John Apokaukos

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

John Apokaukos (c. 1155–1233) was a Byzantine churchman and theologian. He studied in Constantinople, where he was a contemporary of Manuel Sarantenos, who would become Patriarch. He started as a deacon and worked for his uncle, Constantine Manasses, the metropolitan bishop of Naupaktos in Greece. By 1186 he had returned to Constantinople and served as a notary in the patriarchate. In 1199 or 1200 he became the metropolitan of Naupaktos, a position he held until 1232, when he retired to a monastery near Arta and died in 1233.

Apokaukos initially clashed with Constantine Komnenos Doukas, the ruler of Epirus, over harsh taxes. This led to his deposition and exile in 1220, but the dispute was resolved in May 1221 after a synod of church leaders from Greece and Epirus. Afterward, their relations softened, and Apokaukos even wrote a tribute in Constantine’s honor. He supported Epirus’ push for political and church independence from the Empire of Nicaea, where the exiled Constantinople Patriarch lived. This conflict helped cause a schism between the Epiriote Church and the Patriarchate.

A large portion of Apokaukos’ correspondence survives. His letters are important for understanding the legal and social history of the period, and his writings also reveal daily life and humor.