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Fourteenth-century Albanian migration and the ‘relative autochthony’ of the Albanians in Epeiros. The case of Gjirokastër

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2016

Konstantinos Giakoumis
Konstantinos Giakoumis*
Affiliation:
Birmingham CBOMGS, and Athens
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Abstract

The purpose of this article is to put together recent linguistic and historical studies, in order to challenge the views of ‘older’ Greek and Albanian scholarship with respect to the presence of a solely Greek or Albanian population in the regions of Epeiros, with specific reference to the district of Dropull in the light of primary sources dealing with the Albanian immigrations of the fourteenth century. It will show that Greek and Albanian-speaking populations had all along been living together in Epeiros, while in the fourteenth century immigrant Albanians migrated into the regions of Gjirokastër. The reactions of local milieux against the new settlers shall be attributed to the disintegration of the previous local elites.

Type
Articles
Information
Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies , Volume 27 , 2003 , pp. 171 - 183
Copyright
Copyright © The Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies, University of Birmingham 2003

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References

1. The term ‘Epeiros’ is used for historic reasons and in strictly geographic and cultural contexts (the northernmost limit being the River Vjosë). As will be shown, Epeiros was inhabited both by Greeks and Albanians (Illyrians); hence, there is no relation here with the political implications given to this term from the end of the nineteenth century onwards. Nowadays parts of Epeiros belong both to Greece and Albania.

2. Otto Bauer, Austrian politician (Wien, 1881-Paris, 1938), one of the leaders of the Social-Democratic Party and author of, among many others, Die Nationalitätenfrage und die Sozialdemokratie, 1907.

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7. In an Albanian proclamation dated 1888, it is mentioned that «The Albanians are descendants of the Pelasgians; Homer, the biggest poet ever, was a Pelasgian himself or, more correctly, Albanian. All heroes of Greece in Troia were Albanians, as well as Alexander the Great, Aristotle and many other glorious men of antiquity are erroneously characterised as Greeks…», mentioned in Nikolaidis, K., Ιστορία τον Ελληνισμού με βάσιν την Μακεδονίαν διά μέσου των αιώνων Athens 1923, cited in Stoupis, Ηπειρώτε€ και Αλβανοι: H Προσφορά rrjc Ηπείρου προ то Wvoc (Ioannina 1976) 17 Google Scholar.

8. P. Xhufi (1991) 5-7, note 23 and P. Xhufi (1994) 54.

9. Ducellier, A., ‘Les Albanais du Xle au XlIIe siècle; Nomades ou sédentaires?’, in Ducellier, A., L’ Albanie entre Byzance et Venise (London 1987) 34–35 Google Scholar; Ducellier, A., Οι Αλβανοί στην Ελλάδα (13κ-15κ aitóvac). H μετανάστευση μιας κοινότητας (Athens 1994) 14–15, 19Google Scholar; Biris, K., Αρβανίτες. Οι Αωριεν: τον νεώτερου Ελληνισμού, v. 1 (Athens 1996) 53 Google Scholar; A. Vakalopoulos (1961), v. 1, 25-26; N. Ziangos (1974), pp. 217-218; J. Drançolli (1987); V. Psimouli (1998), 27-57, 63-71 and K. Komis (1999), 18-21, where the case of Preveza is dealt with.

10. Çabej, E., ‘Problemi i autoktonisë së shqiptarëve në dritën e emrave të vendeve’, Buletin i Universitetit Shtetëror té’ Tiranës, 1 (1959) 54 Google Scholar; for the English version of this important article see Çabej, E., ‘The Problem of the Autochthony of the Albanians in the Light of Place-names’, in The Albanians and their Territories (Tirana 1985) 34 Google Scholar. The relative autochthony of the Albanian populations in Epeiras was naturally accepted with great enthusiasm by Albanian scholarship (P. Xhufi [1991], 5-7; P. Xhufi [1994], 41-58 and K. Frashėri [1998]).

11. A. Ducellier (1998), where most of the relevant literature is listed.

12. A. Spyrou (2000), with extensive references to the older literature in relevant linguistic research.

13. op. cit., 207-208.

14. op. cit., 95-96.

15. op. cit., 185-188, 104, note 222 and pp. 116, 156, 161, 177.

16. op. cit., 185, note 305, pp. 188-189 and note 310, p. 190.

17. op. cit., 185.

18. op. cit., 181.

19. For these words, see op. cit., 181-182; for views on the close proximity of the Greek idioms of Dropull and Pogon to that of Delvinë – Sarandë, see op. cit., 182-183, 207-208

20. G. Tafel – G. Tomas (1856), 122.

21. N. Bees – Seferli, E., ‘Unedierte Schriftstücke aus der Kanzlei des Johannes Apokaukos’, BNJ 21 (1974), doc. 62Google Scholar. For views on this name as being ancestral to the name ‘Shpata’, see P. Xhufi (1994), 47 and note 132.

22. L. Thalloczy – K. Jirecek – M. Sufflay (1913), 166a, doc. 563 and 167-168, doc. 569.

23. K. Komis (1999), 18-21.

24. See notes 10-16 (on Spyrou and his work).

25. On the presence of Albanians in Epeiros prior to the 13th century, see Ziangos, N.G., Φεουδαρχική Ήπειροζ και Δεσποτάτο της Ελλάοας: Συμβολή στο Νέο Ελληνισμό (Athens 1974) 205–231 Google Scholar and especially the late Kollias, A., Αρβανίτκ και η καταγωγή των Ελληνων: Ιστορικη-Ααογραφικη-Πολιτιστικη-Γλωσσολογικη Επισκόπηση (Athens 1992) 117–135 Google Scholar, who believes that from antiquity Albanians and Greeks, both sharing the same civilization and culture, were living together not only in Epeiros, but also in other districts in Greece.

26. V. Panagiotopoulos (1985), 68-73.

27. G. Tafel – G. Tomas (1856), 500. See also V. Psimouli (1998), 30 and note 16.

28. For the history of the Despotate of Epeiros, see D. Nicol (1957); Ziangos, N.G., Φεουδαρχική Ήπειρος και Δεσποτάτο της ЕХЛабас: Σνμβολη aro Νέο Ελληνισμό (Athens 1974)Google Scholar, where most of the related literature is given.

29. For a definition of this particular, see note 1.

30. G. Schirò (1975), verse 1426.

31. By heavy stock-breeding I mean the breeding of heavy animals, such as swine, cows, calves, oxen, etc. in contrast to light stock-breeding, meaning the breeding of light animals, such as sheep and goats.

32. G. Schirò (1975), verses 171, 2075, 2225.

33. op. cit., verses 909 and ff.

34. Giakoumis, K., The monasteries of Jorgucat and Vanishtë in Dropull and of Spelaio in Lunxhëri as Monuments and Institutions during the Ottoman Period in Albania (16th-19th Centuries), Ph.D. thesis submitted in the CBOMGS, University of Birmingham (Birmingham 2002)Google Scholar (hereafter cited as Giakoumis K. [2002], 50-53).

35. L. Chalkokondyles (1922), v. 1, chapter 4, p. 196, verses 15-22.

36. There is evidence of the presence of Vlachs at least from 1361, when the Vlachs of the village Suhë are mentioned in a chrysobull of the Despot Symeon Palaeologos P. Aravantinos (1856), v. 2, 311-314; cf. Stergiopoulos, K., Παρατηρήσεκ eie την Νεωτέραν Γεωγραφίαν της Ηπείρου (Athens 1937) 37 Google Scholar; N. Papadopoulos (1976), 21-22, 26-27. In the mufassal defter of 1520 an entire nahiye of Vlachs was registered (F. Duka [1991]). Vlachs were also mentioned in the villages of Vodhino and Luvinë [P. Xhufi (1994), p. 54]. On the Vlachs of Thessaly, see Rizos, A., ‘The Vlachs of Larissa in the 10th century’, BS 51 (1990) facs. 2, 202–207 Google Scholar.

37. L. Thalloczy – K. Jirecek – M. Sufflay (1913) 166a, doc. 563 and 167-168, doc. 569.

38. P. Xhufi (1994) 47-48 and note 133.

39. Ioannis Cantacuzeni eximperatoris, Historiarum Libri IV 2 (Bonn 1930) 81. John Cantacuzenus located the sacks in the cities of Acarnania; for a survey of the use of the term in John Kantakouzenos see: V. Psimouli (1998) 35; for the penetration of the Albanians in Këlcyrë see V. Psimouli (1998) 34.

40. V. Psimouli (1998) 51-52.

41. For these events see L. Vranousis (1965) 90-92; P. Aravantinos (1856), v. 1, 146; V. Psimouli (1998) 51, 460.

42. L. Vranousis (1965) 92-93; D. Nicol (1957) 150-151; V. Psimouli (1998) 461.

43. L. Vranousis (1965) 98-99; V. Psimouli (1998) 462.

44. P. Aravantinos (1856), v. 2, 44, 105; V. Psimouli (1998) 51.

45. L. Vranousis (1965) 100; D. Nicol (1957) 164, note 21; V. Psimouli (1998) 52, 460.

46. For the Ottoman advance and consolidation in Epeiros during the 15th century, see K. Giakoumis, ‘The Ottoman Advance and Consolidation in Epeiros during the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Century’, forthcoming.

47. G. Schirò (1975) 79-82 and verses 3174-3223, 3274-3303.

48. V. Psimouli (1998) 56-57.

49. On this rebellion, as well as other rebellions around that year, see K. Giakoumis (2002) 13-15.

50. L. Chalkokondyles (1922), v. 2, chapter 4, p. 29: 1-3.

51. Schirò G. (1975) 79-82 and verses 3174-3223, 3274-3303; V. Psimouli (1998) 51-52 and 56-57; J. Drançolli (1987) 155-156; P. Xhufi (1991) 16-17 and note 81 on p. 16.

52. G. Schirò (1975) 79-82 and verses 3174-3223, 3274-3303; V. Psimouli (1998) 57.