Spata family

Spata Shpata Spatas
Noble family
Country	Medieval Albania
Founder	Gjin Bua Shpata
Titles	count, despot
Connected families	Arianiti family
Estate(s)	Aetolia (Early 1360s–?) Angelokastron (?–1399) Acheloos (?–1399) Nafpaktos or "Lepanto" (1377–78; 1380–?) Arta (1377–99)

The Spata family (Albanian: Shpata) was an Albanian noble family which rose to prominence in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, initially as Venetian vassals and later as Ottoman vassals. The family's progenitors were the brothers Gjin Bua Shpata and Skurra Bua Shpata. Shpata means "sword" in Albanian.^[1]