![Despotate_of_Arta,_1390](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Despotate_of_Arta%2C_1390.png)
Gjin Bua Shpata (sometimes anglicized as ''John Spata'') ( 1358 – 29 October 1399) was an
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 ...
ruler in
Western Greece
Western Greece Region ( el, Περιφέρεια Δυτικής Ελλάδας, translit=Periféria Dhitikís Elládhas, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It comprises the western part of continental Greece and the northw ...
with the title of
Despot. Together with
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 ...
, he led raids into
Epirus
sq, Epiri rup, Epiru
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = Historical region
, image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinrich ...
,
Acarnania
Acarnania ( el, Ἀκαρνανία) is a region of west-central Greece that lies along the Ionian Sea, west of Aetolia, with the Achelous River for a boundary, and north of the gulf of Calydon, which is the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth. Today i ...
and
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 ...
in 1358. He was recognized as Despot by the titular Eastern Roman Emperor in the early 1360s and ruled Aetolia (1360s–?),
Angelokastron (?–1399),
Naupactus
Nafpaktos ( el, Ναύπακτος) is a town and a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, situated on a bay on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, west of the mouth of the river Mornos.
It is named for Naupaktos (, Latinize ...
(1378–1399), and
Arta (1370s–1399).
Name
The word ''spata'', in
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 ...
''shpatë'',
pl. ''shpata'', 'sword'. According to
Orel (1998), the word was borrowed from
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''spāta''. Hammond thus believes that he was called "John the Sword".
Spatha
The spatha was a type of straight and long sword, measuring between 0.5 and 1 m (19.7 and 39.4 in), with a handle length of between 18 and 20 cm (7.1 and 7.9 in), in use in the territory of the Roman Empire during the 1st to 6th centuries AD ...
being a type of Roman sword.
Life
Karl Hopf Karl Hopf may refer to:
* Karl Hopf (historian)
Karl Hopf (Hamm, Westphalia, February 19, 1832 – Wiesbaden, August 23, 1873) or Carl Hermann Friedrich Johann Hopf was a historian and an expert in Medieval Greece, both Byzantine and Frankish.
...
's genealogy of the Shpata family is "altogether inaccurate";
according to it, his father was Pietro, the lord of
Angelokastron and
Delvina (1354) during the reign of Serbian emperor
Stefan Dušan
Stefan Uroš IV Dušan ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош IV Душан, ), known as Dušan the Mighty ( sr, / ; circa 1308 – 20 December 1355), was the King of Serbia from 8 September 1331 and Tsar (or Emperor) and autocrat of the Serbs, Gr ...
(r. 1331–55). It is known that Shpata had a brother,
Sgouros Spata Sgouros Spata ( sq, Skurra Bua Shpata; 1399–1403) was the Lord of Arta briefly in 1400, and the Lord of Angelokastron from 1401 until his death in 1403, during warfare in a civil war.
Life
Shortly before John Spata died on 29 October (1399 ...
.
In 1358, some Albanian commanders overran Epirus, Acarnania and Aetolia, and subsequently established two principalities under their leaders, Shpata and
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 ...
.
Nikephoros II Orsini
Nikephoros II Orsini - Doukas (Greek: Νικηφόρος Β΄ Δούκας, ''Nikēphoros II Doukas''), was the ruler of Epirus from 1335 to 1338 and from 1356 until his death in 1359.
Life
Nikephoros was the son of John Orsini of Epirus and ...
launched a campaign against the invading Albanians, and also faced with the threat of
Radoslav Hlapen
Radoslav Hlapen ( sr, Радослав Хлапен; 1350–1383) was a Serbian magnate who served Serbian Emperor Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–1355) and Stefan Uroš V (r. 1355–71) as '' vojvoda'' (military commander). He took part in the conques ...
to the north, he negotiated with
Simeon Uroš
Simeon Uroš ( sr-cyr, Симеон Урош, gr, Συμεών Ούρεσης; 1326–1370), nicknamed Siniša (Синиша), was a self-proclaimed Emperor of Serbs and Greeks, from 1356 to 1370. He was son of Serbian King Stephen Uroš III a ...
, presumably to prevent Simeon's Albanian allies from supporting the Albanians in Epirus. The negotiations were thwarted by Nikephoros' death fighting the Albanians
at Acheloos (1359).
![Albanian rulers 1360](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Albanian_rulers_1360.png)
In 1360,
Simeon Uroš
Simeon Uroš ( sr-cyr, Симеон Урош, gr, Συμεών Ούρεσης; 1326–1370), nicknamed Siniša (Синиша), was a self-proclaimed Emperor of Serbs and Greeks, from 1356 to 1370. He was son of Serbian King Stephen Uroš III a ...
, the titular Serbian Emperor, in an attempt to avoid conflict with the Albanians and as an acknowledgment of their military strength decided to the leave the areas of Arta and Aetolia to Shpata and Losha.
The Despot 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 ...
,
Thomas Preljubović
Thomas Preljubović ( sr, Тома Прељубовић / Toma Preljubović; el, Θωμάς Κομνηνός Παλαιολόγος, Thōmas Komnēnos Palaiologos) was ruler of the Despotate of Epirus in Ioannina from 1366 to his death on December ...
, had betrothed his daughter to Losha's son in 1370, satisfying the Albanians and ending the conflict between them. In 1374, however, Peter Losha died of the plague in Arta, after which Shpata took the city. At this time he was not bound by agreement to Thomas, and so he laid siege to Ioannina and ravaged the countryside by defeating the forces of Preljubovic. Thomas brought peace when he betrothed his sister Helena to Shpata the following year. Attacks on Ioannina continued, however, by the
Malakasioi
The Malakasi were a historical Albanian tribe in medieval Epirus, Thessaly and later southern Greece. Their name is a reference to their area of origin, Mallakastër in southern Albania. They appear in historical records as one of the Albanian t ...
, who didn't succeed
to take Ioannina in 1377 and 1379.This tribe acted independently and nor under the order of Shpata.
In 1376 or 1377, Shpata conquered
Nafpaktos
Nafpaktos ( el, Ναύπακτος) is a town and a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, situated on a bay on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, west of the mouth of the river Mornos.
It is named for Naupaktos (, Latini ...
; by this time he controlled Arta and much of southern Epirus and Acarnania. The
Achaean Knights Hospitaller
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...
s of
Juan Fernández de Heredia
Juan Fernández de Heredia (in Aragonese ''Johan Ferrández d'Heredia'', pronounced ; – 1396) was a Spanish knight of Aragon who served as Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller from 24 September 1377 to his death. His tenure was occupi ...
began their invasion of Epirus, moving onto Shpata, capturing Nafpaktos, and then
Vonitsa
Vonitsa ( el, Βόνιτσα) is a town in the northwestern part of Aetolia-Acarnania in Greece, seat of the municipality of Aktio-Vonitsa. Population 4,916 (2011). The beach town is situated on the south coast of the Ambracian Gulf, and is domina ...
in Acarnania (April 1378). However, Shpata managed to defeat and capture Heredia as a hostage, ending their campaign; he was again master of Nafpaktos by 1380. In May 1379, Shpata again devastated the countryside of Ioannina.
In 1380, Thomas made an offensive with the help of Turks reaching up to the upper
Kalamas River
The Thyamis ( el, Θύαμις), also known as Glykys (Γλυκύς) or Kalamas (Καλαμάς), is a river in the Epirus region of Greece. It flows into the Ionian Sea. It is long, and its drainage area is about , over 99% of which on Greek t ...
, where however, the Albanians, in particular the tribe of Mazaraki held their defensive position and defeated again Thomas.
In 1385 Thomas Preljubović was killed by some of his bodyguards. John attacked Ioannina, but was unsuccessful in cracking the defense set up by
Esau de' Buondelmonti
Esau de' Buondelmonti ( gr, Ησαύ Μπουοντελμόντ) was the ruler of Ioannina and its surrounding area (central Epirus) from 1385 until his death in 1411, with the Byzantine title of Despot.
Life
Esau was the son of the Florentin ...
. The two made peace, but soon returned to conflict. In 1386, Esau gained Ottoman military help. The Ottomans were, after the
Battle of Kosovo
The Battle of Kosovo ( tr, Kosova Savaşı; sr, Косовска битка) took place on 15 June 1389 between an army led by the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and an invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan ...
(1389), unable to assist Esau, thus, the Albanians seized the opportunity and raided the environs of Ioannina in the summer by defeating Esau and forcing him to stay inside the city. The Malakasioi then raided into the territory, after which they concluded alliance with Shpata. Esau then allied himself with the caesar of Thessaly (either Alexios Angelos or Manuel), who defeated the Albanians, presumablythe Malakasioi, later that year, but not Shpata.
In January 1396, Esau married Shpata's only daughter, Irene. The marriage was part of a deal which the archons of Ioannina enforced on Esau in order to make peace with the Albanians.
Shpata died on 29 October 1399, under the continuous pressure of Tocco. Shpata's son would become the next despot of Epirus and Aetolia for the next decade.
Legacy
The Albanian academic Gjergji Shuka distinguished the origin of some South Slavic (''Jovan i divski starešina'', ''Marko Kraljević i Đemo Brđanin'', ''Jana i Detelin voyvoda'') and Albanian and legends and epic songs, such as ''Zuku Bajraktar'', ''Dedalia dhe Katallani'', ''Çika e plakut Emin agë vret në duel Baloze Delinë'', and in the poem regarding Shpata and the battle of Arta in 1378. The two enemies of John,
Juan Fernández de Heredia
Juan Fernández de Heredia (in Aragonese ''Johan Ferrández d'Heredia'', pronounced ; – 1396) was a Spanish knight of Aragon who served as Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller from 24 September 1377 to his death. His tenure was occupi ...
and queen
Joanna I of Naples
Joanna I, also known as Johanna I ( it, Giovanna I; December 1325 – 27 July 1382), was Queen of Naples, and Countess of Provence and Forcalquier from 1343 to 1382; she was also Princess of Achaea from 1373 to 1381.
Joanna was the eldest daug ...
, are remembered in Balkan collective memory.
Possessions
![Despotate_of_angelokastron](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Despotate_of_angelokastron.jpg)
*
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 ...
(Early 1360s–?)
*
Angelokastron (?–1399)
*
Acheloos (?–1399)
*
Nafpaktos
Nafpaktos ( el, Ναύπακτος) is a town and a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, situated on a bay on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, west of the mouth of the river Mornos.
It is named for Naupaktos (, Latini ...
or "Lepanto" (1377–78; 1380–?)
*
Arta (1375–99)
Family
His genealogical tree is not well documented. It was first outlined by
Karl Hopf Karl Hopf may refer to:
* Karl Hopf (historian)
Karl Hopf (Hamm, Westphalia, February 19, 1832 – Wiesbaden, August 23, 1873) or Carl Hermann Friedrich Johann Hopf was a historian and an expert in Medieval Greece, both Byzantine and Frankish.
...
in his Chroniques Greco-Romanes (p. 531) and by K. Sathas in the 19th century but a newer study finds that those works have many mistakes and gaps. Hopf's genealogy of the Shpata family is "altogether inaccurate".
G. Schiró studied the genealogy of Shpata based on the original sources, i.e. the "Chronicle of Ioannina" and the "Chronicle of Tocco", but also on the Venetian archives. He proposed that Pietro Bua had not only three sons but four and that John had only daughters. His daughter Irene married three times. He believes that the family was extinct with the death of Yaqub in 1416. Other people, mainly condottieri, with the name "Bua" are not blood relatives of this family but this name was used by many as first name since it became famous.
[Schiró G. p. 81]
He was married to a woman who is unknown in historical record. He had an only daughter, Irene who was married (before April 1381 ) to a Marchesano of Naples, Morean baron, baillie of
Achaea
Achaea () or Achaia (), sometimes transliterated from Greek as Akhaia (, ''Akhaïa'' ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The ...
and
Esau de' Buondelmonti
Esau de' Buondelmonti ( gr, Ησαύ Μπουοντελμόντ) was the ruler of Ioannina and its surrounding area (central Epirus) from 1385 until his death in 1411, with the Byzantine title of Despot.
Life
Esau was the son of the Florentin ...
in 1396.
Esau was the Despot 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 ...
.
Among his grandchildren were brothers
Maurice Spata }); ) was the ruler of Arta from late 1399/early 1400 until his death in 1414 or 1415. Maurice's reign was dominated by his wars with Carlo I Tocco. Maurice was able to defend his capital of Arta, but despite some victories failed to prevent the fa ...
and
Yaqub Spata
Yaqub Spata or Shpata ( sq, Jakob Bua Shpata) was the last Lord of Arta, ruling from 1414/15 until 1416, with a brief interval when he was evicted by the local population. His rule ended after his capture and execution by Carlo I Tocco, who ...
, claimed to have been sons of Eirene.
See also
*
Albanian principalities
The term Albanian principalities refers to a number of principalities created in the Middle Ages in Albania and the surrounding regions in the western Balkans that were ruled by Albanian nobility. The 12th century marked the first Albanian princ ...
*
History of Albania
The history of Albania forms a part of the history of Europe. During classical antiquity, Albania was home to several Illyrian tribes such as the Ardiaei, Albanoi, Amantini, Enchele, Taulantii and many others, but also Thracian and Greek tribes ...
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Spata, John
14th-century births
1399 deaths
14th-century rulers in Europe
14th-century Albanian people
Medieval Albanian nobility
Despots of Arta
Despots of the Serbian Empire
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
History of Aetolia-Acarnania