John III of Trebizond

Who was John III of Trebizond?

John III Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from September 4, 1342 to May 3, 1344. He was a son of Emperor Michael of Trebizond and Acropolitissa, a daughter of Constantine Acropolites.

John lived most of his life in Constantinople where his father had lived since c. 1297. When Michael became Emperor of Trebizond for a day in 1341 and was quickly deposed and imprisoned by megas doux John the Eunuch, John was still in Constantinople. However, in 1342 the leaders of the Scholarioi, Niketas Scholares and Gregory, visited him there and persuaded the young man to come with them to Trebizond and take the throne. With the approval of the Byzantine government, the group set out for Trebizond in September 1342 after enlisting the support of three Genoese galleys, bringing their little fleet to a total of five ships. After a short but fierce fight John and his supporters captured the city on September 4, aided by a popular uprising in their favor. After the coronation of John III as emperor, the deposed Empress Anna Anachoutlou was strangled, and her noble supporters executed or exiled shortly following John's coronation in Panagia Chrysokephalos Church.