<Articles>The Counter-Reformation in the Eastern Mediterranean World: Orthodox Greeks and Catholics in Venetian Cyprus (1473-1571)

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  • FUJITA Fuka
    京都大学大学院博士後期課程・日本学術振興会特別研究員

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  • <論説>東地中海世界と対抗宗教改革 --ヴェネツィア領キプロスにおける正教徒とカトリック信徒--
  • 東地中海世界と対抗宗教改革 : ヴェネツィア領キプロスにおける正教徒とカトリック信徒
  • ヒガシチチュウカイ セカイ ト タイコウ シュウキョウ カイカク : ヴェネツィアリョウ キプロス ニ オケル セイ キョウト ト カトリック シント

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Abstract

Cyprus, the island located in the eastern Mediterranean, experienced many changes of its rulers from the twelfth to sixteenth centuries. From the medieval to the early modern period, the Byzantine Empire, the French Lusignans, the Republic of Venice, and the Ottoman Empire took successive control of the island. Amid these changes, most inhabitants of Cyprus were Orthodox Greeks. Yet, during the period of Latin rule under the Lusignans (1192-1473) and the Venetians (1473-1571), Catholics ruled over a predominantly Orthodox Greek population. Using Venetian Cyprus as a case study, this article examines the development of the Counter-Reformation and its impact on the Greeks to clarify how the status of Greeks was interrelated with the political and religious aspects of the eastern Mediterranean. Since the mid-sixteenth century, Venetian maritime territories were threatened by the expansion of the Ottoman Empire: Cyprus was surrounded by Ottoman territories. Simultaneously, the Papacy in the Counter-Reformation began to see not only Protestants but also Orthodox Greeks as heretics. The Counter-Reformation has been often considered as a conflict between Catholics and Protestants. However, it also had a great influence on the Eastern Church. Previous researchers have argued that the Counter- Reformation hardly affected Cyprus, because the reforms of the Venetian Catholic Archbishop Filippo Mocenigo did not change the church institution of Cyprus. Although these studies have investigated the Venetian religious policy and its relationship with the Papacy, the majority have overlooked the status of Greeks in the regime of Venetian Cyprus. To solve this problem, it is important to consider the behavior of Greeks in Cyprus during a moment of transition from Venetian to Ottoman rule. Long before the Council of Florence, Cypriot Orthodox church institutions had already begun to resemble those of the Uniate church. The Bulla Cypria was promulgated by Pope Alexander IV in 1260. This Bulla stipulated that Greeks could maintain the Orthodox faith and rites as long as they swore obedience to the Roman Catholic church and the Catholic archbishop of Nicosia, the central city of Cyprus. Venice inherited the church institutions of Cyprus and did not interfere in church matters. Based on this bull, Greeks and Catholics on the island had lived together without serious conflict since the mid-thirteenth century. Over time, unique religious customs were developed in the Cypriot local society. In the last decade of Venetian rule, however, the Counter-Reformation extended to Cyprus and caused tension between the two churches. In the 1560s, the Venetian Catholic Archbishop Mocenigo arrived on Cyprus with a spirit of Counter-Reformation. This manifested itself in a series of attempts to remedy the offices of both Catholic and Greek clerics in Cyprus according to the resolutions of the Council of Trent (1545-63). Regarding his activities, Greek Orthodox bishops resisted to the Counter-Reformation with their religious autonomy based on Bulla Cypria. The Venetian government tried to reconcile Orthodox clerics with Mocenigo fearing Ottoman intervention and territorial ambitions on Cyprus. Owing to the efforts of the Venetian government, the reformation lead by the Archbishop Mocenigo did not provoke Greek rebellion. Nevertheless, Mocenigoʼs reformation aroused fierce opposition from Greek clerics. Turning to the period of during the War of Cyprus (1570-1571), where Venice and the Ottoman Empire fought over the rule of the island, Mocenigoʼs reformation assumed a different character from the image shown by previous research. Greeks in Cyprus tried to establish their church institution as part of the Ottoman Empire when it became clear that Ottoman troops had defeated the Venetian troops and taken control of the island. Furthermore, Greeks insisted that the Greek Archbishop should to be a native Greek Cypriot. It seems that they thought only people who had been bo

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  • 史林

    史林 102 (6), 817-853, 2019-11-30

    THE SHIGAKU KENKYUKAI (The Society of Historical Research), Kyoto University

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