Despotate of the Morea in the 1430s

Timeline

1. 1430–1433Mistra · PeloponneseAfter Murad II captured Thessalonica in 1430, the Morean despot Constantine (later Constantine XI) and Theodore II hastened to repair the fortresses of the Isthmus of Corinth, mobilizing local magnates and Albanian mercenaries to block the Ottoman army from entering the Peloponnese.
2. 1433–1437Mistra · PeloponneseThe Mistra court continued the Palaiologan Renaissance, attracting scholars such as Platon Bessarion to teach, while monasteries and palace buildings were continuously erected. Through marriage alliances and investitures the despot integrated local noble families, making the Morea the last highlight of late Byzantine politics and culture.
3. 1436–1439Isthmus of Corinth · PeloponneseThe Morean army repeatedly contended with Ottoman frontier forces along the Corinth–Argos line, while pinning hopes on the church union achieved by John VIII in Italy to win Western crusader aid. By the late 1430s the peninsula remained temporarily independent but its strategic position grew increasingly isolated.