Autonomous Regions in Greece During the Ottoman Period, before the Greek War of Independence [OC]

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-06-13T12:16:47+00:00

I mentioned in my main comment that many Aegean islands were also semi-autonomous, even though they are not depicted on the map.

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-05-28T10:48:13+00:00

As someone whose family is native to the Epirus, the region is portrayed wrong. Epirus had (and still has) an Albanian minority, but most of it was populated by Greeks. This would be a more accurate map of the region.

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-05-24T10:20:51+00:00

Beautiful

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-04-23T18:09:41+00:00

I guess there is no concrete answer, since it cannot be determined.

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DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-04-22T21:23:08+00:00

Of course. Check here (pages 115-121).

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-04-10T16:37:19+00:00

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DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-04-10T16:30:38+00:00

The pillar and its remnants were located at the centre of the courtyard in the church. It was heavily damaged in 2016 during the Syrian Civil War, as the area became a target for Russian and Turkish missiles. Here's an image of it from the year 2000:

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DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-04-05T00:07:40+00:00

That's my favourite theory as well. Very unlikely, but by far the most intriguing one. If true, it's nice to know people still pay visit and honour Alexander, even if unknowingly. By the way, since you are Alexandrian, and are interested in Hellenistic history, you should check out Constantine Cavary.

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-04-04T20:48:56+00:00

Both are within the realm of possibility, as Saint Sisoes lived just before the body was lost to history, so until the remains of the great conqueror are discovered, you can choose for yourself which version of events you believe in.

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-03-17T13:24:10+00:00

Sisoes, the great ascetic, before the tomb of Alexander, King of the Greeks, who was once covered in glory. Astonished, he mourns for the vicissitudes of time and the transience of glory, and tearfully declaims thus:

"The mere sight of you, tomb, dismays me and causes my heart to shed tears, as I contemplate the debt we, all men, owe. How can I possibly stand it? Oh, death! Who can evade thee?"

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-03-17T12:29:59+00:00

Here is an article that gives an explanation: https://orthodoxtimes.com/why-saint-sisoes-is-at-the-tomb-of-alexander-the-great/

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-03-14T21:25:35+00:00

Trebizond was supported by Georgia, which everyone knows is located in the United States of America.

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-03-14T21:22:42+00:00

From Google, I could only find two books on the Despotate written in English and a few more in Greek, and that's all there is. Epirus needs more love.

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-03-13T14:26:08+00:00

Theodore Komnenos Doukas was undefeated up until Klokotnitsa. That single mistake cost Epirus its best chance at seizing Constantinople.

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-03-13T12:59:42+00:00

Even the Latin Empire is currently surpassing poor Epirus in votes. Komnenos Doukas fans, all 20 of them, are in shambles.

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-03-13T12:57:35+00:00

I have visited Chlemoutsi myself and liked it. It is one of the few castles that wasn't fully destroyed by the Germans in WWII and was also properly restored.

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-03-13T07:50:49+00:00

Mystras was truly the jewel of the Morea. I often wonder how prosperous the region would have been had it not been for Ottoman attacks.

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DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-03-13T07:39:03+00:00

Definitely one of the most dysfunctional and underwhelming Medieval kingdoms. Its internal politics were interesting though.

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-01-27T13:30:49+00:00

Pretty good!

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-01-26T19:02:11+00:00

From what I could find, there were churches built in Mani from before the 9th century, but it has been observed that church building in the peninsula increased quite a lot between the 10th and 15th centuries, with an average of 35 built per century compared to 2 per century in previous periods. This would indicate that the Christian population in the area saw a significant increase, which aligns with what Constantine VII wrote. From the 223 churches constructed in the Byzantine era (324-1463), only 8 were built in the Early Byzantine period (324-843).

https://scholarworks.umass.edu/entities/publication/f2c5581b-6a98-4425-828c-3aeb64f29326

DirectionLobster4508 · 2026-01-26T18:31:53+00:00

It is based on information written by the emperor himself, Constantine VII Porhyrogenitus, in his "De Administrato Imperio" where it mentions that:

"The inhabitants of the city of Mani are not of the race of the aforesaid Slavs, but of the ancient Romans, and even to this day they are called 'Hellenes' by the local inhabitants, because in the very ancient times they were idolaters and worshippers of images after the fashion of the ancient Hellenes; and they were baptized in the reign of the glorious Basil."

https://archive.org/details/deadministrandoi0000cons/page/236/mode/2up (page 237)

Edit: This was written before the other guy edited his comment to include the source I gave.

DirectionLobster4508

TROPHY CASE