This thesis is about the Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347. Conflict broke out over the question of the guardianship and regency over John V Palaiologos. The winner was John Kantakouzenos, who decided to rule with emperor John V Palaiologos and saw himself only as a guardian. Kantakouzenos's plans to restore the Empire were based on his wish to liberate the country of its dependency on Venice and Genoa for trade and goods.
Politics and theology were connected in the Empire. Both sides tried to connect different problems to the civil war, because they needed supporters. This is the reason the question of hesychasm was so important. The hesychast principles were accepted with the Kantakouzenos's victory. Regency got its support mainly from the middle and the lower classes, which consisted from traders, sailors, and common people. From this stems the problem of the Zealots in Thessalonica. Party of Zealots was made up from lower and middle classes of citizens in Thessalonica. At the same time the Zealots didn't want to obey orders from Constantinople.
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