Margrave of Bodonitsa
Encyclopedia
The margraviate or marquisate of Bodonitsa (also Vodonitsa or Boudonitza; ), today Mendenitsa
, Phthiotis
(180 km northwest of Athens
), was a Frankish
state in Greece
following the conquests of the Fourth Crusade
. It was originally granted as a margravial holding of Guy Pallavicini
by Boniface, first king of Thessalonica, in 1204. Its original purpose was to guard the pass of Thermopylae
.
The marquisate survived the fall of Thessalonica after the death of Boniface, but it was made subservient to the Principality of Achaea
in 1248. The marquisate further survived the coming of the Catalan Company
in 1311, but it fell to two Venetian
families in quick succession: Cornaro
(till 1335) and the Zorzi
. The Zorzi ruled the marquisate until the Ottoman Turks
conquered it in 1414. Nicholas II
continued to use the margravial title after that date, but the territory was never recovered.
Pallavicini
Thomas inherited the margraviate after a dispute with Isabella's widower. He was a grandson of Rubino, brother of Guy.
Zorzi
The first Zorzi was a husband of Guglielma.
Mendenitsa
Mendenitsa , in the Middle Ages known as Bodonitsa or Vodonitsa , is a village on Mt. Kallidromon in Phthiotis, Greece. It is part of the municipality of Molos.During the late Middle Ages, it was the seat of the Marquisate of Bodonitsa...
, Phthiotis
Phthiotis
Phthiotis is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. The capital is the city of Lamia. It is bordered by the Malian Gulf to the east, Boeotia in the south, Phocis in the south, Aetolia-Acarnania in the southwest, Evrytania in the west,...
(180 km northwest of 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...
), was a Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
state in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
following the conquests of 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...
. It was originally granted as a margravial holding of Guy Pallavicini
Guy Pallavicini
Guy, Guido, or Galdo Pallavicini , called Marchesopoulo by his Greek subjects, was the first margrave of Bodonitsa in Frankish Greece from 1204 to his death in 1237...
by Boniface, first king of Thessalonica, in 1204. Its original purpose was to guard the pass of Thermopylae
Thermopylae
Thermopylae is a location in Greece where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. It derives its name from its hot sulphur springs. "Hot gates" is also "the place of hot springs and cavernous entrances to Hades"....
.
The marquisate survived the fall of Thessalonica after the death of Boniface, but it was made subservient to the Principality of Achaea
Principality of Achaea
The Principality of Achaea or of the Morea was one of the three vassal states of the Latin Empire which replaced the Byzantine Empire after the capture of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. It became a vassal of the Kingdom of Thessalonica, along with the Duchy of Athens, until Thessalonica...
in 1248. The marquisate further survived the coming of the Catalan Company
Catalan Company
The Catalan Company of the East , officially the Magnas Societas Catalanorum, sometimes called the Grand Company and widely known as the Catalan Company, was a free company of mercenaries founded by Roger de Flor in the early 14th-century...
in 1311, but it fell to two 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...
families in quick succession: Cornaro
Cornaro
The Cornaro, also known as Corner, are an illustrious patrician family in Venice, from which for centuries senior office-holders and Doges sprung...
(till 1335) and the Zorzi
Zorzi
The Zorzi or Giorgi was a family of Venetian origin. They throve in the Late Middle Ages, especially in the remnants of the Latin Empire in Greece, where they controlled the Margraviate of Bodonitsa and through marriage the Duchy of Athens until the Ottoman conquest.Under Nicholas I they took...
. The Zorzi ruled the marquisate until the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
conquered it in 1414. Nicholas II
Nicholas II Zorzi
Nicholas II Zorzi or Giorgi was the Margrave of Bodonitsa, a member of the Zorzi family of the Republic of Venice, from 1410 to 1414. He was the last Venetian margrave to actually rule before the Ottoman Turkish conquest....
continued to use the margravial title after that date, but the territory was never recovered.
PallaviciniPallaviciniThe Pallavicini, Pallavicino, were an Italian noble family descended from Oberto I . The first Pallavicino fief was created by Oberto II, who received them it by Frederick Barbarossa in 1162...
Thomas inherited the margraviate after a dispute with Isabella's widower. He was a grandson of Rubino, brother of Guy.
- 1204 – 1237 GuyGuy PallaviciniGuy, Guido, or Galdo Pallavicini , called Marchesopoulo by his Greek subjects, was the first margrave of Bodonitsa in Frankish Greece from 1204 to his death in 1237...
- 1237 – 1278 UbertinoUbertino PallaviciniUbertino Pallavicini was the son and successor of Guy as Margrave of Bodonitsa in 1237.Despite the fact that, since the fall of the Kingdom of Thessalonica in 1224, Bodonitsa was a vassal of the Principality of Achaea, Ubertino assisted his cousin Guy de la Roche, Duke of Athens, in war against...
- 1278 – 1286 IsabellaIsabella PallaviciniIsabella Pallavicini , sometimes Jezebel, was the marchioness of Bodonitsa from 1278. She succeeded her brother Ubertino and also inherited her elder sister Mabilia's Italian possessions in Parma. The three were the only children of the first margrave Guy...
- 1278 – 1286 Antoine le FlamencAntoine le FlamencAnthony was the Frankish baron of Karditsa . He was married to Isabella Pallavicini and co-ruled the March of Bodonitsa with her from 1278 to 1286, when she died...
, husband
- 1278 – 1286 Antoine le Flamenc
- 1286 – ???? ThomasThomas PallaviciniThomas Pallavicini was the margrave of Bodonitsa following a disputed succession in 1286. He was the grandson of Rubino, younger brother of Guy, the first margrave....
- ???? – 1311 AlbertAlbert PallaviciniAlbert Pallavicini was the fifth margrave of Bodonitsa from his father's death until his own in 1311. His father was Thomas, a great nephew of the first margrave Guy. Albert married Maria dalle Carceri, a Venetian noblewoman from Euboea. He even obtained a sixth of that island with the official...
- 1311 – 1323 Maria dalle CarceriMaria dalle CarceriMaria dalle Carceri was the wife of Albert Pallavicini who succeeded to half of the marquisate of Bodonitsa on his death in 1311. While she avoided submitting her principality to the Catalan Company, she could not avoid paying an annual tribute of four destriers.Maria was descended from a Lombard...
, wife - 1312 – 1323 Andrea CornaroAndrea CornaroAndrea Cornaro of the House of Cornaro, was the husband of Maria dalle Carceri, widow of Albert Pallavicini. He married Maria in 1312 and co-governed her half of the marquisate of Bodonitsa until his death....
, husband of above
- 1311 – 1323 Maria dalle Carceri
- 1311 – 1358 GuglielmaGuglielma PallaviciniGuglielma Pallavicini , the Lady of Thermopylae, was the last Pallavicino heir to rule in Bodonitsa. She was but an infant when she succeeded her father Albert in 1311...
- 1327 – 1334 Bartolommeo Zaccaria, husband
ZorziZorziThe Zorzi or Giorgi was a family of Venetian origin. They throve in the Late Middle Ages, especially in the remnants of the Latin Empire in Greece, where they controlled the Margraviate of Bodonitsa and through marriage the Duchy of Athens until the Ottoman conquest.Under Nicholas I they took...
The first Zorzi was a husband of Guglielma.
- 1335 – 1345 Nicholas INicholas I ZorziNicholas I Zorzi was the Margrave of Bodonitsa, first member of the Zorzi family of Venice to hold the post, from 1335 to his death...
- 1345 – 1388 FrancisFrancis ZorziFrancis Zorzi , called Marchesotto, was the Margrave of Bodonitsa, a member of the Venetian Zorzi family, from 1345 to his death....
- 1388 – 1410 JacobJacob ZorziJacob Zorzi was the Margrave of Bodonitsa from 1388 to 1410. He was the last true ruler of Bodonitsa.Jacob was the eldest son of Francis Zorzi, of Venetian origin, and Euphrosyne Sommaripa, of the Cyclades. He succeeded his father around 1388 on the latter's death and under the regency of his mother...
- 1410 – 1411 Nicholas IINicholas II ZorziNicholas II Zorzi or Giorgi was the Margrave of Bodonitsa, a member of the Zorzi family of the Republic of Venice, from 1410 to 1414. He was the last Venetian margrave to actually rule before the Ottoman Turkish conquest....
- 1411 – 1414 Nicholas IIINicholas III ZorziNicholas III Zorzi or Giorgi was the Margrave of Bodonitsa, a member of the Zorzi family of the Republic of Venice, from 1416 to 1436, though the title was purely nominal by then. Before becoming margrave in an exchange with his nephew Nicholas II, he was the baron of Carystus...
Sources
- Miller, W. "The Marquisate of Boudonitza (1204-1414)." Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 28, 1908, pp 234-249.
- Setton, Kenneth M.Kenneth SettonKenneth Meyer Setton was an American historian and an expert on the history of medieval Europe.- Early life, education and awards :...
(general editor) A History of the Crusades: Volume III — The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries. Harry W. Hazard, editor. University of Wisconsin Press: Madison, 1975. - Setton, Kenneth M. Catalan Domination of Athens 1311–1380. Revised edition. Variorum: London, 1975.
- Latin Lordships of Greece: Boudonitza.
- Marquisate of Bodonitsa.
- Zakythinos D. A. Le Despotat Grec de Morée: les Belles Lettres. Paris, 1932.