Journeys to Hungary and Rome

fter the failure of his first diplomatic moves, John V resolved to go to Hungary himself to ask for help. For the first time in the history of the Empire, an Emperor of Byzantium travelled abroad not as a general but as a supplicant, so desperate was the situation of the state.

John V arrived at Buda in the spring of 1366, but talks with the king of Hungary, Ludwig, reached an impasse when it came to the issue of union, which the latter set as a condition for any action against the Turks. John V left Buda, having accomplished virtually nothing. On his way back to Constantinople, however, he was forced to stop at Vidin, because the Bulgars did not allow him to pass through their territory.

From this difficult situation, the Emperor was extricated by his cousin, count Amadeo VI of Savoy. The so-called "Green Count" arrived at the Straits of Marmara in July 1366, wrested Kallipolis from the Turks and then turned against Bulgaria and forced the Bulgars to set free John V and to recognise Byzantine sovereignty over Sozopolis, Mesembria and Anchialos.

In early 1367, John V returned to Constantinople. Shortly afterwards, Amadeo VI arrived there as well, in order to continue his military operations against the Turks. However, being low on funds and men, he was forced to return to his country in the summer of 1367, after having urged John V to turn to the Pope for help, in return for promoting negotiation for union.

John V decided once more to journey forth and to solicit help himself. In the summer of 1369 he set out for Rome and, there, on 18 October of the same year he signed a confession of faith to the Catholic Church. This act was seen as a personal affair that concerned the Emperor alone, and it came to nothing, as the Orthodox clergy believed that the issue of union could only be resolved by an Ecumenical Council. The disapprobation of the Byzantine Church stopped the Pope from sending help, since he had made this assistance contingent on the union of the Churches. John V returned to Constantinople in October 1371, once again empty-handed.