principality · Balkans and Hungary

Despotate of Angelokastron and Lepanto

1358 CE – 1408 CE (approx.) · capital Angelokastron

Albanian principality in Aetolia under the Shpata family, holding Angelokastron and the port of Lepanto after the Serbian conquest of Epirus.

Origins

After Nikephoros II Orsini of Epirus was killed by Albanian clans in 1359, Albanian leaders divided southern Epirus. Gjin Bua Shpata took Angelokastron and Lepanto (Naupaktos) in Aetolia, while Peter Losha held the Despotate of Arta. Both received the title of despot from the Serbian ruler Simeon Uroš.

The Shpata ruled Albanian clans who had migrated south as herders and soldiers, alongside a Greek population. They fought the Angevins, the Tocco of Kefalonia, the Navarrese Company and the Ottomans. In 1374 Gjin Bua Shpata also took Arta, joining the two Albanian despotates.

After Gjin's death in 1399 his family held on briefly: Lepanto was sold to Venice in 1407, and Angelokastron fell to Carlo I Tocco around 1408.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Despotate of Angelokastron and LepantoDespotate of Arta 1358 CE – 1416 CE

Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Despotate of Angelokastron and Lepanto. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/despotate-of-angelokastron-and-lepanto
MLA: “Despotate of Angelokastron and Lepanto.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/despotate-of-angelokastron-and-lepanto. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Despotate of Angelokastron and Lepanto.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/despotate-of-angelokastron-and-lepanto.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Despotate of Angelokastron and Lepanto’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/despotate-of-angelokastron-and-lepanto (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻