Leonardo III Tocco (after 1436 – before August 1503) was the last ruler 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 ...
, ruling from the death of his father
Carlo II Tocco
Carlo II Tocco (died 1448) was the ruler of Epirus from 1429 until his death.
Life
Carlo II was the son of Leonardo II Tocco, the younger brother and co-ruler of Carlo I Tocco, count of Cephalonia and Zante, duke of Leukas, and ruler of Epirus. ...
in 1448 to the despotate's fall to the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
in 1479. Leonardo was one of the last independent Latin rulers in Greece, and the last to hold territories on the Greek mainland. After the fall of his realm, he fled to Italy, where he became a landowner and diplomat. Leonardo continued to claim his titles in exile until his death.
Although Leonardo inherited numerous possessions on the western Greek mainland, most of his mainland territories, including the capital of
Arta, were conquered by the Ottomans in 1449, in the first year of Leonardo's reign. Leonardo had inherited the throne while still underage, and his government was thus headed by a four-person
regency council
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...
for several years. Upon becoming old enough to rule for himself, Leonardo had all of his former regents murdered. Though Leonardo engaged in several anti-Ottoman activities, such as working on the side of the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
in the
First Ottoman–Venetian War
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
(1463–1479), his realm was left in peace throughout most the period, allowing Leonardo's islands to become one of the most prosperous regions in Greece.
Though energetic and wise, Leonardo was not very successful. He desperately tried to gain the support of the many Greeks who lived under his rule, through restoring
Greek Orthodox
The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...
religious sees, allowing the Greeks a certain degree of autonomous self-governance and issuing charters in Greek. These efforts do not appear to have had an effect on most of the populace. In 1477, Leonardo's marriage to a Neapolitan noblewoman, an attempt at gaining the support of the
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
, backfired catastrophically in that it alienated Venice, who opposed increased Neapolitan influence in Greece. In spite, Venice ceased to act as Leonardo's protection, which paved the way for the 1479 Ottoman invasion that ended Leonardo's rule.
Viewing opposition to the Ottomans as futile, Leonardo escaped into exile. Though Leonardo spent the rest of his life pondering how he would be able to regain his lands, he never returned to Greece. In Italy, Leonardo attempted to increase his status through acquiring various fiefs, though this proved to be an unsuccessful venture, with the despot ending up in considerable debt and eventually losing all the lands he had acquired. Leonardo died in Rome at some point in the pontificate of
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...
(1492–1503), crushed as his house collapsed on top of him. His claims were inherited by his eldest son,
Carlo III Tocco Carlo III Tocco (1464–1518) was the titular despot of Epirus and count palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos from the death of his father Leonardo III Tocco to his own death in 1518. Carlo lived in Rome, where he received pensions from both the ...
.
Background
![Conquests of Carlo I Tocco](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Conquests_of_Carlo_I_Tocco.svg)
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 ...
was one of the Byzantine successor states founded in 1204/1205 in the aftermath of the
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...
, which saw the collapse of the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
and the creation of the
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzanti ...
by the crusaders in its place. The despotate had originally been ruled by the Byzantine Komnenos
Doukas family
The House of Doukas, Latinized as Ducas ( el, Δούκας; feminine: Doukaina/Ducaena, Δούκαινα; plural: Doukai/Ducae, Δοῦκαι), from the Latin title ''dux'' ("leader", "general", Hellenized as 'ðouks'', is the name of a Byzan ...
, a branch of the
Angelos
The House of Angelos (; gr, Ἄγγελος), feminine form Angelina (), plural Angeloi (), was a Byzantine Greek noble lineage which rose to prominence through the marriage of its founder, Constantine Angelos, with Theodora Komnene, the youn ...
dynasty which had ruled Byzantium from 1185 to 1204, but fell into the hands of the Italian
Orsini family
The House of Orsini is an Italian noble family that was one of the most influential princely families in medieval Italy and Renaissance Rome. Members of the Orsini family include five popes: Stephen II (752-757), Paul I (757-767), Celestine II ...
in 1318 through inheritance and scheming, before the despotate was conquered and destroyed by the
Serbian Empire
The Serbian Empire ( sr, / , ) was a medieval Serbian state that emerged from the Kingdom of Serbia. It was established in 1346 by Dušan the Mighty, who significantly expanded the state.
Under Dušan's rule, Serbia was the major power in the ...
in the 1340s.
Though various local rulers would claim the title of 'despot' thereafter, the despotate was not restored to something close to its original form until the early 15th century, when the Italian noble
Carlo I Tocco Carlo I Tocco was the hereditary Count palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos from 1376, and ruled as the Despot of Epirus from 1411 until his death on July 4, 1429.
Life
Carlo I was the son of Count Leonardo I Tocco of Cephalonia and Leukas by Madda ...
worked to expand his holdings through conquest. Carlo I was the son of
Leonardo I Tocco Leonardo I Tocco (died 1375/1377) was the count palatine of the islands of Cephalonia and Zakynthos from 1357 until his death, and later lord of Ithaca, Lefkada, and the port of Vonitsa as well.
He was the son of Guglielmo Tocco, the Angevin govern ...
, who had been granted the title of
Count Palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos
The County Palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos existed from 1185 to 1479 as part of the Kingdom of Sicily. The title and the right to rule the Ionian islands of Cephalonia and Zakynthos was originally given to Margaritus of Brindisi for his servi ...
by the
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
. Carlo I's uncle,
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 Florentine ...
, who ruled the town
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 ...
as despot, died in 1411. The town was then held by his wife,
Jevdokija Balšić Jevdokija Balšić ( sr-Cyr, Јевдокија Балшић; died after 1428), was a Zetan aristocrat and regent. She wife of Esau de' Buondelmonti, despot of Ioannina. She was regent of Ioannina during the minority of her son in 1411.
Life
J ...
, but on account of her unpopularity she was deposed by the locals, who appealed to Carlo I to become their ruler instead. Only two months after Esau's death, Carlo I made a triumphal entry into Ioannina. He almost immediately assumed the title of
despot, though the locals insisted that Carlo seek recognition of that title from the Byzantine emperor. After having received Carlo I's brother
Leonardo II Tocco Leonardo II Tocco (1375/76 – 1418/19) was a scion of the Tocco family and lord of Zakynthos, who played an important role as a military leader for his brother, Carlo I Tocco, in early 15th-century western Greece.
Biography
Leonardo was the seco ...
as an emissary, Emperor
Manuel II Palaiologos
Manuel II Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( gr, Μανουὴλ Παλαιολόγος, Manouēl Palaiológos; 27 June 1350 – 21 July 1425) was Byzantine emperor from 1391 to 1425. Shortly before his death he was tonsured a monk and received the na ...
(1391–1425) formally recognized Carlo I as a despot in 1415. Carlo I saw his title of despot as granting him a claim on the lands formerly ruled by the
Komnenos Doukas
The House of Angelos (; gr, Ἄγγελος), feminine form Angelina (), plural Angeloi (), was a Byzantine Greek noble lineage which rose to prominence through the marriage of its founder, Constantine Angelos, with Theodora Komnene, the youn ...
and Orsini dynasties of the Despotate of Epirus. In 1416, he captured
Arta, the old capital of the despotate.
Leonardo III Tocco was the eldest son and heir of
Carlo II Tocco
Carlo II Tocco (died 1448) was the ruler of Epirus from 1429 until his death.
Life
Carlo II was the son of Leonardo II Tocco, the younger brother and co-ruler of Carlo I Tocco, count of Cephalonia and Zante, duke of Leukas, and ruler of Epirus. ...
, the nephew and successor of Carlo I. Leonardo's mother was Raimondina Ventimiglia, a daughter of the Italian baron Giovanni Ventimiglia.
Biography
Accession and early reign
Leonardo was still underage when his father died on 30 September 1448. Without a strong leader, the four governors whom Carlo II had appointed to form the regency council for his son (Jacobus Rosso, Andreas de Guido de Strione, Gaeatius de Santa Columba and Marinus Miliares) looked across the Adriatic Sea for aid in defending the Tocco lands from the Ottomans. Some looked to the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
for aid, one governor even offering to sell his island to the Venetians, whereas others looked to
Alfonso V of Naples due to former connections between the Tocchi and the Neapolitan crown. Though Venice entered into negotiations to send aid, the Ottomans struck before an agreement could be concluded. The capital of the despotate, Arta, fell to the Ottomans on 24 March 1449, whereafter all of Leonardo's mainland possessions, save for the three settlements of
Vonitza,
Varnazza and
Angelokastro, were annexed. These lands would thereafter be called ''
Karli-Ili'' (Carlo's country) by the Ottomans, in reference to Leonardo's ancestor
Carlo I Tocco Carlo I Tocco was the hereditary Count palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos from 1376, and ruled as the Despot of Epirus from 1411 until his death on July 4, 1429.
Life
Carlo I was the son of Count Leonardo I Tocco of Cephalonia and Leukas by Madda ...
.
Though the fall of the mainland made the threat of further Ottoman conquest clear, neither Venice nor Naples offered much aid. Alfonso seems to have regarded Leonardo as his vassal and Venice proved unwilling to help when it became clear that Leonardo and his regens were not willing to exchange Venice's aid for ceding them Zakynthos or other parts of Leonardo's domain, nor in exchange for Venice being allowed to govern the islands during his minority. Nevertheless, Leonardo eventually succeeded in securing protection by Venice, and in doing so became an honorary citizen of the republic. In times when Leonardo's realm was truly threatened, Venice did expend resources in ensuring his safety, such as in 1463, when numerous incidents with Ottoman ships near Leonardo's islands resulted in Venice sending ships to observe the situation, demonstrate power, and protect the local population. Venetian protection was however also often only nominal, with many of Leonardo's appeals for aid being rejected.
Staving off Ottoman conquest
After the fall of Arta, Leonardo's domain enjoyed several years of peace, with even the scant possessions on the mainland being free from Ottoman incursions. Why the Ottomans left Leonardo alone is unknown. Contemporary records explained this through 'God's will', though it is more likely due to the Ottomans' preoccupation with the conquest of other Balkan realms during this period. Though not a powerful ruler by any means, Leonardo worked to resist the rise of the Ottoman Empire. In a move which historian
William Miller described in 1908 as either excessively "patriotic" or "impolitic", Leonardo joined the Albanian lord
Skanderbeg
, reign = 28 November 1443 – 17 January 1468
, predecessor = Gjon Kastrioti
, successor = Gjon Kastrioti II
, spouse = Donika Arianiti
, issue = Gjon Kastrioti II
, royal house = Kastrioti
, father ...
in throwing off Ottoman suzerainty in 1460. The results were catastrophic, as Leonardo lost two out of his three fortresses on the mainland, only retaining Vonitza, and, according to one account, resulting in his imprisonment in
Corinth
Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part o ...
, from which he supposedly undertook a daring escape with the aid of a corsair. Despite having lost control of virtually the entire mainland, Leonardo still had the support of the Latin populace of his former lands, and actively sought to regain them. In 1463, he heard that Venice was preparing an expedition to conquer the
Morea
The Morea ( el, Μορέας or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used for the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the Ottoman ...
, which had been a
Byzantine rump state until its fall to the Ottomans in 1460. Upon learning this, Leonardo appealed to Venice to aid him in retaking his mainland possessions, though that scheme eventually amounted to nothing.
By the time of the
First Ottoman–Venetian War
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
(1463–1479), Leonardo was one of the last independent Latin rulers in Greece. The drawn-out process of Ottoman conquest in Greece and the rest of the Balkans, as well as the ongoing fighting, had made Leonardo's island realm the refuge of thousands of Christian refugees, who were allowed to live in their own somewhat autonomous communities. Leonardo also participated in the ongoing war to an extent, acting as an intermediary between Venice and the Ottomans and sending occasional military aid to the Venetian forces. The enthusiastic reception of refugees and lack of attention from the Ottomans ensured that even while the mainland was devastated by war, Leonardo's islands flourished in peace. When the Byzantine historian
George Sphrantzes
George Sphrantzes, also Phrantzes or Phrantza ( el, Γεώργιος Σφραντζής or Φραντζής; 1401 – c. 1478), was a late Roman (Byzantine) historian and Imperial courtier. He was an attendant to Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos, ''p ...
visited the islands during this time he found them enjoying the period of peace, with Leonardo having become lord in his own right after having put his four regents to death. The 16th-century Spanish historian
Jerónimo Zurita y Castro
Jerónimo (or Gerónimo) de Zurita y Castro or simply Jerónimo (or Gerónimo) de Zurita (1512 – 3 November 1580) was a Spanish historian of the sixteenth century who founded the modern tradition of historical scholarship in Spain.
Born a ...
, who visited Leonardo's former islands some decades after the fall of the despotate, noted that the prosperity of the islands entitled Leonardo to rightfully be called a king, rather than a mere despot or count palatine. Zurita's account of Leonardo as an independent and prosperous ruler, which is corroborated in parts by some other contemporary records, led to many scholars characterizing Leonardo's entire reign as one of prosperity and peace, but this is far from a nuanced picture, given that other records testify to the period being a catastrophe that ended in Ottoman conquest. Though much of the surviving evidence does point to Leonardo being a wise and energetic ruler, his realm was plagued by exterior threats in the form of the Ottomans and Venice, as well as internal problems, and proved unable to avoid the Ottoman onslaught, a fate no Balkan ruler in the 15th century could escape.
During Leonardo's reign, the administration of his islands had been efficiently organized. He had several treasurers, as well as financial officers termed 'procurators'. Civil and judicial administration was headed by vice-regents, or captains, with one appointed for each island. Though Leonardo offered considerably support for the local Catholic church, established since the islands came under the rule of the Italian
Orsini family
The House of Orsini is an Italian noble family that was one of the most influential princely families in medieval Italy and Renaissance Rome. Members of the Orsini family include five popes: Stephen II (752-757), Paul I (757-767), Celestine II ...
more than a century earlier, he was also careful not to neglect the Orthodox church, as he inferred that if he mistreated the local Greeks, they could conspire with the Ottomans to depose him. In 1452, Leonardo revived the Orthodox Bishopric of Cephalonia, an ancient see that had been rendered vacant after the Orsini takeover, appointing a new Orthodox bishop with jurisdiction over the islands of
Zakynthos
Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; el, Ζάκυνθος, Zákynthos ; it, Zacinto ) or Zante (, , ; el, Τζάντε, Tzánte ; from the Venetian form) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. Za ...
and
Ithaca
Ithaca most commonly refers to:
*Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey''
*Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca
*Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College
Ithaca, Ithaka ...
. Leonardo also began employing a larger number of Greeks in his administration and began issuing charters in Greek. Though Leonardo thus gave several concessions to the Greeks, he was, despite his hopes, nevertheless seen as a tyrant by many of his Orthodox subjects. Leonardo suffered from some problems owing to internal dissent, notably an incident in 1468 when some people from
Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
plundered and raped around a town on Zakynthos, as well as problems caused by natural forces, such as a series of strong earthquakes in 1469, which caused collapsed houses and deaths on all of the islands under his control.
Fall of the despotate
Leonardo's first wife, whom he had married on 1 May 1463, was
Milica Branković
Milica Branković ( sr-cyr, Милица Бранковић, d. 1464) was a Serbian princess and the first wife of Leonardo III Tocco, whom she married on 1 May 1463. She was a daughter of despot Lazar Branković of Serbia and Helena Palaiologina ...
, a granddaughter of
Thomas Palaiologos
Thomas Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( el, Θωμᾶς Παλαιολόγος; 1409 – 12 May 1465) was Despot of the Morea from 1428 until the fall of the despotate in 1460, although he continued to claim the title until his death five years late ...
, the brother of the final Byzantine emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos. After her death in 1464, Leonardo sought to remarry in order to seal a political alliance, in hopes of saving what remained of his realm. He thus married Francesca Marzano in 1477, a niece of
Ferdinand I of Naples
Ferdinando Trastámara d'Aragona, of the Naples branch, universally known as Ferrante and also called by his contemporaries Don Ferrando and Don Ferrante (2 June 1424, in Valencia – 25 January 1494, in Kingdom of Naples, Naples), was the only so ...
. The effect of Leonardo's marriage was the opposite of what he had wanted. Given that the Republic of Venice had no desire to see Neapolitan influence return to Leonardo's islands, the marriage alienated them further. Venetian revenge came in the form of Venice omitting Leonardo from their 1479 peace treaty with the Ottomans, effectively leaving him as the sole remaining belligerent against Sultan
Mehmed II
Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...
. The unfavorable peace deal Leonardo managed to secure with the Ottomans resulted in him having to not only pay 4,000
ducats
The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wi ...
annually in tribute but also in Leonardo agreeing to gift 500 ducats to any visiting Ottoman provincial governor.
Unfortunately for Leonardo, an Ottoman official visited him shortly after the peace deal was signed. Given that this official was still underage and had recently lost the dignity of
pasha
Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, gener ...
, Leonardo gifted him with a selection of fruit rather than 500 ducats. Angered by this lackluster gift, the young official reached out to the sultan, reminding Mehmed of Leonardo having been left out of the greater Venetian peace deal and Leonardo's pro-Venetian stance during the war. Eager for a pretext to invade Leonardo's domain, from which Mehmed eventually hoped to launch an invasion of Italy, the sultan sent a fleet of 29 ships commanded by
Gedik Ahmed Pasha
Gedik Ahmed Pasha (; died 18 November 1482) was an Ottoman statesman and admiral who served as Grand Vizier and Kapudan Pasha (Grand Admiral of the Ottoman Navy) during the reigns of sultans Mehmed II and Bayezid II.
Very little was known abou ...
, a former
grand vizier
Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...
, to conquer the islands. Knowing that the Venetians were not going to help him, and that Naples would be unable to, as well as the fact that many of his own non-Latin subjects detested him, Leonardo concluded that fighting against the Ottomans was futile. Thus, the despot collected his valuables and fled from the island of
Lefkada
Lefkada ( el, Λευκάδα, ''Lefkáda'', ), also known as Lefkas or Leukas (Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Λευκάς, ''Leukás'', modern pronunciation ''Lefkás'') and Leucadia, is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Gr ...
, where he had ruled from, to the fortress of St. George on the island of
Cephalonia
Kefalonia or Cephalonia ( el, Κεφαλονιά), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallenia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It i ...
, the strongest of the fortresses under his control.
Leonardo began to mistrust the garrison of St. George. When the Ottomans arrived and spotted his treasure-ship, Leonardo decided to flee, hastily boarding a Venetian ship, alongside his wife, his son Carlo, and his brothers Giovanni and Antonio, headed to
Taranto
Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...
in southern Italy One-by-one, Leonardo's few remaining possessions quickly fell to the Ottomans in August and September 1479, with officials being killed, castles being burned and many people of the lower classes being carried off.
Life in exile
Italy was the obvious choice for refuge, given that it was the nearest Christian land and the ancestral homeland of Leonardo's family. Leonardo was also well-connected to the Italian nobility and could thus expect a welcome reception. Not only was Leonard the nephew-in-law of the Neapolitan king, Leonardo's sister-in-law was also married to
Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...
's nephew. Leonardo and his family were met with a friendly reception by Ferdinand of Naples upon their arrival. Leonardo's uncle-in-law granted him an annual pension of 500 , and also made him a landed noble, granting him the fiefs of
Briatico and
Calimera
Calimera (Griko: lit. 'good morning'), is a small town of 6,753 inhabitants (2021) in the Grecìa Salentina area of the Salento peninsula in Italy, located between Gallipoli and Otranto. It belongs to the province of Lecce.
The inhabitants of C ...
in
Calabria
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
. These lands were a small gesture, given that Leonardo had expected Ferdinand to lend him military aid to retake his lands in Greece.
On 29 February 1480, Leonardo and his family arrived in Rome, seeking money from Pope Sixtus. Papal emissaries met with Leonardo outside the
Porta San Giovanni and escorted the dispossessed despot to a house he had leased between the Botteghe Oscure and the Via Pellicciaria. Sixtus IV gave Leonardo 1000 gold pieces, and promised a pension of 2000 gold pieces a year. Sixtus recorded his generosity to Leonardo in reliefs in the frescoes of the
Ospedale di Santo Spirito in Sassia
The Hospital of the Holy Spirit ( it, L'Ospedale di Santo Spirito in Sassia) is the oldest hospital in Europe, located in Rome, Italy. It now serves as a convention center. The complex lies in rione Borgo, east of Vatican City and next to the mo ...
, which record how Sixtus "nourished
eonardowith his royal bounty". Leonardo's attempts at gaining money from the Papacy may be explained by the dispossessed despot almost immediately upon his faced large debts, owing to the fact that the lands granted to him by Ferdinand were not enough to sustain himself, his family, and his entourage. By October 1480, Leonardo owed Ferdinand 12,000 ducats, and owed his own wife 600 ducats. After having stayed in Rome for about a month, Leonardo left to reside in southern Italy again.
Leonardo and his family hoped to regain their territories in Greece. Leonardo's brother Antonio briefly succeeded, with the aid of some Catalan mercenaries, to recover the islands of Cephalonia and Zakynthos in 1481. Venice did not wish for the islands to fall under Neapolitan suzerainty again, so worked to dislodge Antonio. In 1482, the Venetian governor of
Methoni successfully took control of Zakynthos and in 1483, Antonio was killed by his own garrison due to fears of an imminent Venetian attack. Although the Ottomans demanded the return of the islands and Leonardo petitioned Venice to be reinstated as ruler, Venice succeeded in
retaining the islands until the
fall of the republic in the late 18th century (though Cephalonia came under Ottoman control briefly in 1485–1500). Though Leonardo would spend the rest of his life pondering how he could regain his lands, no further attempts were ever made to take them back.
Leonardo served Ferdinand as a diplomat to Spain. The Spaniards are recorded as having treated Leonardo with royal honors, echoing Zurita's assessment of him as deserving of royal status. Leonardo also worked to enhance his wealth and power in southern Italy further, but it proved to be a mostly fruitless venture. In 1480, he purchased the town of
Sinopoli
Sinopoli (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 90 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 30 km northeast of Reggio Calabria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a pop ...
for 20,000 ducats, but he was unable to govern it. By 1496, many of the fiefs Leonard had amassed are attested as being ruled by other people, meaning that he had lost them through some means. In 1495, Leonardo was granted the
Apulian
it, Pugliese
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town of
Monopoli
Monopoli (; Monopolitano: ) is a town and municipality in Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Bari and region of Apulia. The town is roughly in area and lies on the Adriatic Sea about southeast of Bari. It has a population of 49,246 ...
by
Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII, called the Affable (french: l'Affable; 30 June 1470 – 7 April 1498), was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. He succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13.Paul Murray Kendall, ''Louis XI: The Universal Spider'' (Ne ...
, who had invaded and taken control of Naples. Leonardo eventually returned to Rome, dying there in the pontificate of
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...
(), when his house collapsed on top of him.
Family
With Milica Branković, Leonardo only had a single child, his eldest son:
*
Carlo III Tocco Carlo III Tocco (1464–1518) was the titular despot of Epirus and count palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos from the death of his father Leonardo III Tocco to his own death in 1518. Carlo lived in Rome, where he received pensions from both the ...
(1464–1518), who succeeded Leonardo as titular Despot of Epirus and Count Palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos. Noted for his military service under
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
Maximilian I (1508–1519).
With Francesca Marzano, Leonardo had five more children; two sons and three daughters:
* Ferdinando or Ferrante Tocco (after 1480 – 23 December 1525), son who also served under Maximilian I, later becoming a soldier and diplomat in service to Spain, for instance being attested at the court of
Henry VII of England
Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort ...
in 1506.
* Raimondina, Raimonda or Ramusia Tocco (after 1480 – after 1519), daughter who lived in Venice and later Rome. Married Maria Pico, an Italian noble.
* Eleonora Tocco (after 1480 – ?), daughter who lived in Venice and became a nun.
* Pietro Tocco (after 1480 – ?), son who died in infancy.
* Ippolita Tocco (after 1480 – ?), daughter who lived in Venice and then Rome.
Leonardo also had at least one illegitimate son, whose name is not recorded, born 1458 and dead at some point after 1481.
Notes
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonardo 03 Tocco
15th-century despots of Epirus
16th-century despots of Epirus
Medieval child rulers
Tocco family
Counts palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos
Year of birth unknown
History of Aetolia-Acarnania
Roman Catholic monarchs