Despotat d\' Épire

The despotat of Épire is one of the States successors of the Byzantine Empire born after the Fourth crusade.

The term of despotat is formed on that of Despote (Δεσπότης), which then designates at the court of Constantinople a family member imperial. Its equivalent nearest is prince ; a despotat would be thus a principality .

The despotat of Épire was rested by Michel Doukas, cousin of the last Byzantine emperor before the franque conquest, Isaac II Angel. Michel was combined initially with Boniface de Montferrat, one of the chiefs of the crossed army, but revolted against him once it had conquered the Épire. This area, which extends on the Adriatic coast between the south from the current Albania and the Golfe from Corinth, thus became the center of a Greek principality, which was claimed the successor of the Byzantine empire. Michel had to subject himself, at least nominally, with the Latin emperor of Constantinople, Henri de Flandres in 1209, but it did not delay with rejetter this allegiance to attack the Royaume of Thessalonique, possession of its old ally, Boniface de Montferrat. Pushed back in front of Thessalonique by the armies of Henri de Flandres, Michel concentrated his ambitions on the Adriatic coast; he conquered several ports on the coast and the gulf of Corinth, in particular the island of Corfou. He was assassinated in 1214 and the despotat passed to his/her half-brother Theodore Doukas.

Theodore started again the attack of Thessalonique. The Latin empire, worried by the conflict with the Empire of Nicée, could not prevent it from taking the city in 1224. With the assistance of Bulgarian, Theodore expelled the Francs of the Thrace. In 1227, it proclaimed emperor. It broke then alliance and tried to drive out the Bulgarian ones. In 1230, its army was beaten and itself made captive and plugged. It is his/her son Michel II who took the destiny of the despotat in hand. In 1246, the emperor of Nicée Jean III Vatatzès conquered Thessalonique; in 1248, Michel II was obliged to recognize it as emperor. In 1257, it revolted against the new emperor, Theodore II Lascaris, and tried to reconquer Thessalonique, but it was attacked in its Adriatic possessions by the king de Sicile Manfred. In 1258, Michel II, combined with the prince d' Achaïe, tackled the forces nicéennes. They were demolished by the emperor Michel VIII Paleologist. The essence of the despotat was annexed to the Byzantine empire, then reconquered by Michel II.

In 1261, Michel VIII reconquered Constantinople and continued to regard the despotat as a vassal state of the empire. To safeguard his independence, Michel II entered the vassalage of Charles I {{er}} of Anjou, king de Sicile, and of his descendants the kings de Naples. The despotat, directed to died of Michel II in 1271 by his/her son Nicéphore Ier, oscillated between kingdom of Naples and Byzantine empire to the liking of very fluctuating plays of alliance. In 1291, a great part of the despotat passed to a prince angevin, Philippe I {{er}}, prince de Tarente, but the cousin of Nicéphore, Anna, revolted against Philippe in 1306. In 1312, Philippe de Tarente gave up the despotat with Thomas, the son of Anna.

In 1318, Thomas was assassinated by a Roman adventurer, Niccolò Orsini, which married its widow and took the control of the despotat. He was assassinated in his turn by his Giovanni brother in 1323, itself killed by his Anna wife, who became the regent for their son Nicéphore II. In 1337, the despotat was conquered by the emperor Andronic III Paleologist. Thanks to the assistance of the court of Naples, Nicéphore reconquered it in 1356. He died in 1359 and the despotat was taken again definitively by the empire.

Despots of Épire

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