in the Bonn Corpus Scriptorum Hist . Byz., by I . Bekker (1836), and 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 C . Krumbacher, Geschichte der byzantinischen Litteralur (1897) .