Carlo I Tocco

Carlo I Tocco was the hereditary

His marriage to Francesca, daughter of the Duke of Athens Nerio I Acciaioli, gave Carlo a claim on Corinth and Megara after Nerio's death, which he seized in 1395.^[1] From the beginning of his conquests, Carlo's army was composed mainly of Albanians, and they were rewarded with lands held in fee. Carlo would later station Albanians in the Peloponnese, where he needed them as soldiers.^[2]

He intermittently became involved with the affairs of the

From 1405^{[dubious – discuss]} Carlo controlled several fortresses on the mainland, including Angelokastro. He was invited as the successor of his uncle Esau de' Buondelmonti in Ioannina after the rejection of the latter's widow and son in February 1411. Nevertheless, he had to overcome the determined opposition of the Albanian clans, and in particular of the ruler of Arta, Yaqub Spata.

In spite of a victory over Carlo in 1412, the Albanians failed to take Ioannina. On the contrary, not long after Maurice died, and Yaqub was killed in battle in 1416, Carlo advanced on Arta and obtained its surrender in 1416. Arta was entrusted to Carlo's younger brother Leonardo II, and now the Tocchi controlled all major towns in Epirus. In 1415 he was granted the title

Apart from his conflict with the Byzantine rulers of

Morea

(the Peloponnese) over Elis, Carlo spent the remainder of his reign in relative peace.

Although he had several illegitimate children, he was succeeded by his nephew

Constantine XI

.

Family

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Carlo I Tocco had no children from his marriage to Francesca Acciaioli, daughter of Nerio I Acciaioli, Duke of Athens. By a relationship with an unnamed mistress, Carlo had five illegitimate sons:

• Memnone of Acarnania
• Ercole
• Turno
• Antonio
• Orlando of Reniassa

Chronicle of the Tocco

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Significant information about Carlo I Tocco is found in Chronicle of the Tocco which was evidently written by one of his contemporaries, covering 1375-1425, including therefore the period of Carlo's rule.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} ODB, "Tocco" (A.-M. Talbot), p. 2090
2. ISBN 978-88-8492-466-7
   .
3. ^ Nicol 1984, pp. 173, 190.
4. ^ Setton 1978, p. 13.
5. ^ Setton 1978, p. 18.
6. ^ Nicol 1984, p. 191.
7. ^ Nicol 1997. "But he was proud also to adopt the more glorious title of despot of Romania and to signify to the world the Hellenism of his heritage by signing his decrees and documents in Greek letters inscribed in the red ink of a true Byzantine despot"
8. ^ Genealogists' Magazine , Dec 2011

Sources

• ISBN 0-472-08260-4
  .
• ISBN 0-19-504652-8
  .
• OCLC 563022439
  .
• Nicol, Donald MacGillivray (1997). "Late Byzantine Period (1204-1479)". Epirus, 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization. Ekdotike Athenon. pp. 198–237.
  ISBN 9789602133712
  . Retrieved 11 March 2015.
• ISBN 978-0-521-13089-9
  .
• ISBN 0-87169-127-2
  .
• Soulis, George Christos (1984), The Serbs and Byzantium during the reign of Tsar Stephen Dušan (1331–1355) and his successors,
  ISBN 0-88402-137-8
• Zečević, Nada (2014). The Tocco of the Greek Realm: Nobility, Power and Migration in Latin Greece (14th-15th centuries). Belgrade: Makart.
  ISBN 9788691944100
  .

Preceded by Leonardo I Tocco	Count palatine of Cephalonia 1375/77–1429	Succeeded by Carlo II Tocco
Preceded by Giorgio de' Buondelmonti as ruler of Ioannina	Despot of Epirus 1411/16–1429
Preceded by Yaqub Spata as ruler of Arta