| Nicholas Orsini | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Despot of Epirus | |
| Reign | 1318–1323 |
| Predecessor | Thomas Komnenos Doukas |
| Successor | John II Orsini |
| Count palatine of Cephalonia | |
| Reign | 1317–1323 |
| Predecessor | John I Orsini |
| Successor | John II Orsini |
| Died | 1323 |
| Spouse | Anna Palaiologina |
| Dynasty | Orsini ('apostolic' branch [it]) |
| Father | John I Orsini |
| Mother | Maria Komnene Doukaina |
Nicholas Orsini (Italian:Nicolò Orsini;[1]Greek:Νικόλαος Ορσίνι,romanized: Nikolaos Orsini) was aGreek–Italian nobleman who wascount palatine of Cephalonia from 1317 to 1323 andruler of southernEpirus aroundArta from 1318 to 1323. The son of CountJohn I Orsini andMaria, an Epirote princess, he succeeded his father upon the latter's death, and in the next year murdered his uncle,Thomas Komnenos Doukas, and usurped his rule of Epirus. While able to secure his control over southern Epirus, however, the north with the city ofIoannina were taken over by theByzantine Empire. Nicholas' attempts to ally with theRepublic of Venice and recover Ioannina failed, and he was in turn killed by his brotherJohn II Orsini in 1323.
Nicholas was the son of CountJohn I Orsini of Cephalonia byMaria, a daughter ofNikephoros I Komnenos Doukas of Epirus by Maria Laskaris.[2] His father governed Cephalonia as a vassal of KingCharles II of Naples,[3] and had acquiredLeukas as his wife's dowry. John had a close relationship with his father-in-law, and with his wife lived at the Epirote court atArta until 1303, when John succeeded his father,Richard Orsini.[4] John nevertheless joined in attacks on Epirus ordered by hisAngevin suzerains, King Charles II of Naples andPhilip of Taranto in 1304 and 1306. John appears to have played a part in instigating these attacks, apparently aiming to become the new ruler of Epirus.[5][6]
Nicholas succeeded to the county on his father's death in 1317, and like his father also set his sights on Epirus.[3][7] In 1318 he surprised and murdered his childless uncle,Thomas I Komnenos Doukas of Epirus,[8][9] and easily subdued the entire southern portion of the principality around Arta. To solidify his position among the local population, Nicholas espousedEastern Orthodoxy, used the Greek language, and married his uncle's widow,Anna Palaiologina, daughter of theByzantine co-emperorMichael IX Palaiologos and granddaughter of EmperorAndronikos II Palaiologos.[3][10] Although Anna was his aunt, the Church appears to have acquiesced to their marriage.[11] The historianDonald Nicol suggests that Anna may have been involved in Thomas' murder, as he had mistreated her.[12]
The Angevins did not entirely welcome Nicholas' actions, as they clashed with their own claims over Epirus.[3][10] While Nicholas had sworn allegiance to the newPrince of Achaea,John of Gravina in 1318 as the latter's feudal vassal,[11] in the next year, when prompted to render homage as ruler of Epirus as well, he refused.[11][13] At the same time, the Byzantines took advantage of Nicholas' lack of legitimacy to occupy the northern part of the Epirote realm, includingIoannina, which declared itself for the Byzantine emperor as soon as the murder of Thomas became known.[3][14]
When Nicholas sent to Emperor Andronikos to seek recognition of his new status, the emperor agreed to award him the title ofdespot (in 1319/20)[1] in exchange for Nicholas' pledge to recognize the loss of Ioannina.[15] In the meantime, Nicholas tried to form an alliance with theRepublic of Venice, which had wide-ranging commercial and political interests in the area. In May 1320 he sent ambassadors to Venice, offering to acknowledge Venetian overlordship and hand over either the lucrative fishing grounds ofLake Butrint, or the sugarcane plantations ofParga. Not wishing to alienate the Byzantines, the Venetians politely refused.[16][17] Nevertheless, already in 1320, Nicholas began harassing the Byzantine domains in Epirus, and his ties to the Byzantine court ended when his wife Anna died in the same year.[18]
Following the outbreak of aByzantine civil war shortly after, Nicholas saw an excellent opportunity to recover the Epirote to his north. Within a short time, he was besieging Ioannina. He was aided by the Venetians, who under the command ofGiovanni Michiel opportunistically attacked the port ofValona. Nevertheless, both attacks were repulsed by the Byzantine garrisons.[17][19] In Ioannina in particular, the local citizens eagerly participated in the defence of both their city and the extensive privileges granted to them by Andronikos II.[20] Shortly after, in 1323, he was killed—either by murder or as a result of a brief conflict—by his brotherJohn II Orsini.[1][3][20]
Nicholas Orsini Born: unknown Died: 1323 | ||
| Preceded by | Despot of Epirus 1318–1323 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Count palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos 1317–1323 | |