Despotate of the Morea

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Despotate of the Morea Δεσποτᾶτον τοῦ Μορέως
1349–1460
Flag of the Byzantine Empire under the Palaiologos dynasty Seal of Demetrios Palaiologos as Despot of the Morea
The Despotate of the Morea in 1450, divided between the two brothers, Thomas and Demetrios Palaiologos
Status	Semi-autonomous appanage of the Byzantine Empire
Capital	Mystras (main capital, 1349–1460) Glarentza (Constantine, 1428–1432) Kalavryta (Thomas, 1428–1432, Constantine, 1432–1443) Elis (Thomas, 1432–1449) Patras and Leontari (Thomas, 1449–1460)
Common languages	Despot of Morea
• 1349–1380	Manuel Kantakouzenos
• 1449–1460	Thomas Palaiologos and Demetrios Palaiologos
Historical era	Late Medieval
• Established	1349
• 1450s peasant revolt	1453–1454
• Ottoman conquest	29 May 1460
Preceded by Succeeded by Byzantine Empire under the Palaiologos dynasty Rumelia Eyalet
Today part of	Greece Peloponnese

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The Despotate of the Morea (

History

The Despotate of the Morea was created out of territory seized from the

A later Byzantine emperor,

Subsequent despots were the sons of the Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos, brother of the despot Theodore: Theodore II, Constantine, Demetrios, and Thomas. As Latin power in the Peloponnese waned during the 15th century, the Despotate of the Morea expanded to incorporate the entire peninsula in 1430 with territory being acquired by dowry settlements, and the conquest of Patras by Constantine. However, in 1446 the Ottoman Sultan Murad II destroyed the Byzantine defences—the Hexamilion wall at the Isthmus of Corinth.^[2] His attack opened the peninsula to invasion, though Murad died before he could exploit this. His successor Mehmed II "the Conqueror" captured the Byzantine capital Constantinople in 1453. The despots Demetrios and Thomas Palaiologos, brothers of the last emperor, failed to send him any aid, as Morea was recovering from a recent Ottoman attack. Their rule was unpopular, however, resulting in an Albanian–Greek revolt against them, during which they invited Ottoman troops to help them put down the revolt. At this time, a number of influential Greek archons made peace with Mehmed.^[3] After more years of incompetent rule by the despots, their failure to pay their annual tribute to the Sultan, and finally their own revolt against Ottoman rule, Mehmed came into the Morea in May 1460. Demetrios ended up a prisoner of the Ottomans and his younger brother Thomas fled. By the end of the summer, the Ottomans had achieved the submission of virtually all cities possessed by the Greeks.

A few holdouts remained for a time. The rocky peninsula of

Following the Ottoman conquest of the Morea, the title continued to be used by Thomas Palaiologos and his son Andreas in exile;

After the death of Andreas in 1502, the title was claimed by the Albanian exile Constantine Arianiti,^[10] and by the Greek nobleman Fernando Palaiologos.^[10]

See also

•  Greece portal
•  Middle Ages portal
• Byzantine Greece
• Principality of Theodoro
• Byzantine Empire under the Palaiologos dynasty

References

Citations