The Avignon Papacy, Byzantium and Bulgaria

The paper studies some aspects of the relations between the Avignon papacy, Byzantium and Bulgaria. In the first part of the paper the author clarifies the characteristic tendencies in the Byzantine-Papal relations during this period. The course of the negotiations for a union between the Papacy and the Patriarchate of Constantinople is studied. The author lays particular stress on the activities of the Venetian diplomat Marino Sanudo Torsello in the 20s of the 14th century and the famous theologian Barlaam the Calabrian in the 30s of the same century. Special attention is paid to the dispute between the former Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos (Yoasaf monk) and the legat Paul in the summer of 1367. The second part of the paper describes the relations between the Papacy and Bulgaria. The author dwells upon the attempts of the Apostolic See to attract the Bulgarian state to the Union. Special attention is paid to the missionary work of Franciscan and Dominican monks in the Bulgarian lands. In the conclusion, it is pointed out that the systematic rejection of the plans for a union on the part of the Bulgarian state represents one of the most important differences between Bulgaria and Byzantium within the framework of the Byzantine-Slavonic community in the 14th century