principality · Greece and the Aegean

Despotate of Epirus

1205 CE – 1479 CE · capital Arta

Byzantine Greek successor state in north-western Greece founded after 1204, a rival of Nicaea that passed through Greek, Italian and Serbian dynasties.

Origins

After the Fourth Crusade, Michael Komnenos Doukas, a relative of the Angelos emperors, took control of Epirus around 1205, ruling from Arta. His half-brother Theodore expanded the state, taking Thessalonica in 1224 and creating the Empire of Thessalonica, until his defeat by the Bulgarians at Klokotnitsa in 1230. The title despot was given to later rulers.

Rule and society

The rulers kept Byzantine administration and Orthodox church structures and claimed the imperial heritage against the Empire of Nicaea. Arta flourished, with churches such as the Panagia Parigoritissa. Michael II allied with the Latins against Nicaea but was defeated at Pelagonia in 1259. The Orsini of Cephalonia took over in 1318.

Decline and legacy

Serbia under Stefan Dushan annexed Epirus in 1348. Carlo I Tocco reunited Ioannina and Arta from 1411, but the Ottomans took Ioannina in 1430, Arta in 1449 and the last fortresses in 1479.

Lineage

Byzantine Empire 330 CE – 1453 CEDespotate of EpirusEmpire of Thessalonica 1224 CE – 1246 CE

Connections (8)

Principality of Arbanon was a vassal of Despotate of Epirus1216 CE – 1230 CE
Kingdom of Thessalonica was conquered by Despotate of Epirus1224 CE
Principality of Thessaly split from Despotate of Epirus1268 CE
Despotate of Epirus was conquered by Serbian Empire1348 CE
Despotate of Arta split from Despotate of Epirus1358 CE
Despotate of Arta was conquered by Despotate of Epirus1416 CE
Despotate of Epirus was a vassal of Kingdom of Naples1416 CE – 1479 CE
Despotate of Epirus was conquered by Ottoman Empire1479 CE

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Cite this page

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻