Raphael I

Raphael was originally from Serbia. Eventhough he could not even speak Greek, he became a Patriarch due to the strong support of the sultan, to whom he had promised a large ammount of money. He could not, however, fulfil his promise and in spring 1476, he was deposed and imprisoned. He died later the same year in prison.

All the sources agree that even besides his uncannonical election procedure, he was rather unqualified and rude, "a man lying down, given wholly to drunkness [...], who was overall stupid" (cf. Athanasios Komnenos Ypsilantis).

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