IN JUNE 1380, the synodos endemousa, the assembly of those bishops of the Patriarchate of Constantinople present in the capital, had to decide on a very delicate issue. Shortly before, Pimen, a cleric sent by the Grand Prince Dmitri of Moscow, one of the most powerful rulers in the Orthodox world, had arrived at the Bosporus in order to be ordained as metropolitan of Kiev and “all countries of the Rus.” The filling of this position was highly contested within the fragmented political landscape of Eastern Europe. Therefore, the Synod already in 1375 had appointed a second Metropolitan for the western parts of the church province of the Rus, Cyprian, while Metropolitan Aleksey, who resided in the eastern parts in Moscow, still was alive. Cyprian, however, had been promised to become metropolitan of the entire region after Aleksey’s death. Yet, when Aleksey died in 1378, Grand Prince Dmitri wanted a candidate of his own choice on the episcopal throne and sent Pimen to Constantinople. Since it seemed unwise for the Byzantine Empire and the bishops in Constantinople, already severely threatened by the expansion of the Ottomans at that time, to alienate the powerful Muscovite ruler, the Synod came together to elect Pimen as metropolitan. This, however, would have included an annulment of the earlier decision of 1375, although it had been made entirely legally. In this quandary, the bishops consulted with Theophanes, metropolitan of Nicaea, who had been absent from the synod due to health reasons, but because of his high age and earlier merits enjoyed the highest reputation within the episcopate. Theophanes hesitated to agree to the annulment of a completely valid decision, but finally gave in and stated: “since those bishops (present in the synod), who then had made the decision together with me” now intend to revoke it, “I will not oppose.