Theme of Dyrrhachium Δυρράχιον, θέμα Δυρραχίου Thema e Durrësit Provintia Dirrachii et Arbani
Theme of theEastern Roman Empire
9th century–1205
Theme of Dyrrhachium (Thema Dyrrhachii) in the western Balkans on the southern Adriatic coast.
Capital	Dyrrhachium
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Established	9th century
• Norman occupation	1081
• End of Norman occupation	1084
• Dissolution and capital surrendered to theVenetians	1205
Preceded by Succeeded by Epirus Nova Duchy of Durazzo (Republic of Venice) Arbanon Despotate of Epirus
Today part of	Albania
Common languages: Medieval Greek (official) Old Albanian Old Slavonic (minority) Latin (ecclesiastical)

TheTheme of Dyrrhachium (Medieval Greek: θέμα Δυρραχίου;Albanian:Thema e Durrësit), also referred to at the time asprovintia Dirrachii et Arbani, was aByzantine military-civilian province (theme). It encompassed theAdriatic coastal regions of what is nowAlbania, among other areas.

Established in the 9th century and named after its capital, Dyrrhachium (modern-dayDurrës),^[1] the theme was dissolved in 1205 following the fall of Constantinople to theFourth Crusade. The former capital would subsequently come underVenetian control, leading to the establishment of the short-livedDuchy of Durazzo.

The exact date of the theme's establishment is unclear; astrategos of Dyrrhachium is attested in theTaktikon Uspensky ofc. 842, but several seals ofstrategoi dating from the previous decades survive.J.B. Bury proposed its creation alongside the themes of thePeloponnese andCephallenia in the early 9th century, with the historianJadran Ferluga putting the date of its establishment in the reign of EmperorNikephoros I (r. 802–811).[2]^[3][4] Its boundaries are not very clear. To the north, it abutted theTheme of Dalmatia and theSerbian principality ofDuklja, and theTheme of Nicopolis to the south. The theme covered the coast in between, but how far inland it extended is uncertain: according toKonstantin Jireček, it reached as far as Drivast (modernDrisht) andPulati in the north, and Bellegrada (modernBerat) in the centre, and bordered the lands of the UpperDevoll andOhrid in the south.^[5] During theByzantine–Bulgarian wars of the late 10th and early 11th centuries, the city seems to have been autonomous or at times underBulgariansuzerainty.^[2]

From the mid-11th century on, its governor held the title ofdoux orkatepano.^[2] In 1040–1041, the troops of the theme, under their leaderTihomir, rebelled and joined the revolt ofPeter Delyan.^[6]

During the late 11th and the 12th centuries, the city of Dyrrhachium and its province were of great importance to the Byzantine Empire. The city was the main point of entry for trade but also for invaders from Italy, and was ideally placed to control the actions of theSlavic rulers of thewestern Balkans. Thus thedoux of Dyrrhachium became the senior-most Byzantine authority throughout the westernBalkan provinces. Two successive governors,Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder andNikephoros Basilakes, used this post as a launchpad for their imperial ambitions in the late 1070s. The region also played a crucial role in theByzantine–Norman Wars, beingoccupied by theNormans in 1081–1084. After its recovery, EmperorAlexios I Komnenos entrusted the command of the theme to some of his closest relatives.^[3][7][8]

Around 1190, thePrincipality of Arbanon, centered inKrujë, was ruled byProgon, followed by his sons,Gjin andDhimitër. Although it was virtually self-governing, the principality also remained dependent on the Byzantine Empire, as indicated by Progon’s title ofarchon.^[9]Due to its predominantlyAlbanian ethnic character, the theme was referred to in thePartitio Romaniae asprovintia Dirrachii et Arbani, highlighting two main centers of Albanian settlement within the empire:Arbanon-Raban andDevol.^[10] Other areas within or in close proximity of the theme, such as the coastal regions of Epirus, were also largely inhabited by Albanians.^[9] In addition, Albanians were the principal inhabitants of the mountainous regions above the eastern shore ofLake Shkodër, while the central regions of what is now modern Albania around the Devol river, were also predominantly inhabited by Albanians. Likewise, the region of ancientDardania (modernKosovo), accessible via theDrin river system, had strong Albanian presence during this period.^[11]

According to the samePartitio Romaniae, the regions ofVagenetia andGlavinitsa, designated aschartoularaton, were also part of the province of Dyrrhachium.^[12]

The city magnates (archontes) retained considerable influence and autonomy of action throughout, and it was they who in 1205, after thesack ofConstantinople by theFourth Crusade, surrendered the city to theRepublic of Venice.^[13] Between July and August, the Venetian expedition en route to Constantinople, intended to install Doge Tommaso Morosini as Patriarch, took this opportunity andseized Dyrrachium.^[10] In addition to acquiring the dependencies of the city, Venice also gained control over other territories formerly part of the theme, specifically the regions of Glavinitsa and Vagenetia. However, the Venetians showed limited interest in maintaining control over these two territories, and by the end of the same year, they had fallen under the authority of the newly-establishedDespotate of Epirus, then ruled byMichael I Komnenos Doukas.^[14]

Arbanon, facing difficulties in the aftermath of Constantinople’s fall, chose to align itself with the Orthodox world and accepted suzerainty under Epirus, while at the same time preserving an alliance withSerbia. Under the rule of Dhimitër, Arbanon regarded Venice as its primarily threat.^[15]

During the existence of the theme, Dyrrhachium was also the main ecclesiastical center in the region. As attested by theNotitiae Episcopatuum and other sources, localepiscopal sees in the province were grouped under jurisdiction of the Metropolitanate of Dyrrhachium, that belonged to thePatriarchate of Constantinople.^[16][17]

Toward the end of the 12th century, the theme also experienced an increasedCatholic influence, as the Church of Rome sought to expand its reach into the region of Albania, radiating from thearchiepiscopal seat at Antivari.^[18]

Following the dissolution of the theme, Albania faced growing instability due to the rise of the Despotate of Epirus and the emergence of new Slavic powers in Bulgaria and Serbia. These developments had repercussions for the region. The major trans-Balkan trade routes crossing Albania, such as theVia Egnatia and theVia de Zenta, were disrupted by ongoing conflict. As a result, these routes lost their traditional role as conduits for eastern goods, triggering the decline of Epirote and Albanian ports, particularly Dyrrachium.^[14]

• Unnamedstrategos of Dyrrhachium duringLeo Choirosphaktes' embassy to Bulgaria (896/904)^[19]
• Leo Rhabdouchos,protospatharios andstrategos of Dyrrhachium in 917^[20]
• Constantine, imperialspatharios andstrategos of Dyrrhachium (8th/9th-century seal)^[21]
• Niketas Pegonites,patrikios andstrategos of Dyrrhachium until 1018^[22]
• Eustathios Daphnomeles,strategos of Dyrrhachium from 1018^[22]
• Basil Synadenos,strategos of Dyrrhachium untilc. 1040[23]
• Michael Dermokaites,strategos of Dyrrhachium fromc. 1040[23]
• Michael,patrikios andkatepano of Dyrrhachiumc. 1043[24]
• Perenos,doux of Dyrrhachiumc. 1064[24]
• Michael Maurex,vestarches andkatepano of Dyrrhachium (seal dated to the 1060s/early 1070s)^[21]
• Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder,doux of Dyrrhachium in 1075–1077^[25]
• Nikephoros Basilakes,protoproedros anddoux of Dyrrhachium in 1078^[26]
• George Monomachatos,doux of Dyrrhachium in 1078–1081^[24]
• George Palaiologos, 1081
• John Doukas,doux of Dyrrhachium in 1085–1092^[27]
• John Komnenos,sebastos anddoux of Dyrrhachium in 1092–1106^[28]
• Alexios Komnenos, 1106 – after 1108
• Pirogordus [Pyrrogeorgios?],doux of Dyrrhachium early in the reign of John II Komnenos andGeorge I of Duklja^[29][13]
• Alexios Kontostephanos,doux of Dyrrhachium in the second quarter of the 12th century, during the reign of John II Komnenos and George I of Duklja^[29][13]
• Alexios Bryennios,doux of Dyrrhachium andOhrid, probably sometime between 1148 and 1156^[30]
• Alexios Doukas, mid-12th century^[13]
• Constantine Doukas,c. 1171[13]
• Unnameddoux of Dyrrhachium in 1203^[21]

• Angold, Michael (1997).The Byzantine Empire, 1025–1204: A Political History (Second ed.). London and New York: Longman.ISBN 0-582-29468-1.
• Dragojlović, Dragoljub (1990)."Dyrrachium et les Évéchés de Doclea jusqu'a la fondation de l'Archevéche de Bar".Balcanica.21:201–209.
• Darrouzès, Jean, ed. (1981).Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae. Paris: Institut français d'études byzantines.
• Ducellier, Alain (1981).La façade maritime de l'Albanie au Moyen Age. Durazzo et Valona du ΧIe au XVe siècle [The Albanian Seaboard in the Middle Ages. Durazzo and Valona from the 11th to the 15th Century] (in French). Thessaloniki:Institute for Balkan Studies.
• Ducellier, Alain (1999), "Albania, Serbia and Bulgaria", in Abulafia, David (ed.),The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume V: c. 1198-c. 1300, Cambridge University Press, pp. 779–795,ISBN 0-521-36289-X
• Ferluga, Jadran (1964)."Sur la date de la création du thème de Dyrrachium".Actes du XIIe Congrès international d'études byzantines. Beograd: Naučno delo. pp. 83–92.
• Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991).The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
• Moravcsik, Gyula, ed. (1967) [1949].Constantine Porphyrogenitus: De Administrando Imperio (2. ed.). Washington: Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies.
• Nesbitt, John;Oikonomides, Nicolas, eds. (1991).Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Volume 1: Italy, North of the Balkans, North of the Black Sea. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.ISBN 0-88402-194-7.
• Pertusi, A. (1952).Constantino Porfirogenito: De Thematibus (in Italian). Rome: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana.
• Stephenson, Paul (2004).Byzantium's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900–1204. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN 0-521-77017-3.
• Zakythinos, Dionysios (1941)."Μελέται περὶ τῆς διοικητικῆς διαιρέσεως καὶ τῆς ἐπαρχιακῆς διοικήσεως ἐν τῷ Βυζαντινῷ κράτει" [Studies on the administrative division and provincial administration in the Byzantine state].Ἐπετηρίς Ἐταιρείας Βυζαντινῶν Σπουδῶν (in Greek).17:208–274.hdl:11615/19494.
• Soustal, Peter; Koder, Johannes (1981).Tabula Imperii Byzantini, Band 3: Nikopolis und Kephallēnia (in German). Vienna:Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.ISBN 978-3-7001-0399-8.

• States and territories established in the 9th century
• States and territories disestablished in 1205
• History of Durrës
• Themes of the Byzantine Empire
• Albania under the Byzantine Empire
• States and territories disestablished in the 13th century

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