kingdom of nations

Chapter 201 King John the Priest

For the Patriarch of Constantinople, this day was also a bit difficult.

He is over seventy years old, and in the past year he has become increasingly weak. He feels that he may be called to heaven at any time. Unfortunately, as long as he has not been able to give up his power and status, he can't expect to have a day of peace.

Ever since Manuel I returned to Constantinople from this near-total defeat—of course, he did not believe that the defeat stemmed from his arrogance and impulsiveness, but rather from the Byzantine people's lack of devotion to God, which led to this blow delivered by the Turks—

Therefore, he generously donated many Masses and prayers, and even specified that the most important ones should be presided over by the patriarch.

If the Patriarch could barely manage these tasks—for the sake of Manuel I's gold—the endless banquets and ceremonies only made things worse. Of course, the Patriarch loved banquets, especially to entertain the Crusaders who had rescued Manuel I from the depths of despair—the cooks, servants, jesters, and prostitutes of Constantinople went to great lengths to provide for them.

The problem was that he not only had no peace during the day, but he also had to stay with them until late at night. As a result, the Patriarch even missed many morning prayers, which forced him to move some of Manuel I's donations out as his own penance expenses.

He couldn't miss today's farewell ceremony either; heaven knows, Manuel I also wanted him to bless Anna.

During his prayer, he was tongue-tied and didn't know how to address Princess Anna—because according to doctrine, Princess Anna was an illegitimate child who should not be blessed, although the Patriarch knew that the girl was completely innocent, and that her only fault with her brother was that she had given birth to Manuel I's children.

Not only was he blessed, but he also had to go to the port with Manuel I and a large entourage. Manuel I and the Queen had seats, while the poor Patriarch could only stand with a group of ministers. As he watched the large ship carrying the princess and her dowry sail away, some wicked thoughts inappropriately arose in his mind.

This thought became even clearer and more intense when he was comfortably lying in bed and was then woken up by Manuel I's messenger.

The schism between the Eastern and Western churches began with the division of the ancient Roman Empire into two, and the Western Roman Empire was eventually destroyed by barbarians, while the Byzantine Empire inherited the legacy of the Roman Empire and continued to exist on the Anatolian Peninsula.

For this reason, the contempt of the Eastern Romans for the so-called Western Romans was deeply ingrained, not only among ordinary people but also within the Church.

The conflict between the Eastern and Western churches originated from three reasons.

The first reason is that they were all vying for the position of head of the church. Leaving aside the Eastern Roman Empire, the reason why the Western Roman Empire was so determined and arrogant was because of two missionaries, Paul and Peter. Paul wrote the famous Epistle to Roman Christians, and Peter, who was known as the "head of the apostles of Christ," was the first bishop of Rome. Both of them were martyred in Rome.

St. Peter's Basilica in Rome was built on the site of St. Peter's tomb.

Because the position of church leader involved the interests of both the individual and the church, neither side was willing to give up easily. This struggle finally ended more than a hundred years ago when the leaders of the Eastern and Western churches expelled each other from their respective churches.

The second reason is some disagreement on the interpretation of scriptures and rituals, but I won't go into that, since I believe none of you are interested in whether to use three or five fingers when making the sign of the cross.

The third point is the root of the patriarch's endless complaints.

The Roman Catholic Church has always believed that papal authority should be superior to royal authority. However, the orthodox church in the Byzantine Empire believed that royal authority, or monarchical authority, should be superior to papal authority. Almost every patriarch of Constantinople, even those appointed by the emperor, would involuntarily envy the power of the Roman Catholic Church every night—they could even excommunicate a monarch, forcing him to walk barefoot with his family through snow and wind to the castle to beg for the pope's forgiveness.

And they, to put it bluntly, were practically dogs kept by the Byzantine emperor, forced to hunt for their master, to put on airs for him, and to obey his every command, unable to even get a full night's sleep.

Unfortunately, the Patriarch could only keep these complaints to himself and dared not tell anyone.

Manuel I's messenger was still waiting anxiously, so he had to summon his servants and quickly redress himself, putting on layers of robes, a tall hat, a cross, a cloak, and sheepskin shoes.

Fortunately, Hagia Sophia is not far from the Grand Palace, about two-thirds of the way away, and the Patriarch was allowed to use a palanquin.

However, for the next third of the journey, he would have to rely on his weak legs.

When the Patriarch alighted from his sedan chair, he felt excruciating pain in his back and buttocks. When the messenger turned around, he saw that this esteemed elder was walking with a limp, slower than a walrus that had come ashore. He had no choice but to call two strong and swift eunuchs, one on each side, to lift the Patriarch by the arms and carry him forward, or rather, to run.

The patriarch was jolted half to death and almost cried. He had never been treated like a prisoner or dragged along like a sack of rice before, but no one dared to keep Manuel I waiting too long.

When they finally arrived outside the "Hall of Nineteen Seats," the Patriarch only had time to straighten his hat and tidy his clothes before the doors opened.

The Patriarch stepped in slowly, only to find a group of ascetics dressed in brown linen robes standing opposite Manuel I. They were not the high priests in black robes or the princes of the church in purple robes that he had expected.

Manuel I gestured to his royal secretary to repeat the purpose of the messengers' visit to the Patriarch.

To put it simply, Manuel I was somewhat surprised to hear that the messengers of the Roman Catholic Church had arrived in Constantinople and were awaiting his summons. After all, exchanges between the Eastern and Western churches had gradually decreased since the two leaders excommunicated each other. Although some contact was later restored by the Crusades—mainly because of the Crusaders' deeds—they fought with the people of Constantinople before even making contact with the Saracens, not to mention their "glorious" plundering since they landed on the Anatolian Peninsula.

Therefore, the Roman Catholic Church had to send messengers several times to appease Emperor Manuel I of the Byzantine Empire and the people, but ascetics? Generally speaking, ascetics would not be assigned this task.

For a moment, Manuel I thought that the Pope of Rome had sent these ascetics to inquire about his defeat in the war against Sultan Arslan II of the Seljuks, or to find an opportunity to exploit.

But he immediately dismissed the idea—although he had been back in Constantinople for some time, it was still a little too late for the news to reach Rome and for Rome to send someone over.

"Priest King John?"

Hearing the purpose of these ascetics' visit, even the Patriarch was taken aback for a while. The legend of King John the Priest had only recently spread along the pilgrimage route. People said that in the far east, there was a great Christian king who possessed a vast and prosperous territory, stretching from the place where the sun rises to the Tower of Babel. It was boundless, rich in resources, and its people were devout and hardworking. He himself was an impeccably faithful believer.

He had fought a great battle against the Persians and defeated these despicable infidels. This venerable monarch, upon hearing of the Arazari plight, also wished to send troops to aid the Christians of Arazari. Unfortunately, the Tigris River froze that year, preventing his army from crossing by boat, and he had to regretfully abandon the plan.

Moreover, it is said that he also possesses many treasures, the three most famous of which are the Gate of Alexander, which is said to be one of the sacred relics left by Alexander the Great, capable of shielding against all harm and evil.

Another thing is the Fountain of Immortality; drinking its water will grant immortality.

The third item was a mirror, which allowed King John the Priest to see everything that happened in his land.

As for the origin of John the Priest, there are two versions. One says he was a descendant of the Three Wise Men from the East, while the other says he was the Apostle John—because Jesus Christ told him before his ascension that he would live to see His second coming, and people believed that this was Jesus Christ granting him the power of eternal life so that he could wait on earth and welcome the second coming of the Son of God.

But legends are just legends, and the stories of Manuel I and the Patriarch are somewhat absurd.

Manuel I had heard some of the true nature of John the Priest.

In fact, this event was not far removed from their own time. Perhaps just over thirty years ago, the Saracens, who were preparing to expand their territory further to the east, encountered another group of yellow-skinned barbarians. These yellow-skinned barbarians defeated them, and the name of their leader happened to sound somewhat similar to John. A priest heard about this and, in a far-fetched way, combined the two into one, creating the priest-king John.

They initially treated the matter as a joke, but the subsequent questioning or interrogation by the ascetics showed that the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church was not so foolish after all.

He was merely using this pretext to put pressure on the Byzantine emperor and the Crusaders.

What to say?

As previously described, the First Crusade was undoubtedly a great success. The Crusaders not only recaptured the Holy Land but also successfully established a foothold on the western coast of the Arab peninsula, creating a nation that belonged solely to them and the Christians. However, such glory was never seen again, like a fleeting shooting star.

More than thirty years ago, even Edessa, one of the Crusader kingdoms, fell to the Saracens, who even directly threatened the holy city of Arazari. This became the prelude to the Second Crusade, but compared to the First Crusade, the results of the Second Crusade were simply appalling.

The Second Crusade was led by two kings: King Louis VII of France and Holy Roman Emperor Conrad III. Conrad III's Holy Roman Empire Crusade set off several months earlier than Louis VII's, and before they even reached the Holy Land, they were ambushed by the Turks on the Anatolian Peninsula.

Even if it cannot be said that the entire army was wiped out, it can be said that the losses were heavy, especially the young soldiers and laborers.

When the knights escorted Conrad III to Constantinople, they clashed with Manuel I of the Byzantine Empire over some issues. Conrad III finally waited for Louis VII to arrive with his French army, but he fell ill on the way and had to return early.

Louis VII continued his advance with his army. He chose Damascus as the point of attack for his defenses, but the people of Damascus were already fully prepared and had implemented a scorched-earth policy, leaving the Franks without any supplies. Although there was aid from Antioch, Tripoli, and Arrassa, it was insufficient, and the army eventually suffered a severe famine.

Three thousand ordinary soldiers and laborers, in order to avoid starving to death, were tempted by the Saracens to leave the army and voluntarily become their slaves.

Louis VII nearly became a prisoner of the Saracens during their counterattack, and in the end, he could only return to the Franks empty-handed and disappointed.

This expedition can be considered a disgrace to the entire Christian world, but clearly, the Pope did not believe that it was the fault of Holy Roman Emperor Conrad III and King Louis VII of France. Instead, he believed that it was because Manuel I of the Byzantine Empire had not provided sufficient assistance and support.

These ascetics claimed to be searching for King John the Priest, but in reality, they were condemning Manuel I's incompetence, to the point that they had to seek out a fictitious, legendary figure.

Manuel I's frustration goes without saying. He had thought these Byzantine messengers from the Roman Catholic Church might bring him some good news, but instead they came as harbingers of trouble. He sent the patriarch away in a curt manner to deal with them.

The Patriarch intended to send them to a monastery outside the city. For his own sake and for theirs, it was best that these fellows not stay in a place where they might be seen by Manuel I.

But to his surprise, Grand Duke Bohemond of Antioch readily accepted this troublesome task.

"He's a Crusader after all," the Patriarch thought, "there must be a lot they have to talk about."

Bohemond did have something to say to the monks, but he first arranged for them to stay in a more remote place. "Now that you're here," he said, "you must be on a pilgrimage."

The ascetics hesitated. They certainly wanted to go on the pilgrimage to Antioch, Bethlehem, Arazari… “But we have other duties to perform,” the leading ascetic said hesitantly.

“You have already arrived in Constantinople, how can you not go on a pilgrimage?” Bohemond said generously. “I will send you there in my ship and send knights to protect you. You don’t need to worry about your mission—since you are looking for King John the Priest, shouldn’t you head east?”

Moreover, you don't need to worry that the delays caused by the pilgrimage will displease the Pope.

I probably don't have any leads on King John the High Priest here, but something will happen soon. Take this matter back to the Pope, and he won't mind your delay; on the contrary, he'll be overjoyed and might even thank you.

The ascetics were unsure whether they could trust Grand Duke Bohemond of Antioch—whose reputation in Rome was not good—so Bohemond stepped forward and whispered a few words to them.

The ascetics' expressions immediately changed. They took a few steps back, whispered among themselves, and agreed to Bohemond's request.

(End of this chapter)