The letters of Nicholas Mysticos and church-state relations in his second patriarchate, 912-925

FjELATIONS IN HIS SECOND PATRIARCHATE P12-925l'4uch of the ex tan t correEpondence of N i chol a.E Myst icc'=-, Patr iarch o{ Constant inopl e, was preu iougl y nelated to the Tetnagåmy Af{ain, which dominated hi=-f inst patr'ianchate (?0.l-907) and led to his deposition and schiEm in the church.A mone necent dating of the 'lettens to his =-econd patniarchate (9L7-?2=) a.llor¡rs for ner¡r insíghts into th is ì atter pen iod r,irhen chunch and state gnå.FFrl ed wi th the Fesult=.e{ the Tetragamy.Th iç.study addreEeeE the h i :.ton i cal con tex t o{ the pen i od, Ni chol as' chanacter, the I ettep-genpe and probì emE irr dat ing and interpr.eting the I etter*s.Spec i{ ic ì etteFs, deal i ng urt i th ma.t ters of con ten t i on be tt¡reen N i chol as and the gecular' authority, ar'e analyzed with regard to Nichola.-.' ne turn to the pa.tr i ar'chate , tr¿,ro i nEta.nceswhere the secu I ar authsnity impo=ed leuies uF¡c'rr chur'ch F'rc'penty and tr¡¡o occas i ons when the Etate i n terfened i n the doc tn i nal affa i of tl're church tc, end the sch i Em. lrlichol as, cl ea.nl y undenstanding the inter-dependence chur.ch and =,tate , adj uEted h i s ourn agpnda whene neceËsapy addnesE the conceFnE of the Eecuìar gouennment, He in i t iated a work ing rel at ionsh ip betr¡een church and Etate and, when the vi taì needE of the state pequined, he placed his own support and that of the cl-rur*ch behind the Eeculan gouÊrnment.Thus, his attitude and actionE significantly influenced the coursÉ o{ euent:.. n5 of to tv AÊKNCIt.]LEEGEMENTS I r¡ish to Eincerel y tha.nl( my adv iEor, Dr. John l'^lontl ey' {on h is adu ice and ae:.i:.tancs in the preFarat ion of th is t^rorl(.pant icul a.r thanl(s årÊ due to my husband and f amil y f or al I theinmoFal=uppartrmoE.tespeciallytheirpatienceandunderstanding in the completion o{ thiE tasl(' Lr-PG ABÊREUIATI OT'IS E.Z.Byzs.ntinischeZeitschnift (Leipsiz, t??:l-) CFHEI Cor.nus Far¡t i um H i stûn i ae Ëyzan t i nae iBer'l in, etc., l?67-) On Alexander's death (June ?13),Nicho'l aE headed a r'Êgentry council fer the child-emFerGr, Correta.ntinePonphvnogeni tcs, and he conducted the affains of church and :.tate for å period of nine monthe.Seuenal important pol i tical events dominated his negency: the conspinacy of Andronicos Dc'ucae ( in which Nicholas himself might have been involved), the outhneak of hrap r¡ith Bulgaria, and negot i at i onE bv Ni chol as wi th Symeon of Bul gan i a to a{fect his r,.rithdnar,'-rl fnom the veFy rrralìs of constantinopre.