The translation and evaluation of fourth book of Emperor Ioannes VI Cantacuzenus' Historia

Cantacuzenus had directed the Byzantine policy in the period of collapse behind the scenes during the term of emperors Andronicus II, Andronicus III and Ioannes V who belong to the last great Dynasty of Palaiologos. When he came to throne, he was 52 years old, he stayed as emperor only for seven years (1347-1354), after then he abdicated the crown, retired and left it to his groom who is legal emperor indeed, Ioannes V. After a few years following his retirement, he started to write his Historia, telling the years between 1320 and 1356 which consists of four volumes. Cantacuzenus, as an emperor, soldier, scholar, statesman and theologist, was also the only Byzantine emperor who recorded the cases of his own term. The purpose of this book is not to describe the social and political history of the 14th century Byzantine Empire, on the contrary to defend himself as a great statesman who tried to rule the events that had been experienced throughout that century as emperor who was slandered and misunderstood. He made an alliance with Aydinoglu Umur Pasha and Emir Orhan during his struggle against the regency goverment. Contrary to negative perception of the West against Turks, he tried to change this view by giving his daughter Theodora to Emir Orhan and established a kinship with Ottomans. Although it brought him the power, the loss of Tzympe Castle, settling of Turks in Gallipoli opened the door of Europe to Ottomans and started the collapse of Byzantine Empire. Despite its biased view, this work, which comes from the pen of an experienced statesman has a unique place because of its content and details in Byzantine Histography. It has undergone a significant deficiency in terms of details of Middle Ages and stablishment of Ottomans. There is no translation in our language. By our work, we think that this gap will be filled to a certain extent and dark spots will be illuminated. Key Words: Ioannes Cantacuzenus, Palaiologos, Andronicus, Byzantine, Umur Gazi, Emir Orchan, Theodore, Tzympe Castle, Historia