Simon Zenebishi
Simon Zenebishi (fl. 1443–61) was an Albanian aristocrat and vassal of the Kingdom of Naples, who held the castle of Strovilo (Castrovilari), near Butrint, and was a member of the Zenebishi family of southern Albania. He probably dwelled in Corfu, and was later subject to the sovereignty of Alfonso of Naples.
Simon Zenebishi | |
|---|---|
| Lord of the Strovilo Lord in Albania (signore in Albania) | |
| Reign | 1443–1461 |
| Predecessor | Thopia Zenebishi |
| Successor | Alessandro Zenebishi |
| Died | 1461 |
| Noble family | Zenebishi |
| Spouse | daughter of Muriq Shpata |
| Father | Thopia Zenebishi |
| Occupation | Albanian nobleman, Venetian nobleman, Neapolitan vassal |
Life
He was a grandson a Gjon Zenebishi and a son of Thopia Zenebishi of the Zenebishi family. The Zenebishi had established themselves as rulers in the region of Gjirokastër, ruled by Gjon Zenebishi who in the late 14th century is a recorded as "sebastokrator".[1] Simon appears in the historical records for the first time in a deal the Zenebishi had made with the Shpata clan of the Despotate of Arta. As part of their alliance against the Despote of Epirus, Carlo Tocco, a daughter of Muriq Shpata was married to Simon Zenebishi.[2] This alliance held until 1413-14, when, due to unknown actions undertaken by Simon, the alliance between the Zenebishi and Shpata broke and the Zenebishi allied with the Tocco instead.[3]
In 1443, Simon Zenebishi built the Strovili fortress with Venetian approval and support.[4] It was located near Saiata (Sayada),[4] and above Vagenetia, the lands of his grandfather Gjon Zenebishi.[5] In 1454–55 he was recognized by Alphonso V as a vassal of the Kingdom of Naples.[6]
He had a son, born and raised in Turkey, who had deserted from the Turks in 1454, who in 1455 asked the King of Naples to be baptized.[7]
Aftermath
His son, Alessandro "Lech" Zenebishi, ruled Strovilo following Simon's death until 1473, when he sold the castle to Venice.
Ancestry
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Name
In Catalan documents, his name is also spelled Simone Gimlixi[8] and Gimbixi.[9] An Albanian neologism of his name is Simon Zenebishi.
References
- Sansaridou-Hendrickx 2017, p. 289.
- Nicol 2010, p. 255
- Osswald 2011, p. 261.
- Byzantino Bulgarica. Éditions de l'Académie des sciences de Bulgarie. 1981. p. 268.
...und 1413 konnte sich Venedig diesen begehrten, auch Bu^tia genannten Stützpunkt sichern.30 Die Festung Strobili in der Nähe von Saiata wurde 1443 von Simon Zenebisi mit venezianischer Zustimmung oder auch Unterstützung errichtet.
- Chroniques gréco-romanes inédites ou peu connues. Weidmann. 1873. pp. 194–.
In terra firme. insulae opposite. castrum Struvili a. ,,Ser Guino Zenebisi" ,,sopra il cape di Vagenetia" exstruetum esse, Arsenius Pendamodi refert.
- Setton, Kenneth Meyer (1978). The Papacy and the Levant, 1204-1571: The fifteenth century. American Philosophical Society. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-87169-127-9.
- Makushev 1874, p. 147
- Archivio storico per le province Napoletane. Presso gli editori Detken & Rocholl e F. Giannini. 1902.
Simone Gimlixi
- Spomenik Srpske kraljevske akademije. Vol. 95–97. U Državnoj štampariji Kraljevne Srbije. 1942.
Magnifico viro Simoni Gimbixi, domino castri Uillari in Albania, fideli nostro dilecto. (Archivo de la Cor. de ...
Sources
- Nicol, Donald MacGillivray (2010). The Despotate of Epiros 1267–1479: A Contribution to the History of Greece in the Middle Ages. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-13089-9.
- Sansaridou-Hendrickx, Thekla (2017). "The Albanians in the Chronicle(s) of Ioannina: An Anthropological Approach". Acta Patristica et Byzantina. 21 (2): 287–306. doi:10.1080/10226486.2010.11879131. S2CID 163742869.
- Osswald, Brendan (2011). L'Epire du treizième au quinzième siècle : autonomie et hétérogénéité d'une région balkanique (Thesis) (in French). Université Toulouse le Mirail - Toulouse II.