History of Thessaly
Encyclopedia
Ancient Thessaly
ThessalyThessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
was home to an extensive Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
culture around 2500 BC. Mycenaean
Mycenaean Greece
Mycenaean Greece was a cultural period of Bronze Age Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese of southern Greece. Athens, Pylos, Thebes, and Tiryns are also important Mycenaean sites...
settlements have also been discovered, for example at the sites of Iolcos
Iolcos
Iolcos is an ancient city, a modern village and a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Volos, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in central Magnesia, north of the Pagasitic Gulf. Its land area is only...
, Dimini
Dimini
Dimini is a village near the city of Volos, in Thessaly , in Magnesia. It was the seat of the municipality of Aisonia. The name Aisonia dates back to ancient times and it is the westernmost place in the Volos area. The Dimini area contains both a Mycenean settlement and a Neolithic settlement...
and Sesklo
Sesklo
Sesklo is a village nearby the city of Volos, in Thessaly , in the prefecture of Magnesia. It is part of the municipality Aisonia...
(near Volos
Volos
Volos is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 326 km north of Athens and 215 km south of Thessaloniki...
). Later, in ancient Greek times, the lowlands of Thessaly became the home of baronial families, such as the Aleuads of Larissa
Larissa
Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
or the Scopads of Crannon. These baronial families organized a federation across the Thessaly region, later went on to control the Amphictyonic League
Amphictyonic League
In the Archaic period of ancient Greece, an amphictyony , a "league of neighbors", or Amphictyonic League was an ancient association of Greek tribes formed in the dim past, before the rise of the Greek polis...
in northern Greece. The Thessalians were renowned for their cavalry.
In the summer of 480 BC, the Persians
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
invaded Thessaly
Second Persian invasion of Greece
The second Persian invasion of Greece occurred during the Greco-Persian Wars, as King Xerxes I of Persia sought to conquer all of Greece. The invasion was a direct, if delayed, response to the defeat of the first Persian invasion of Greece at the Battle of Marathon which ended Darius I's attempts...
. The Greek army that guarded the Vale of Tempe
Vale of Tempe
The Vale of Tempe is a gorge in northern Thessaly, Greece, located between Olympus to the north and Ossa to the south. The valley is 10 kilometers long and as narrow as 25 meters in places, with cliffs nearly 500 meters high, and through it flows the Pineios River on its way to the Aegean Sea...
evacuated the road before the enemy arrived. Not much later, Thessaly surrendered. The Thessalian family of Aleuadae
Aleuadae
The Aleuadae were an ancient Thessalian family of Larissa who claimed descent from the mythical Aleuas. The Aleuadae were the noblest and most powerful among all the families of Thessaly, whence Herodotus calls its members "rulers" or "kings" .-Aleuas:The first Aleuas, who bore the epithet of...
joined the Persians. In the Peloponnesian War
Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War, 431 to 404 BC, was an ancient Greek war fought by Athens and its empire against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Historians have traditionally divided the war into three phases...
the Thessalians tended to side with Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and usually prevented Spartan
Spartan Army
The Spartan army was the military force of Sparta, one of the leading city-states of ancient Greece. The army stood at the centre of the Spartan state, whose citizens' primary obligation was to be good soldiers. Subject to military drill from infancy, the Spartans were one of the most feared...
troops from crossing through their territory with the exception of the army of Brasidas
Brasidas
Brasidas was a Spartan officer during the first decade of the Peloponnesian War.He was the son of Tellis and Argileonis, and won his first laurels by the relief of Methone, which was besieged by the Athenians . During the following year he seems to have been eponymous ephor Brasidas (died 422...
. In the 4th century BC Thessaly became dependent on Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
. In 148 BC the Romans
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
formally incorporated Thessaly into the province of Macedonia
Macedonia (Roman province)
The Roman province of Macedonia was officially established in 146 BC, after the Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus defeated Andriscus of Macedon, the last Ancient King of Macedon in 148 BC, and after the four client republics established by Rome in the region were dissolved...
, but in AD 300 Thessaly was made a separate province with its capital at Larissa
Larissa
Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
.
Political history
Thessaly remained as a part of the East Roman (Byzantine) EmpireByzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. In 395–397, as most of Greece, Thessaly was occupied by the Visigoths under Alaric
Alaric I
Alaric I was the King of the Visigoths from 395–410. Alaric is most famous for his sack of Rome in 410, which marked a decisive event in the decline of the Roman Empire....
, until they were driven out by Stilicho
Stilicho
Flavius Stilicho was a high-ranking general , Patrician and Consul of the Western Roman Empire, notably of Vandal birth. Despised by the Roman population for his Germanic ancestry and Arian beliefs, Stilicho was in 408 executed along with his wife and son...
. According to the Synecdemus
Synecdemus
The Synecdemus or Synekdemos is a geographic text, attributed to Hierocles, which contains a table of administrative divisions of the Byzantine Empire and lists of the cities of each. The work is dated to the reign of Justinian but prior to 535, as it divides the 912 listed cities in the Empire...
, in the 6th century the province included 16 cities, including the islands of Skiathos
Skiathos
Skiathos is a small Greek island in the northwest Aegean Sea. Skiathos is the westernmost island in the Northern Sporades group, east of the Pelion peninsula in Magnesia on the mainland, and west of the island of Skopelos.-Geography:...
, Skopelos
Skopelos
Skopelos , ancient Peparethos or Peparethus , is a Greek island in the western Aegean Sea. Skopelos is one of several islands which comprise the Northern Sporades island group. The island is located east of mainland Greece, northeast of the island of Euboea and is part of the Thessaly Periphery....
and Peparisthos. As with most of the Balkans, the area suffered from the Slavic incursions in the 6th–8th centuries: five of the regions cities disappeared after the 7th century, Slavic tribes settled in the northern and northeastern parts of the country, while large numbers of Vlach herdsmen settled in later centuries, eventually controlling large portions of the region (Great Wallachia
Great Wallachia
Great Wallachia , also Thessaly Wallachia, was a medieval state of the Aromanians , which included the region of Thessaly in Greece, the southern and central ranges of Pindus and extending over part of Macedonia.Anna Komnene in the second half of the eleventh century was the first author to write...
). Despite raids from the Bulgarians
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
and Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
pirates, the province recovered gradually after Byzantine control was firmly re-established by Nikephoros I
Nikephoros I
Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I, Logothetes or Genikos was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811, when he was killed in the Battle of Pliska....
: from the 9th century on, at least 9 new cities appear. In 985, during his wars with Basil II
Basil II
Basil II , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his long reign was dominated...
, the Bulgarian
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
tsar Samuel sacked the city of Larissa. The Bulgarian ruler undertook another large-scale expedition through the province and into the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
in 997, but he was defeated at the Battle of Spercheios
Battle of Spercheios
The Battle of Spercheios took place in 997 AD, on the shores of the river of the same name in present-day central Greece. It was fought between a Bulgarian army led by Tsar Samuil, that in the previous year had penetrated far south into Greece, and a Byzantine army under the command of Nikephoros...
.
After the Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, in 1204–1205, it was conquered by the Latin Kingdom of Thessalonica
Kingdom of Thessalonica
The Kingdom of Thessalonica was a short-lived Crusader State founded after the Fourth Crusade over the conquered Byzantine lands.- Background :...
. The area, partly overlapping with what was known as Great Wallachia
Great Wallachia
Great Wallachia , also Thessaly Wallachia, was a medieval state of the Aromanians , which included the region of Thessaly in Greece, the southern and central ranges of Pindus and extending over part of Macedonia.Anna Komnene in the second half of the eleventh century was the first author to write...
, was liberated by Theodore Komnenos Doukas
Theodore Komnenos Doukas
Theodore Komnenos Doukas was ruler of Epirus from 1215 to 1230 and of Thessalonica from 1224 to 1230.-Life:...
of the Despotate of Epirus
Despotate of Epirus
The Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond...
in 1215. The region remained attached to the domains of Theodore and his successors in Thessalonica until 1239, when the deposed ruler of Thessalonica Manuel Komnenos Doukas
Manuel Komnenos Doukas
Manuel Komnenos Doukas , often inaccurately called Manuel Angelos , was ruler of Thessalonica from 1230 to 1237 and of Thessaly from 1239 until his death in c. 1241.-Life:Manuel was a legitimate son of the sebastokratōr John Doukas...
conquered it from his nephew John Komnenos Doukas
John Komnenos Doukas
John Komnenos Doukas was ruler of Thessalonica from 1237 until his death in 1244....
and secured its status as a separate section of the family holdings. His death in c. 1241 brought the area to the ruler of Epirus, Michael II Komnenos Doukas
Michael II Komnenos Doukas
Michael II Komnenos Doukas or Comnenus Ducas , often called Michael Angelos in narrative sources, was the ruler of Epirus from 1230 until his death in 1266/68.-Life:...
, on whose death in c. 1268 Thessaly became the holding of a distinct, illegitimate, branch of the family, under John I Doukas
John I Doukas
John I Doukas was ruler of Thessaly from c. 1268 to his death in 1289....
. The extinction of this branch in 1318 was followed by a continuation of local independence, in increasingly chaotic conditions. In the 1330s a new attempt to assert Epirote control resulted in a Byzantine invasion, which brought eastern, and then all Thessaly, under imperial control by 1335 or 1336. The Byzantine reconquest did not last long: the Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347
Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347
The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 was a conflict between supporters of designated regent John VI Kantakouzenos and guardians acting for John V Palaiologos, Emperor Andronikos III's nine-year-old son, in the persons of the Empress-dowager Anna of Savoy, the Patriarch of Constantinople John XIV...
weakened the empire and enabled the Serbians to conquer most of Byzantium's provinces. Thessaly fell in 1348, with the local nobility recognizing the authority of the expansionist Serbian emperor Stefan Dušan. The deaths of Dušan and his governor Gregory Preljub in the winter 1355/1356 led to further unrest. Serbian authority was overthrown by Nikephoros Orsini
Nikephoros II Orsini
Nikephoros II Orsini - Doukas , was the ruler of Epirus from 1335 to 1338 and from 1356 until his death in 1359.-Life:...
but after his death in the Battle of Achelous
Battle of Achelous (1359)
The Battle of Achelous took place in 1359 near the river Achelous, in Aetolia, modern Greece fought between Albanian troops, under Peter Losha, and forces of the Despotate of Epirus, under Nikephoros II Orsini. The Albanians defeated Orsini's army, which suffered massive casualties during the battle...
in 1359, Thessaly became the center of the holdings of Dušan's half-brother Simeon Uroš
Simeon Uroš
Simeon Uroš Nemanjić, nicknamed Siniša , also known in Greek as Symeōn Ouresēs Palaiologos , was the Despot of Epirus from 1359 to 1366, and of Thessaly from 1359 until his death in 1370. He governed Epirus and Acarnania under his half-brother Emperor Dušan the Mighty Simeon Uroš Nemanjić,...
, who reigned from Trikala
Trikala
Trikala is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece. It is the capital of the Trikala peripheral unit, and is located NW of Athens, NW, of Karditsa, E of Ioannina and Metsovo, S of Grevena, SW of Thessaloniki, and W of Larissa...
and styled himself emperor of the Greeks and Serbians. This period of relative prosperity continued after the line of Serbian rulers ended in c. 1373, and the new rulers of Thessaly, the Angeloi Philanthropenoi, recognized Byzantine suzerainty until 1394, when the region was conquered by the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
Rulers of Thessaly
- Theodore Komnenos DoukasTheodore Komnenos DoukasTheodore Komnenos Doukas was ruler of Epirus from 1215 to 1230 and of Thessalonica from 1224 to 1230.-Life:...
(1215–1230), archōn, from 1227 emperor - Manuel Komnenos DoukasManuel Komnenos DoukasManuel Komnenos Doukas , often inaccurately called Manuel Angelos , was ruler of Thessalonica from 1230 to 1237 and of Thessaly from 1239 until his death in c. 1241.-Life:Manuel was a legitimate son of the sebastokratōr John Doukas...
(1230–1237 and 1239–1241), despotēsDespotesDespot , was a senior Byzantine court title that was bestowed on the sons or sons-in-law of reigning emperors, and initially denoted the heir-apparent... - John Komnenos DoukasJohn Komnenos DoukasJohn Komnenos Doukas was ruler of Thessalonica from 1237 until his death in 1244....
(1237–1239), despotēs - Michael Komnenos DoukasMichael II Komnenos DoukasMichael II Komnenos Doukas or Comnenus Ducas , often called Michael Angelos in narrative sources, was the ruler of Epirus from 1230 until his death in 1266/68.-Life:...
(1241–c. 1268), despotēs - John I DoukasJohn I DoukasJohn I Doukas was ruler of Thessaly from c. 1268 to his death in 1289....
(c. 1268– 1289), sebastokratōr - Constantine DoukasConstantine Doukas of ThessalyConstantine Doukas was ruler of Thessaly from 1289 to his death in 1303.-Life:Constantine Doukas was the second son of John I Doukas of Thessaly by his wife, whose monastic name was Hypomone . He succeeded to his father's lands because his older brother Michael Komnenos had been abducted and...
(1289–1303), sebastokratōrSebastokratorSebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers whose states bordered the Empire or were within its sphere of influence. The word is a compound of "sebastos" Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used... - John II DoukasJohn II DoukasJohn II Doukas, also Angelos Doukas or Angelus Ducas , was ruler of Thessaly from 1303 to his death in 1318....
(1303–1318), sebastokratōr - Stephen GabrielopoulosStephen GabrielopoulosStephen Gabrielopoulos was a powerful magnate in Thessaly, at the time an independent state, who pledged allegiance to the Byzantine Empire and was rewarded with the title of sebastokrator....
(1318–1332), sebastokratōr (under Byzantine suzerainty) - John OrsiniJohn II OrsiniJohn II Orsini, also John Komnenos Doukas or Comnenus Ducas , was count palatine of Cephalonia from 1323 to 1324 and Despot of Epirus from 1323 to 1335....
(1332–1335), despotēs (ruler of Epirus)
(Byzantine Rule 1335–1348)
- Michael Monomachos (1333–1342), governor (from 1333 in eastern Thessaly, from 1335 in all of the region)
- John AngelosJohn Angelos (sebastokrator)John Angelos was a Byzantine aristocrat, general and and governor. He first distinguished himself in the suppression of a revolt in Epirus in 1339–1340, where he was subsequently appointed as governor...
(1342–1348), governor and sebastokratōr
(Serbian Rule 1348–1356)
- Gregory Preljub (1348–1356), kaisar (Caesar)
- Nikephoros OrsiniNikephoros II OrsiniNikephoros II Orsini - Doukas , was the ruler of Epirus from 1335 to 1338 and from 1356 until his death in 1359.-Life:...
(1356–1359), despotēs - Simeon UrošSimeon UrošSimeon Uroš Nemanjić, nicknamed Siniša , also known in Greek as Symeōn Ouresēs Palaiologos , was the Despot of Epirus from 1359 to 1366, and of Thessaly from 1359 until his death in 1370. He governed Epirus and Acarnania under his half-brother Emperor Dušan the Mighty Simeon Uroš Nemanjić,...
Palaiologos (1359–c. 1370), emperor of Serbians and Greeks - John UrošJohn UrošJovan Uroš or John Ouresis Doukas Palaiologos was the ruler of Thessaly from c. 1370 to c. 1373, died 1422/3.John Uroš was the son of Emperor Simeon Uroš Palaiologos by Thomais Orsini. His maternal grandparents were John II Orsini and Anna Palaiologina Angelina.Between 1369 and 1372 he succeeded...
Doukas Palaiologos (c. 1370–c. 1373), emperor of Serbians and Greeks
(Byzantine Suzerainty c.1373–1394)
- Alexios Angelos PhilanthropenosAlexios Angelos PhilanthropenosAlexios Angelos Philanthropenos was a Byzantine Greek nobleman who ruled Thessaly from 1373 until ca. 1390 with the title of Caesar....
(c. 1373–c. 1390), kaisar (Caesar) - Manuel Angelos PhilanthropenosManuel Angelos PhilanthropenosManuel Angelos Philanthropenos was a Byzantine Greek nobleman who ruled Thessaly from ca. 1390 until it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1393, as a Byzantine vassal with the title of Caesar....
(c. 1390–1393), kaisar (Caesar)
(Ottoman rule from 1393/4)
Ottoman Thessaly
The Ottomans first invaded Thessaly in 1386, when Gazi EvrenosGazi Evrenos
Evrenos or Evrenuz was an Ottoman military commander, with an unlikely longevous career and lifetime...
took Larissa
Larissa
Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
for a time, confining the Angeloi Philanthropenoi to their holdings in western Thessaly, around Trikala
Trikala
Trikala is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece. It is the capital of the Trikala peripheral unit, and is located NW of Athens, NW, of Karditsa, E of Ioannina and Metsovo, S of Grevena, SW of Thessaloniki, and W of Larissa...
. In 1392/3, the second phase of the invasion began, again under Evrenos. The Ottomans defeated Manuel Angelos Philanthropenos
Manuel Angelos Philanthropenos
Manuel Angelos Philanthropenos was a Byzantine Greek nobleman who ruled Thessaly from ca. 1390 until it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1393, as a Byzantine vassal with the title of Caesar....
, and retook Larissa. The conquest of Thessaly was completed during the next few years, from 1394 under the personal supervision of Sultan Bayezid I
Bayezid I
Bayezid I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1389 to 1402. He was the son of Murad I and Valide Sultan Gülçiçek Hatun.-Biography:Bayezid was born in Edirne and spent his youth in Bursa, where he received a high-level education...
. The fortresses of Volos
Volos
Volos is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 326 km north of Athens and 215 km south of Thessaloniki...
, Pharsala, Domokos
Domokos
Domokos is a town and a municipality in Phthiotis, Greece. The town Domokos is the seat of the municipality of Domokos and of the former Domokos Province...
and Neopatras were taken, and in 1395/6, Trikala too fell. After the disastrous Battle of Ankara
Battle of Ankara
The Battle of Ankara or Battle of Angora, fought on July 20, 1402, took place at the field of Çubuk between the forces of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I and the Turko-Mongol forces of Timur, ruler of the Timurid Empire. The battle was a major victory for Timur, and it led to a period of crisis for...
in 1402 however, the weakened Ottomans were forced to return the eastern half of Thessaly to Byzantine rule, while the remainder reverted to virtual independence, and the two forts of Pteleos
Pteleos
Pteleos is a village and a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Almyros, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 2,881 . It contains several beaches, as well as a plethora of beach-bars, taverns, restaurants,...
and Gardiki
Gardiki
Gardiki , older form: Gardikion may refer to the following villages with of including this name in Greece:*Gardiki Omilaion, a village in Phthiotis*Gardiki Souli, a village in Thesprotia, part of Souli...
came under Venetian
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
control. It was not until 1423 that Murad II
Murad II
Murad II Kodja was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1451 ....
reconquered Thessaly, installing Muslim settlers from the region of Iconium (who became known as "Koniars", Κονιάροι in Greek, from their place of origin) to secure his hold of the area. Turakhan Beg became the region's first Ottoman governor. Gardiki and Pteleos held out until 1470, when they were taken by the Ottomans.