John Grammatikos: an oblique history of a damned patriarch

The Iconoclast Controversy and especially the life and activities of the last iconoclast Patriarch John VII Grammatikos of Constantinople provide a unique case study in historical narrative. Little is known about John Grammatikos who was one of the most influential people in the political and ecclesiastical spheres in early eighth-century Constantinople. He was anathematized after the Triumph of Orthodoxy and his memory condemned. An evaluation of original Byzantine source materials and an inspection of modern conclusions demonstrates the difficulty in reconstructing a historically accurate John Grammatikos because of the inconsistencies in the sources. However, the histories have provided rich materials that illuminate both the person of John Grammatikos and the culture and times in which he lived. Through an analysis of primary and secondary texts and materials, a historiographical overview of John Grammatikos will be constructed that distinguishes between John the actor and John the character. This thesis will bring into perspective the necessary disconnect between historical sources and the reality they record. John Grammatikos proves to be one of the most influential individuals of the Iconoclast Controversy whose historical presence had a long lasting impact on European history.