The Albanian-Epirote War of 1381–84 was waged between the Despotate of Arta, led by Gjin Bua Shpata and the Despotate of Epirus, led by Thomas II Preljubović.[1][2] During the War, Thomas would be given the nickname "Albanian-slayer", due to the cruelty he displayed towards Albanian prisoners.[3][4][1]
| Albanian-Epirote War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Despotate of Arta |
Despotate of Epirus Ottoman Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Gjin Bua Shpata |
Thomas II Preljubović X Shahin Pasha | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
Bua tribe Malakasi tribe Mazaraki tribe |
Epirote Army Janissaries | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | unknown | ||||||
Prelaude[]
In 1381, Thomas, facing repeated failures against the Albanians, sought assistance first from his Frankish neighbors and later turned to the Ottomans for help. The Ottomans promptly responded by dispatching an auxiliary force to aid him.[1] For their Help they gave him in his fight against Arta, he let the Ottomans seize Dryinoupolis.[5]
War[]
In 1381, Thomas II Preljubović, accompanied by Ottoman auxiliary forces, launched an invasion of the Despotate of Arta.[1] Despite heavy assistance from the Ottomans during his Offensive, he only managed to capture three villages (Vrontismeni, Voursina, and Dhespotikon).[1] His invasion soon stalled, and he did not manage to advance further than the upper Kalamas basin.[1] Later Thomas would ultimately be defeated in Battle in the Kalamas Valley by Gjin Bua and the Mazaraki tribe.[1]
During the last stages of the War, Thomas II Preljubović's relationship with his wife Maria had become strained, leading to a deteriorating situation between them. Maria became involved in a conspiracy against her husband. On December 23, 1384, Thomas was assassinated by his own guards, thus ending the War.[1][2]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Hammond, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière (1976) (in en). Migrations and Invasions in Greece and Adjacent Areas. Noyes Press. pp. 59. ISBN 978-0-8155-5047-1. https://books.google.de/books?id=_VBoAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sansaridou-Hendrickx, Thekla (January 2010). "The Albanians in the Chronicle(s) of Ioannina : An Anthropological Approach" (in en). pp. 287–306. Digital object identifier:10.1080/10226486.2010.11879131. ISSN 1022-6486. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10226486.2010.11879131.
- ↑ Ellis, Steven G.; Klusáková, Lud'a (2007) (in en). Imagining Frontiers, Contesting Identities. Edizioni Plus. pp. 135. ISBN 978-88-8492-466-7.
- ↑ Oswald, Brendan (2011). "Citizenship in Medieval Ioannina". http://www.cliohres.net/books/7/08.pdf.
- ↑ Nicol, Donald M. (1984) (in en). The Despotate of Epiros 1267-1479: A Contribution to the History of Greece in the Middle Ages. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-26190-6. https://books.google.de/books?id=XIj0FfKto9AC&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PA143&dq=Thomas+II+Preljubovi%C4%87&hl=de&source=newbks_fb&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Thomas%20II%20Preljubovi%C4%87&f=false.
The original article can be found at Albanian-Epirote War (1381–1384) and the edit history here.