Despotate of Arta

Despotate of Arta
Despotati i Artës (Albanian)
Δεσποτάτο της Άρτας (Greek)
1359–1416
Map of the Despotate of Arta in 1390
Map of the Despotate of Arta in 1390
StatusDespotate
CapitalArta
Common languagesAlbanian
Greek
Religion
Eastern Orthodoxy
GovernmentDespotate
Despot/Lord 
• 1360–1374
Pjetër Losha
• 1374–1399
Gjin Bua Shpata[1]
• 1399–1403
Sgouros Shpata[2]
• 1403–1415
Muriq Shpata
• 1415–1416
Yaqub Shpata
Historical eraMedieval
• Established
April 1359
• Unified with Angelokastron and Lepanto
1374
• Disestablished
4 October 1416
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Despotate of Epirus
Despotate of Angelokastron and Lepanto
Despotate of Epirus
Today part ofGreece

The Despotate of Arta (Albanian: Despotati i Artës; Greek: Δεσποτάτο της Άρτας) was a despotate established by Albanian rulers during the 14th century, after the defeat of the local Despot of Epirus, Nikephoros II Orsini, by Albanian tribesmen in the Battle of Achelous in 1359. The Despotate ceased to exist in 1416, when it passed to Carlo I Tocco.[3][4][5][6]

  1. ^ Served firstly as Despot of Angelokastron, became despot of Arta and Angelokastron after the death of Peter Losha.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference books.google.gr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ History of Albanian People. Albanian Academy of Science. ISBN 99927-1-623-1
  4. ^ Fine, John. The Late Medieval Balkans. Ann Arbor, 1987.
  5. ^ Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, p. 191
  6. ^ Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, p. 53