The Matzouka ( el, Ματζούκα, tr, Maçuka) was a geographical area and administrative subdivision
[The Empire of Trebizond was organised into seven ''banda'', comprising from west to east Trikomia, Palaiomatzouka, Matzouka, Trebizond, Gemora, Sourmaina and Rhizaion, plus the ''thema'' of Greater Lazia.] (
''bandon'') of the medieval
Empire of Trebizond (1204–1461) in northeastern
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...
(modern
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
). Its administrative capital was at Dikaisimon (modern
Cevıslık). The area resisted for a while after the
Ottoman conquest of Trebizond in 1461, but eventually submitted and became a ''
nahiye
A nāḥiyah ( ar, , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level division w ...
'' of 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) ...
.
It is not attested before the 13th century, but it is possible that it existed already as part of the middle
Byzantine
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 ...
''
thema'' of
Chaldia, as the medieval administrative districts in the area coincided with geographical regions and have remained consistent to the present day.
The boundaries of Matzouka extended south and southwest of Mount Minthrion (modern
Boztepe), its southern limit along a line stretching from the
Zigana Zigana may refer to :
* Zigana Pass ( tr, Zigana Geçidi, link=no), a mountain pass in the Pontic Mountains og northeastern Anatolia, Turkey
** Zigana Tunnel (1988), through the pass
** Zigana Tunnel (2023), through the pass
** 2009 Zigana avalan ...
summit of
Mount Paryadres in the west and the
Pontic Gates (modern Kolabat Bogazi) in the east.
Its strategic importance was great, as it guarded the approaches to
Trebizond, the capital of the empire, and as Matzouka was the heartland of the Empire of Trebizond. Around the capital of the district were the forests where the emperors had their summer palaces. The local inhabitants were peasants and pastoralists, and had a reputation as warriors, playing a notable role in the repulsion of Turkish raids.
Between 1384 and 1408, the new ''bandon'' of
Palaiomatzouka (Παλαιοματζούκα, "Old Matzouka") was carved from its southern portion.
References
Sources
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* {{cite encyclopedia , last = Lambakis , first = Stylianos , title = Ματζούκας Βάνδον , language = Greek , url = https://asiaminor.ehw.gr/forms/fLemmaBody.aspx?lemmaid=lemmaID=5241 , archive-url = https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:l4j9R7_tkJYJ:asiaminor.ehw.gr/forms/fLemmaBody.aspx?lemmaid=lemmaID=5241 , archive-date = 12 June 2019 , year = 2003 , encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of the Hellenic World, Asia Minor , publisher = Foundation of the Hellenic World
Geography of Pontus
Administrative divisions of the Empire of Trebizond