Esau De' Buondelmonti
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Esau de' Buondelmonti () was the
ruler A ruler, sometimes called a rule, scale, line gauge, or metre/meter stick, is an instrument used to make length measurements, whereby a length is read from a series of markings called "rules" along an edge of the device. Usually, the instr ...
of
Ioannina Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...
and its surrounding area (central
Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...
) from 1385 until his death in 1411, with the Byzantine title of despot.


Life

Esau was the son of the Florentine nobleman Manente and Lapa Acciaiuoli, sister of Niccolò Acciaiuoli of
Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...
. Esau had come to
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
to seek success like his Acciaiuoli kinsmen, but in 1379 he had been captured in battle against
Thomas Preljubović Thomas Preljubović (; ) was Despot of Epirus, ruler of the Despotate of Epirus in Ioannina from 1367 to his death in 1384. Thomas was an unpopular ruler and is appraised very negatively by his contemporaries. On December 23, 1384 he was stabbed to ...
of Epirus. After he spent several years of captivity, Esau succeeded his captor by marrying the latter's widow, Maria Angelina Doukaina Palaiologina in February 1385. Esau reversed the unpopular policies of the tyrannical Thomas, recalling the exiled nobles and reinstating Matthew, the bishop of
Ioannina Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...
. The new ruler pursued a pacifying policy, and sought accommodation with both the Albanian clans and the
Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
. In 1386 a Byzantine embassy arrived at Ioannina and invested Esau with the court dignity of '' despotes'' (despot). Although Esau was fully independent from
Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
, this recognition helped strengthen and legitimize his position. Esau found it difficult, however, to reach an agreement with the Albanians. In 1385 Gjin Bua Shpata, despot of Arta, advanced on Ioannina, but Esau managed to prepare the defences so efficiently, that the Albanian leader withdrew. Esau was forced to follow Thomas' policy of seeking Ottoman support against the Albanians, going to the court of Sultan
Murad I Murad I (; ), nicknamed ''Hüdavendigâr'' (from – meaning "Head of state, sovereign" in this context; 29 June 1326 – 15 June 1389) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1362 to 1389. He was the son of Orhan Gazi and Nilüfer Hatun. Mura ...
to pay homage in 1386. This alliance brought a respite to the fighting in Epirus, but the conflict flamed up again after the
Battle of Kosovo The Battle of Kosovo 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 Murad I. It was one of the largest battles of the Late Middl ...
and death of Murad in 1389. Once again Ioannina was threatened, and once again Esau succeeded in weathering the storm by seeking and obtaining Ottoman support. Returning to Ioannina after 14 months (1399–1400) at the Ottoman court under
Bayezid I Bayezid I (; ), also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt (; ; – 8 March 1403), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1389 to 1402. He adopted the title of ''Sultan-i Rûm'', ''Rûm'' being the Arabic name for the Eastern Roman Empire. In 139 ...
, Esau was supported by the Ottoman commander
Evrenos Evrenos or Evrenuz (1288–1417, Yenice-i Vardar) was an Ottoman military commander. He served as a general under Süleyman Pasha, Murad I, Bayezid I, Süleyman Çelebi and Mehmed I. Legends stating that he lived for 129 years and had an incr ...
and quickly defeated the Albanians. This bought him four years of peace interrupted only at the end by a conflict with
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
over a disputed port. The death of Maria in December 1394 was followed by a new conflict with Gjin Bua Shpata, which was resolved through diplomacy. In January 1396 Esau married Shpata's daughter Irene as part of the peace settlement. But peace remained elusive. No longer needing Turkish support, Esau had clashed with the Turks and defeated them, becoming increasingly confident in his power. In 1399 Esau, supported by some Albanian clans, marched against his wife's brother-in-law
Gjon Zenebishi John Zenevisi or Gjon Zenebishi ( or ''Gjin Zenebishi''; died 1418) was an Albanian magnate that held the estates in Epirus, such as Gjirokastër and Vagenetia. Name Zenevisi can be found with different spellings in historical documents. His n ...
of
Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in Southern Albania, southern Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë moun ...
. Now Esau was routed and captured, and much of his land was occupied by Zenebishi. The neighboring magnates determined to restore the captured despotes and secured Venetian intercession in his favor. Esau returned to Ioannina in 1400, and reigned on in relative peace until his death on February 6, 1411.


Family

Esau does not appear to have had children by his first wife Maria Angelina Doukaina Palaiologina. However, with his second wife, Irene Shpata, and his third wife
Jevdokija Balšić Jevdokija Balšić ( sr-Cyr, Јевдокија Балшић; ), died after 1428), was a Zetan aristocrat and regent. She was the wife of Esau de' Buondelmonti, despot of Ioannina. She was regent of Ioannina during the minority of her son in 14 ...
he had children, including: * Maddalena de' Buondelmonti, died in 1402 *
Giorgio de' Buondelmonti Giorgio de' Buondelmonti (, 1403–after 1435) was the Despot of Epirus, ruler of Ioannina for twenty days in 1411, under the regency of his mother Jevdokija Balšić. After spending several years in exile, Giorgio reappears in the sources as the ...
, who succeeded as briefly as ruler of Ioannina, before he was deposed by the local nobility, who surrendered their city to Carlo I Tocco.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Buondelmonti, Esau De 14th-century births 1411 deaths 14th-century despots of Epirus 15th-century despots of Epirus Year of birth unknown 14th-century Italian nobility 15th-century Italian nobility Medieval Ioannina
Esau Esau is the elder son of Isaac in the Hebrew Bible. He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis and by the minor prophet, prophets Obadiah and Malachi. The story of Jacob and Esau reflects the historical relationship between Israel and Edom, aiming ...