The History of the Despotate was one which spawned from three imperial dynaties, the Doukases, Komnenoi, and the Angeloi. Please excuse me if you feel this belongs in another section.

I feel they belong here because Doukas was the name the Despots used the most often and their relation to the Komnenoi was only through their grandmother. Angeloi doesn't fit because of their poor quality as rulers. Also please excuse me for any not understandable sentences and phrases.

The Despotate of Epiros, Thessaly, and the Empire of Thessalonike

In the long and continuous flow of years in the Byzantine empire which spanned more than 1,200 years there came and existed many different aspects of their culture and empire. However after the warriors of the Fourth Crusade sacked and wrecked Constantinople in 1204 there were to be three individual empires claiming to be the real one. One was at Nikaia, which arose under John III Lascaris. Another was in the Pontos in modern Turkey under Alexios Kommenos, grandson of the terrible Byzantine Emperor Andronikos I. Another was at Epiros in Modern Greece and part of Albania. This state was under the leadership of Michail Angelos Kommenos Doukas, bastard son of John Angelos Doukas.

Michail Doukas was a man of a devious and opportunistic character. He had already rebelled against his righteous ruler, Alexios III Angelos in 1200. In this rebellion, he had devastated the Meander Valley of Asia Minor with the aid of the Turks. Yet to start his state he had almost done this innocently enough.

Once the warriors of the crusade, mostly Franks and Venetians, had sufficiently pillaged Constantinople, it came time to divvy up their conquests and elect an emperor to replace the Byzantine one. They picked Baldwin of Flanders as emperor while the knights set off into Greece for their conquests. A disappointed about not being elected emperor, Boniface of Montferrat, went to set up his own kingdom based around the city of Thessalonike. With him in this expedition was Michail, who was coming along to answer an appeal from a relative of his, who was a governor in Epiros. However, upon Michail’s arrival he found that his relative had died. It was only then his intentions changed to ones of ambition. There and then, he set up his state in the mountainous region of Epiros with its capital at Arta.

With the foundation of his state, Epiros quickly grew to encompass the northwestern coast of Greece and part of Thessaly. Probably the reason was his blood relations, for was he not related to three ruling dynasties: the Doukes, the Kommenoi, and the Angeloi. However, he never used the family name of Angelos in his official title, but there can be no doubt of why with his disastrous imperial cousins’ reigns. Also in his reign, he was to submit his fledgling state to the Pope and the new Latin Emperor Henry, who had succeeded his brother Baldwin. Later, however, this was to be repudiated.

However, Michail was not one to lack energy, especially in the military field. One of his campaigns was into Thessaly, which he subjugated in 1207. Next, saw a treaty with Venice in which he recognized their suzerainty and guaranteed them an open market in his domain. Later in 1212, he launched a major attack on the Kingdom of Thessalonike, which was only beat off with considerable difficulty by its king and the Emperor Henry. Seeing that his state was not yet ready to take Thessalonike he turned his sights on the cities of Larissa, Halmyros, and Velestino, which gave him a domain stretching from the Ionian Sea to the Aegean Sea. Next, it was time to end his treaty with Venetians when he decided that he needed Durazzo and Corfu. Both respectively captured in 1213 and 1214. Then disaster struck him, when a servant assassinated him in 1215.

Succeeding Michail was Theodore, his legitimate brother, who took actually used the name Angelos in his title because he wanted to associate himself with the empire. Theodore had many qualities that differentiated him from his brother. For example in the from the years 1204-1209 he had spent with Theodore Lascaris at Nikaia and only was convinced with difficulty to come to Epiros. He also had legitimacy that made him far worse then his brother could ever have been with the taint of bastardy. It gave him a veritable claim to the reconquest of the old capital at Constantinople.

The first step in his plan became quite clear to his enemies when he embarked on the securing of his domains by conquering the Bulgarian held Ochrid and Axius Valley. The he even managed to capture and probably kill the Latin Emperor Peter after Peter had tried to invade Theodore’s realm. With this fresh success, he finished the conquest of Thessaly begun by his brother. Next, he began the next part of the conquests in which his brother had failed. The destruction of the Kingdom of Thessalonike was achieved after a long siege in which the city had been surrendered in 1224. A year later, he marched through Western Thrace forcing the Latins there back to the walls of Constantinople. Later on, he made peace with John Asen of Bulgaria. He carried all before him. Then his march was temporarily halted by John Asen’s desire to marry his daughter to the Latin Emperor Robert.

So while that was going on he didn’t spare a moment. In 1227, he had himself crowned Emperor of Thessalonike by the metropolitan of Ochrid. Kind of a strange person to crown the Emperor of Thessalonike but the bishop of Thessalonike had refused to crown him because of his loyalty to the Patriarch of Nikaia. It was significant because he was now on the same level as his contemporaries in Nikaia and Trebizond, a step his brother had never dared attempt.

A stalemate now ensued because of Asen’s attempt to marry his daughter to Robert. However, this had failed because of the Latin’s refusal. Theodore was impatient with these results and decided to attack. It was not Constantinople that he attacked, but Bulgaria. This was to prove Theodore’s undoing. For near the city of Klokotnitsa his army was destroyed by those of Asen, and he was taken prisoner.

The battle of Klokotnitsa was to have powerful effects for Theodore’s empire. For with his army’s destruction, the Bulgarians swept through his hasty gains. His brother Manuel was set up in Thessalonike as Despot and was allowed to rule only through the virtue of his marriage to Asen’s daughter. Under Manuel, the empire was largely made into a Bulgarian puppet. Later in his reign, Michail II of Epiros was to break off from him and found the Despotate of Epiros.

However, for Manuel’s bad fortune, the old emperor Theodore was still alive with all of his ambitions save that of ever ruling Constantinople. Although Asen had blinded him for plotting in prison, he still could manage his own agenda. For when Asen’s wife died, Theodore married his daughter Irene off to him and was released almost immediately.

Free again around 1237, Theodore rushed back to his old kingdom where he incited a revolt that deposed Manuel. Then he placed his pious son John on the throne as emperor. With John’s desire being to retire to a monastery, Theodore was able to dominate him easily. As for the unfortunate Manuel, he was exiled to Turkish territory from whence he escaped to Nikaia where its emperor John III Vatatzes gave him an army to return with. However, Theodore was not to be deposed again so easily, which is why he bought off Manuel with the governorship of Thessaly under Thessalonian suzerainty.

Now that Vatatzes had seen his first attempt to undermine the Empire of Thessalonike fail, he decided to use a different tactic. Instead, he sent Theodore an invitation to come to Nikaia to discuss an alliance between their two states. Theodore was better off to refuse, but he came and then was imprisoned once again. However, his stay was not to last as long because a year later he was released on the guarantee that he force John to downgrade his title to Despot. Therefore, it was done and Theodore continued with a much weaker claim to retaking Constantinople.

With John’s death in 1244, Theodore replaced him with his other son Demetrios, who was the antithesis of John’s morality. Next in 1246, John Vatatzes invaded once again with conquest on his mind. Now Theodore and his sons had already managed to estrange themselves with their subjects so much that when Vatatzes arrived a general feeling took them and they rose to his army and surrendered Thessalonike. Demetrios was then sent into exile to Asia Minor. Theodore however was not given such treatment; instead, he was left to govern Edessa. As for John Vatatzes, he returned home to Nikaia.

Meanwhile in Epiros Proper, which had broken off under Michail II, the illegitimate son of Michail I, had actually managed to prosper during this time. Michail had even managed a treaty and marriage alliance between his son Nikephoros and Maria, granddaughter of Vatatzes. Then he listened to his Uncle Theodore and disaster struck, but not at first. Together they invaded the Axius Valley. The recent treaty was torn to shreds and they both attacked Thessalonike. With this Vatatzes had to return to Europe and both of them fled before him. Now a new treaty was signed with the marriage still to be fulfilled, but Michail had to give up his conquests, Macedonia, the coast of Albania, and his son Nikephoros as a hostage. As for Theodore, he was brought back to Nikaia where he was imprisoned once again. Here he was to die.

The emperor Theodore had had his share of greatness and disaster regarding his empire. He had brought it to new heights, but had acted too quickly. Therefore, he had ensured its fall with his defeat at Klokotnitsa. Theodore’s death left his empire finally free of his destructive shadow.

As for Michail, he had to live with the consequences. For when the marriage between his son and Vatatzes daughter was finally to take place new demands were to be pushed on him. His wife had accompanied them to the place where they were to be married only to learn that the new Nikene emperor, Theodore, now demanded Durazzo and Servia. She had had to accept but that could not assuage her husband’s anger. He flew into a rage and seized the city of Prilep where when the first Nikene army under George Akropolites arrived it was smashed with Akropolites taken prisoner.

Filled with the glory of this victory, he then marched south to besiege Thessalonike. In response, the army of Nikaia under the future emperor Michail VIII Palaiologos came and drove him off. Yet its action had little effect because of the limitations the emperor Theodore had put on Michail Palaiologos. Palaiologos was then recalled and the armies prepared to march again.

However, at this time Manfred of Sicily attacked Epiros and took Corfu, Durazzo, Avlona, and a few other coastal towns. In response, Michail II proposed an alliance between the two sealed with the marriage of Michail’s daughter to Manfred with a dowry of the conquered lands. In gratitude, four hundred cavalry were sent to Michail from Manfred. In addition, to join this alliance was William of Villehardouin, the most powerful of the Latin rulers of the Peloponnesus, because he had married another daughter of Michail. This new sinister alliance could only spell trouble for Nikaia.

However now that the Nikene Emperor, Theodore had died, and Michail VIII succeeded there was to be a great struggle. Michail now free of restraints launched himself against Epiros attacking them in their winter quarters at Castoria. Surprised at this Michail II fled to Avlona where he sent appeals to his allies. Manfred responded by sending more troops while William came from Achaia with an army. Returning to the attack the Despot attacked Pelagonia, where the brother of Michail VIII, John Palaiologos exploited the motley army. Insulted Michail and his son Nikephoros fled to Cephalonia, while his other bastard son, John betrayed the army and went over to the Nikene side. What was left of the army was promptly then destroyed.
Now as for Michail’s II dominions, they were ravaged because of this defeat. Arta was seized and all but two towns, Joannia and Vonitsa fell to John Palaiologos. To save his power and dominions Michail II became Michail VIII’s vassal over Southern Epiros and Thessaly. A year later, in 1264, He rebelled once again but had to surrender once again and this time marry his widowed son Nikephoros to Maria Kantakouzena. A few years later Michail was to die.

Nikephoros I succeeded to the Despotate of Epiros in 1271. His bastard brother John also succeeded as John I Despot of Thessaly. Both of them were to rule for nearly fifteen years.

Now it was during their reign that Michail VIII had submitted the Eastern Church to the scepter of Rome. Typically, they did not accept it by welcoming refuges from Michail’s VIII Empire. John even set himself up against the union and became a champion of Orthodoxy. Partly because of this reason, Michail was to send many expeditions against them. To complicate matters further Nikephoros had just recently become the vassal of Charles of Sicily, Michail’s sworn enemy.

John I of Thessaly was to be perhaps Michail’s prime focus in these expeditions because of his relative closeness to the Latin principalities of the south. In one year, the expedition ended badly when John was attacked by John Palaiologos. For when John I found himself besieged in the castle of Neopatras he escaped at night disguised and managed to get to Thebes. There the local ruler gave him an army, which he used to make the forces of John Palaiologos, flee.

Meanwhile, his brother Nikephoros had engaged himself in an attempt to keep the Michail Palaiologos out of Epiros. That did not mean however that he didn’t have the time to construct the impressive Church of the Virgin Paregoretissa at Arta. Yet repeatedly he sold parts of his state in his attempt. When he died in 1296, his lands were far better off without him.

With Nikephoros’s death, his son Thomas came to power. Thomas however was young. Though he was to marry Anna Palaiologos, the sister of Andronikos III of Byzantium. However later on in his reign, in 1318 his cousin Nicholas Orsini, who then became despot of Epiros, killed him.

Nicholas now succeeded as ruler. In honor of this, he married his victim’s wife, Anna, and converted to the Orthodox faith. However, his reign and those of his family after him were to be a disaster in the making. Partly because his family in the eyes of the Epirots had never been the legitimate rulers, but is there any wonder why. The other was his family’s tendency to murder one another. In that fashion, his brother murdered him in 1324.

So came about the succession of John Orsini of Epiros. His reign was to be just as much a disaster with the final scramble to seize Thessaly in 1333. For after the death of John I, he had been succeeded by his son Constantine, largely unimportant, and in Constantine’s turn his sickly son John II in 1303. John’s reign was far more important then his father’s in the fact that Thessaly was to be devastated by the Catalan, which was to weaken it. Then when John died peacefully in 1318, his state began to fall apart at the seams. It went to the Catalans, the Venetians, and locals until only a small fraction was to survive under it local governor Stephen Melissinos, who died in 1333 and the struggle was on. John Orsini swept in, but the emperor Andronikos III of Byzantium was just too fast when he came and downright annexed it. It was a taste to John of Epiros of just what was in store for him.

John of Epiros was to follow his brother to the grave in a similar fashion. Except this time, the murderer was his own wife Anna, who took power as regent for her son Nikephoros II. Her power was only to last for three years though. It came to an end when Andronikos III finally came to Epiros to put it out in his intentions forever.

When he came, he was to receive an envoy from Anna with a message of how she would continue with her son to rule under imperial suzerainty. Obviously, this was not an acceptable condition. Therefore, he captured Arta, the capital, and carried them off to Thessalonike where they were to live out their lives no longer in power. As for Epiros in their place was put a governor, Theodore Synaidos. The Despotate was at an end -- or was it?

Shortly after being carried off something happened that was not calculated by Andronikos, Nikephoros was carried off by Epirot nobles who wanted their state to remain autonomous. They then took him on boat to Italy where he was brought to the court of Catherine of Valois. She then proceeded to take him to Achaia where she then plotted a rebellion to retake Epiros. She got her desire in 1339 when the people of Arta flew up against Theodore Synaidos and imprisoned him.

Andronikos then returned to Epiros where he besieged and captured Arta and restored Synaidos. The reason for the failure had been quite simple. It had spread. As for Andronikos, he then turned to his other objective of getting back Nikephoros. This however came quite simply when he surrendered himself. In gratitude, he was sent to his new home in Thessalonike and given the hand of Maria Kantakouzena in marriage. The Despotate had finally been crushed, but not the people’s loyalty to their despots.

About seventeen years after these events took place Nikephoros II was to return home where he was welcomed. Quickly he had control over most of his old lands. This was made more amazing by the fact that he didn’t have an army when he had first come. However, this story does not continue for two years later in 1359; Nikephoros was killed fighting Albanian rebels. So ended the power of Epiros and the last line of the Despots of Epiros.

With the final passing of Epiros in the 1350’s the times were to increasingly to be dominated by the Turks who quickly took over these lands. Epiros had been a state hastily built by its impatient rulers. It was for that reason that it failed to take back Constantinople as Nikaia had done. With its final death the full-fledged destruction of Byzantium was to begin.

List of Rulers of Epiros

Doukas Angelos Komnenos

Michail I 1204-1215
Theodore 1215-1230
Manuel 1230-1237
Michail II 1237-1271
Nikephoros I 1271-1296
Thomas 1296-1318

Orsini

Nicholas 1318-1324
John 1324-1336
Nikephoros II 1336-1340
Of Thessalonike
Theodore 1227-1230
Manuel 1230-1237
John 1237-1244
Demetrios 1244-1246

Of Thessaly

John I 1271-1296
Constantine 1296-1303
John II 1303-1318

Works Cited

Brantley, Chris. “Epirot Byzantine (1204-1340) The Despotate of Epiros and Thessaly and the Empire of Thessalonike.” August 23, 2001. http://www.fanaticus.org/dba/armies/IV33.html. (12 Nov. 2004)

Norwich, John J. Byzantium the Decline and Fall. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996.

Treadgold, Warren. A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1997.