Germanus II of Constantinople
[1] In 1223, he was selected by the Nicaean emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes to fill the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which had relocated in Nymphaion after the fall of Constantinople in 1204.[1] Throughout his patriarchate, Germanus II strove to re-establish his authority as the head of the politically splintered Orthodox world, all the while supporting Vatatzes' in his claim to the Byzantine imperial inheritance.Thus Germanus II clashed with the prelates of Epirus for their support of the Epirote rulers, and especially the Archbishop of Ohrid, Demetrios Chomatenos, who had presided over the coronation of Theodore Komnenos Doukas as emperor at Thessalonica, directly challenging Nicaea's position.[4] Although a fierce critic of the perceived "errors" of the Catholic Church, and author of numerous anti-Catholic treatises,[1] he was initially willing to a rapprochement with Rome.[5] In response, a delegation of Franciscans and Dominicans arrived at Nicaea in 1234, but their remit was limited, they had no authority to conduct any negotiations, only to sound out the emperor and the patriarch.