Founding of the Despotate of Epirus

Name: Founding of the Despotate of Epirus
Start: 1204

Type Event Region Greece Time 1204

After the collapse of the Byzantine Empire in 1204, Michael I Komnenos Doukas proclaimed himself despot in Epirus in northwestern Greece, establishin…

Timeline

1204Epirus · EpirusAfter the empire's collapse, Michael I Komnenos Doukas gathered local forces in northwestern Greece, controlling the mountain passes of Epirus and driving out Latin encroachment.
1204Arta · EpirusBased at Arta, Michael I established a despotate, styling himself despot, claiming to continue the Byzantine legal tradition, and forming a tripartite balance with the Greek successor states of Nicaea and Trebizond.

Sources

The Despotate of Epiros, 1205-1337: A Contribution to the History of Greece in the Middle Ages — Donald M. Nicol (1957)
A History of the Byzantine State and Society — Warren Treadgold (1997)