Despotate of Arta
Despotate of Arta | |||||||||||
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Historical era | Angelokastron and Lepanto | 1374 | |||||||||
• Disestablished | 4 October 1416 | ||||||||||
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Today part of | Greece |
The Despotate of Arta (
History
Creation
In the late spring of 1359, Nikephoros II Orsini, the last despot of Epirus of the Orsini dynasty, fought against the Albanians near river Acheloos, Aetolia. The Albanians won the battle and managed to create two new states in the southern territories of the Despotate of Epirus. Because a number of Albanian lords actively supported the successful Serbian campaign in Thessaly and Epirus, the Serbian Tsar granted them specific regions and offered them the Byzantine title of despotes in order to secure their loyalty.
By the late 1360s, two Albanian principalities had emerged: the first with its capital in
At April 1378 the
The territory of this despotate at its greatest extent (1374–1403) was from the
Fall of the Despotate
After the death of Gjin Bua Shpata in 1399, the Despotate of Arta weakened continuously, and the
Local legacy
The city of Arta was relatively unknown during the period of the Albanian rule (1358–1416). The Albanian leaders, not accustomed to living in cities, as mountaineers, acquired legally Byzantine titles and tried to adopt Byzantine state structure. Although no architectural activity has been reported for this period, little seems to have changed in Arta and the Albanian and Greek population coexisted peacefully in the city.[7]
Monarchs
Picture | TitleName | Reign | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Despot Pjetër Losha |
1360–1374 | The first ever ruler of the Despotate of Arta. Pjetër reigned during the Losha Dynasty. | |
Despot Gjin Bua Shpata |
1374–1399 | Gjin started the Shpata Dynasty of the Despotate. He united the Albanian Despotates of Arta and Angelocastron after the death of Pjetër Losha. | |
Lord of Arta Skurra Bua Shpata |
1399–1403 | Brother of Gjin Bua Shpata. | |
Lord of Arta Muriq Shpata |
1403–1415 | Grandson of Gjin Bua Shpata and had one brother Jakob Bua Shpata. | |
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Lord of Arta Jakob Bua Shpata |
1415–1416 | The last ruler of the Despotate of Arta. |
See also
References
- ^ Served firstly as Despot of Angelokastron, became despot of Arta and Angelokastron after the death of Peter Losha.
- ^ ISBN 0-472-08260-4
- ISBN 99927-1-623-1
- ^ Fine, John. The Late Medieval Balkans. Ann Arbor, 1987.
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, p. 191
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, p. 53
- ISBN 978-88-8492-466-7, p. 138-139.