George Amiroutzes (b.1400-d.1470) was a Greek Renaissance scholar and philosopher.
He was born in Trebizond, lived and taught in Italy and eventually died in Constantinople. He is considered as a controversial figures of the late Byzantine era. He was praised and respected for his outstanding knowledge not only of theology and philosophy, but also of the natural sciences, medicine, rhetoric and poetry, all of which earned him the epithet, the Philosopher, (o Φιλόσοφος ).
He is first attested as a lay advisor to the imperial delegation to the Council of Ferrara-Florence.[1][2] There he strongly supported the union of churches but upon return to Constantinople he made statements against the papal primacy and Filioque. According to a papal document 100 florins were given to protonotarios George as a subsidy; it was conjectured that Amiroutzes was thus bribed to support the union.[3]
However, he was denounced by his fellow Greeks as an opportunist, a traitor and a renegade for his familiarity with Mehmed the Conqueror.
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