| Gjin Bua Shpata | |
|---|---|
| Despot of Arta | |
| Born | First half of the 14th century Epirus |
| Died | 29 October 1399 (1399-10-30) |
| Spouse | Helena Preljubović |
| Issue | Irene Shpata |
| House | Shpata family |
| Father | Pjetër Bua Shpata |
| Religion | Eastern Orthodoxy |
Gjin Bua Shpata (sometimes anglicized asJohn Spata) (fl. 1358 – 29 October 1399) was anAlbanian ruler inWestern Greece with the title ofDespot. Together withPjetër Losha, he led raids intoEpirus,Acarnania andAetolia in 1358. He was recognized as Despot by the titular Eastern Roman Emperor in the early 1360s and ruled Aetolia (1360s–?),Angelokastron (?–1399),Naupactus (1378–1399), andArta (1370s–1399). He was born sometime in the first half of the 14th century inEpirus, as his father was a ruler in the region.
The wordspata, inAlbanianshpatë,pl.shpata, 'sword'.[1] Hammond thus believes that he was called "John the Sword".[2]Spatha being a type of Roman sword.
Karl Hopf's genealogy of the Shpata family is "altogether inaccurate";[3] according to it, his father was Pietro, the lord ofAngelokastron andDelvina (1354)[4] during the reign of Serbian emperorStefan Dušan (r. 1331–55). It is known that Shpata had a brother,Skurra Bua Shpata.
In 1358, some Albanian commanders overran Epirus, Acarnania and Aetolia, and subsequently established two principalities under their leaders, Shpata andPjetër Losha.[5]
Nikephoros II Orsini launched a campaign against the invading Albanians,[6] and also faced with the threat ofRadoslav Hlapen to the north, he negotiated withSimeon Uroš, presumably to prevent Simeon's Albanian allies from supporting the Albanians in Epirus.[6] The negotiations were thwarted by Nikephoros' death fighting the Albaniansat Acheloos (1359).[7]
In 1360,Simeon Uroš, the titular Serbian Emperor, in an attempt to avoid conflict with the Albanians and as an acknowledgement of their military strength decided to leave the areas of Arta and Aetolia to Shpata and Losha.[8][9]
The Despot ofIoannina,Thomas Preljubović, had betrothed his daughter to Losha's son in 1370, satisfying the Albanians and ending the conflict between them.[10] In 1374, however, Pjetër Losha died of the plague in Arta, after which Shpata took the city. At this time he was not bound by agreement to Thomas, and so he laid siege to Ioannina and ravaged the countryside by defeating the forces of Preljubović. Thomas brought peace when he betrothed his sister Helena to Shpata the following year.[10] Attacks on Ioannina continued, however, by theMalakasioi, who didn't succeed to take Ioannina in 1377 and 1379. This tribe acted independently and nor under the order of Shpata.[10]
In 1376 or 1377, Shpata conqueredNafpaktos; by this time he controlled Arta and much of southern Epirus and Acarnania.[11] TheAchaeanKnights Hospitallers ofJuan Fernández de Heredia began theirinvasion of Epirus, moving onto Shpata, capturing Nafpaktos, and thenVonitsa in Acarnania (April 1378). However, Shpata managed to defeat and capture Heredia as a hostage, ending their campaign; he was again master of Nafpaktos by 1380.[11] In May 1379, Shpata again devastated the countryside of Ioannina.[12]
In 1380, Thomas made an offensive with the help of Turks reaching up to the upperKalamas River, where however, the Albanians, in particular, the tribe of Mazaraki held their defensive position and defeated again Thomas.[13]
In 1384 Thomas Preljubović was killed by some of his bodyguards.[1] Gjin Bua Shpata attacked Ioannina but was unsuccessful in cracking the defense set up byEsau de' Buondelmonti.[14] The two made peace but soon returned to the conflict.[14] In 1386, Esau gained Ottoman military help.[14] The Ottomans were, after theBattle of Kosovo (1389), unable to assist Esau, thus, the Albanians seized the opportunity and raided the environs of Ioannina in the summer by defeating Esau and forcing him to stay inside the city.[14] The Malakasioi then raided into the territory, after which they concluded alliance with Shpata.[14] Esau then allied himself with the caesar of Thessaly (either Alexios Angelos or Manuel), who defeated the Albanians, presumably the Malakasioi, later that year, but not Shpata.[14]
In January 1396, Esau married Shpata's only daughter, Irene.[14] The marriage was part of a deal which the archons of Ioannina enforced on Esau in order to make peace with the Albanians.[15]
Shpata died on 29 October 1399, under the continuous pressure of Tocco. Shpata's son would become the next despot of Arta and Angelokastron for the next decade.
The Albanian academic Gjergji Shuka distinguished the origin of some South Slavic (Jovan i divski starešina,Marko Kraljević i Đemo Brđanin,Jana i Detelin voyvoda) Albanian and legends and epic songs, such asZuku Bajraktar,Dedalia dhe Katallani,Çika e plakut Emin agë vret në duel Baloze Delinë, and in the poem regarding Shpata and the battle of Arta in 1378. The two enemies of Gjon,Juan Fernández de Heredia and queenJoanna I of Naples, are remembered in Balkan collective memory.[16]
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His genealogical tree is not well documented. It was first outlined byKarl Hopf in his Chroniques Greco-Romanes (p. 531) and by K. Sathas in the 19th century but a newer study finds that those works have many mistakes and gaps.[17] Hopf's genealogy of the Shpata family is "altogether inaccurate".[18]
G. Schiró studied the genealogy of Shpata based on the original sources, i.e. the "Chronicle of Ioannina" and the "Chronicle of Tocco", but also on the Venetian archives. He proposed that Pietro Bua had not only three sons but four and that John had only daughters. His daughter Irene married three times. He believes that the family was extinct with the death of Jakob in 1416. Other people, mainly condottieri, with the name "Bua" are not blood relatives of this family but this name was used by many as first name since it became famous.[19] However this is refuted by modern scholars, Gjin Bua Shpata was a member ofBua tribe and founder of Shpata family.[20][21]
He was married to a woman who is unknown in the historical record.[22] His daughter, Irene was married (before April 1381 ) to a Marchesano of Naples, Morean baron, baillie ofAchaea[23] andEsau de' Buondelmonti in 1396.[18] Esau was the Despot ofIoannina. Another unnamed daughter was married toGjon Zenebishi.[24]
Among his grandchildren were brothersMuriq Shpata andJakob Bua Shpata, who claimed to have been sons of Eirene.
| Preceded by Post created | Despot of Angelokastron and Lepanto 1359–1374 | Succeeded by Post abolished |
| Preceded by | Despot of Arta 1374–1399 | Succeeded by |
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