Simon Zenebishi () was an Albanian aristocrat and vassal 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 ...

, who held the castle of Strovilo (Castrovilari), near

Butrint Butrint ( el, Βουθρωτόν and Βουθρωτός, ''Bouthrōtón'', la, Buthrōtum) was an ancient Greek and later Roman city and bishopric in Epirus. "Speakers of these various Greek dialects settled different parts of Greece at differen ...

, and was a member of the

Zenevisi family The Zenevisi or Zenebishi ( 1304–1460) were a medieval Albanian people, Albanian noble family. They governed territories in Epirus, and were centered in Gjirokastër. John Zenevisi was one of the most notable members of this family. Between 137 ...

of southern Albania. He probably dwelled in Corfu, and was later subject to the sovereignty of

Alfonso of Naples Alfonso the Magnanimous (139627 June 1458) was King of Aragon This is a list of the kings and queens of Aragon. The Kingdom of Aragon was created sometime between 950 and 1035 when the County of Aragon, which had been acquired by the ...

Life

He was a grandson a

John Zenevisi John Zenevisi or Gjon Zenebishi ( sq, Gjon Zenebishi or ''Gjin Zenebishi''; died 1418) was an Albanian magnate that held the estates in Epirus, such as Argyrokastro (Gjirokastër) and Vagenetia. Name Zenevisi can be found with different spellin ...

and a son of

Thopia Zenevisi Thopia may refer to: * Thopia family, one of the most powerful Albanian feudal families in the Late Middle Ages ** Tanusio Thopia ** Karl Thopia ** George Thopia ** Helena Thopia ** Niketa Thopia Niketa Thopia ( sq, Niketa Topia, la, Nicetas T ...

of the Zenevisi clan. The Zenevisi had established themselves as rulers in the region of

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino, at 300 metres above sea le ...

, ruled by John Zenevisi who in the late 14th century is a recorded as "sebastokrator". Simon appears in the historical records for the first time in a deal the Zenevisi had made with the

Spata Spata ( el, Σπάτα), is a town east of downtown Athens, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Spata-Artemida, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit (officially named Spata-L ...

clan of the

Despotate of Arta The Despotate of Arta ( sq, Despotati i Artës; el, Δεσποτάτο της Άρτας) was a despotate established by Albanian rulers during the 14th century, after the defeat of the local Despot of Epirus, Nikephoros II Orsini, by Albania ...

. As part of their alliance against the Despote of Epirus, Carlo Tocco, a daughter of

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 ...

was married to Simon Zenevisi. This alliance held until 1413-14, when, due to unknown actions undertaken by Simon, the alliance between the Zenevisi and Spata broke and the Zenevisi allied with the Tocco instead. In 1443, Simon Zenebishi built the Strovili fortress with Venetian approval and support. It was located near Saiata (Sayada), and above

Vagenetia Vagenetia or Vagenitia ( gr, Βαγενετία, Βαγενιτία) was a medieval region on the coast of Epirus, roughly corresponding to modern Thesprotia. The region likely derived its name from the Slavic tribe of the Baiounitai. It is first at ...

, the lands of his grandfather

. In 1454–55 he was recognized by Alphonso V as a vassal of the

. He had a son, born and raised in Turkey, who had deserted from the Turks in 1454, who in 1455 asked the King of Naples to be baptized.

Aftermath

His son, Alessandro "Lech" Zenevisi, ruled Strovilo following Simon's death until 1473, when he sold the castle to

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

Ancestry

Name

In Catalan documents, his name is also spelled ''Simone Gimlixi'' and ''Gimbixi''. An Albanian neologism of his name is ''Simon Zenebishi''.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zenebishi, Simon

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

15th-century Albanian people Republic of Venice nobility Venetian Albanians People of the Kingdom of Naples 15th-century Neapolitan people 15th-century Venetian people 1461 deaths