The Battle of Achelous ( sq, Beteja e Akelout) took place in 1359 near the river Achelous, in

Aetolia Aetolia ( el, Αἰτωλία, Aἰtōlía) is a mountainous region of Greece on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, forming the eastern part of the modern regional units of Greece, regional unit of Aetolia-Acarnania. Geography The Achelous ...

, modern

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

fought between

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

troops, under

Peter Losha Pjetër Losha was an Albanian clan leader in medieval Epirus. He belonged to the Losha ''fis'' (clan or tribe) and was the leader of a combined force of his own clan and the ''fis'' of Mazaraki and Malakasi. In 1360, he became Despot of Arta, Ro ...

and John Spata, and forces of the

Despotate of Epirus The Despotate of Epirus ( gkm, Δεσποτᾶτον τῆς Ἠπείρου) was one of the Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire established in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204 by a branch of the Angelos dynasty. It claim ...

, under Nikephoros II Orsini. The Albanians defeated Orsini's army, which suffered massive casualties during the battle. The battle established two

despotates Despot or ''despotes'' ( grc-gre, δεσπότης, despótēs, lord, master) was a senior Byzantine court title that was bestowed on the sons or sons-in-law of reigning emperors, and initially denoted the heir-apparent of the Byzantine emperor. ...

from regions previously part of the

: the Despotate of Arta and the

Despotate of Angelokastron and Lepanto Despot or ''despotes'' ( grc-gre, δεσπότης, despótēs, lord, master) was a senior Byzantine court title that was bestowed on the sons or sons-in-law of reigning emperors, and initially denoted the heir-apparent of the Byzantine emperor. ...

Prelude

Since the early 14th century the power of the

had been decreasing while the Albanian tribesmen had been increasing their control over many areas of the despotate. Nikephoros II Orsini, Despot of Epirus decided to establish closer relations to the Serbian Empire by dropping his previous wife Maria Cantacuzena and marrying the sister of

Stefan Uroš IV Dušan Stefan may refer to: * Stefan (given name) * Stefan (surname) * Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname * Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname * Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer * Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...

's widow. The Albanians of the Despotate threatened revolt if Orsini married Helena of Bulgaria's sister and didn't recall Maria, who was part of the Kantakouzenos family allied with them. Orsini was forced to recall Maria but decided to wage war against the Albanians to stop their increasing power in the despotate.

Battle

Nikephoros II Orsini gathered his forces and marched against the Albanians in the regions they had settled in

, modern western

. The Albanians gathered their forces and under the leadership of

fought against Orsini in the late spring of 1359 near the

Achelous river The Achelous ( el, Αχελώος, grc, Ἀχελῷος ''Akhelôios''), also Acheloos, is a river in western Greece. It is long. It formed the boundary between Acarnania and Aetolia of antiquity. It empties into the Ionian Sea. In ancient ...

. The Albanians won the battle. Orsini was killed and his whole army was destroyed.

Aftermath

After Nikephoros's death the remaining major towns in the Despotate of Epirus, being under risk of capture by the Albanian troops, submitted to Simeon Uroš and the remaining areas of the Despotate were divided between him and Radoslav Hlapen. Simeon, unable to expel the Albanian leaders, tried to maintain indirect control of Epirus by recognizing Peter Losha and John Spata as despots, in the regions of

Arta Arta, ARTA, or Artà may refer to: Places Djibouti * Arta, Djibouti, a regional capital city in southeastern Djibouti * Arta Mountains, a mountain range in Djibouti * Arta Region, Djibouti Greece * Arta, Greece, a regional capital city in northwes ...

and Angelokastron and Lepanto respectively. Although most of Epirus came temporary under Albanian rule, due to their tribal structure and lack of central authority the Albanians didn't replace any existing Greek or Serbian rule with a centralized Albanian state. As an aftermath by 1366-67 only the city of

Ioannina Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...

wasn't under Albanian control.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Achelous 1359 Battles involving Albania 14th century in Greece Battles involving the Despotate of Epirus Conflicts in 1359 1359 in Europe History of Aetolia-Acarnania Achelous River Medieval Epirus