Jacob Zorzi
Encyclopedia
Jacob 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. Soon before his death, Francis had ceased to pay annual tribute to the Duchy of Athens
, though he remained a peer of the Principality of Achaea
. In 1393 – 1394, however, the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I
invaded northern Greece and conquered the County of Salona, another Crusader state dating back to the Fourth Crusade
. Lamia
and Neopatria were captured and Pharsala and Domokos
were abandoned by the Serbs
, whose leader was Jacob's brother-in-law. For whatever reason, Bodonitsa was spared and merely forced to pay annual tribute to the sultan. In 1403, 1408, and 1409, he was party to the treaties between Venice and the Emir Suleyman and in the first of these succeeded in ridding himself of his obligations of payment. By a treaty of 1405 between Venice and Antonio I Acciaioli
of Athens, he was included so as to safen his southern border and relieve him of worry there.
He moved many peasants and livestock to Karystos
, the Euboea
n stronghold of his brother Nicholas
, in an attempt to protect them from Turkish assaults, but he was content enough himself to remain in Bodonitsa and even bid for Tenos and Mykonos
, two islands which Venice was auctioning off in 1406. His bid failed.
Suleyman died in 1410 and his successor, Musa Celebi
, renewed the war on Bodonitsa almost immediately. In early spring, Bodonitsa was besieged, and Jacob resisted, for he "preferred, like the high-minded and true Christian that he was, to die rather than surrender the place." Nevertheless, he was killed by traitors while "bravely defending the medieval Thermopylae against the new Persian invasion." His sons, including his eldest and successor, Nicholas II
, continued to hold the castle until Venice could send relief, but the relief was too late in coming and the citadel fell and Nicholas was captured.
Margrave of Bodonitsa
The margraviate or marquisate of Bodonitsa , today Mendenitsa, Phthiotis , 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...
from 1388 to 1410. He was the last true ruler of Bodonitsa.
Jacob was the eldest son of Francis Zorzi
Francis Zorzi
Francis Zorzi , called Marchesotto, was the Margrave of Bodonitsa, a member of the Venetian Zorzi family, from 1345 to his death....
, of Venetian
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
origin, and Euphrosyne Sommaripa, of the Cyclades
Cyclades
The Cyclades is a Greek island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of the mainland of Greece; and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name refers to the islands around the sacred island of Delos...
. He succeeded his father around 1388 on the latter's death and under the regency of his mother. Soon before his death, Francis had ceased to pay annual tribute to the Duchy of Athens
Duchy of Athens
The Duchy of Athens was one of the Crusader States set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade, encompassing the regions of Attica and Boeotia, and surviving until its conquest by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century....
, though he remained a peer of 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 1393 – 1394, however, the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I
Bayezid I
Bayezid I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1389 to 1402. He was the son of Murad I and Valide Sultan Gülçiçek Hatun.-Biography:Bayezid was born in Edirne and spent his youth in Bursa, where he received a high-level education...
invaded northern Greece and conquered the County of Salona, another Crusader state dating back to 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...
. Lamia
Lamia (city)
Lamia is a city in central Greece. The city has a continuous history since antiquity, and is today the capital of the regional unit of Phthiotis and of the Central Greece region .-Name:...
and Neopatria were captured and Pharsala and Domokos
Domokos
Domokos is a town and a municipality in Phthiotis, Greece. The town Domokos is the seat of the municipality of Domokos and of the former Domokos Province...
were abandoned by the Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
, whose leader was Jacob's brother-in-law. For whatever reason, Bodonitsa was spared and merely forced to pay annual tribute to the sultan. In 1403, 1408, and 1409, he was party to the treaties between Venice and the Emir Suleyman and in the first of these succeeded in ridding himself of his obligations of payment. By a treaty of 1405 between Venice and Antonio I Acciaioli
Antonio I Acciaioli
Antonio I Acciaioli , called the Bastard, was the illegitimate son of Nerio I of Athens and his longtime mistress Maria Rendi. He became Duke of Athens on the death of his father , but was expelled within the year by the Republic of Venice, the executor of Nerio's will...
of Athens, he was included so as to safen his southern border and relieve him of worry there.
He moved many peasants and livestock to Karystos
Karystos
Karystos is a small coastal town on the Greek island of Euboea. It has about 7,000 inhabitants. It lies 129 km south of Chalkis. From Athens it is accessible by ferry via Marmari from the Rafina port...
, the Euboea
Euboea
Euboea is the second largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. The narrow Euripus Strait separates it from Boeotia in mainland Greece. In general outline it is a long and narrow, seahorse-shaped island; it is about long, and varies in breadth from to...
n stronghold of his brother Nicholas
Nicholas III Zorzi
Nicholas 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...
, in an attempt to protect them from Turkish assaults, but he was content enough himself to remain in Bodonitsa and even bid for Tenos and Mykonos
Mykonos
Mykonos is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 9,320 inhabitants most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, which lies on the west coast. The town is also...
, two islands which Venice was auctioning off in 1406. His bid failed.
Suleyman died in 1410 and his successor, Musa Celebi
Musa Çelebi
Musa Çelebi was an Ottoman prince and a co-ruler of the empire for three years during Ottoman Interregnum. - Background :...
, renewed the war on Bodonitsa almost immediately. In early spring, Bodonitsa was besieged, and Jacob resisted, for he "preferred, like the high-minded and true Christian that he was, to die rather than surrender the place." Nevertheless, he was killed by traitors while "bravely defending the medieval Thermopylae against the new Persian invasion." His sons, including his eldest and successor, 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 hold the castle until Venice could send relief, but the relief was too late in coming and the citadel fell and Nicholas was captured.
Sources
- Setton, Kenneth M. Catalan Domination of Athens 1311–1380. Revised edition. Variorum: London, 1975.
- Miller, W. "The Marquisate of Boudonitza (1204-1414)." Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 28, 1908, pp 234–249.
- Latin Lordships of Greece: Boudonitza.