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The Spata family (Template:Lang-sq, Template:Lang-gr), was an Albanian noble family active in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, initially as Venetian vassals and later as Ottoman vassals. It's progenitors were brothers John Spata and Sgouros Spata.

History

Origin

A Vlach (Aromanian) origin has also been given by historians; Croatian historian Milan Šufflay (1879-1931) spoke of an Albano-Aromanian symbiosis in the Pindus, and discussed the nationality of the Losha, Bua and Shpata.

In the first half of the 14th century, mercenaries, raiders and migrants flooded into Greece (1325 and 1334 raids into Thessaly). These were known in Greek as Albanians, from their area of origin, but they also included Vlachs. In 1358, Albanians and Vlachs overran Epirus, Acarnania and Aetolia, and established two principalities under their leaders, John Spata and Peter Losha. Naupactus (Lepanto) was taken in 1378.

John Spata

Members

Hopf's genealogy of the Spata family is "altogether inaccurate".

• John
  • Eirene, married Esau de' Buondelmonti in 1396. Esau was the Despot of Ioannina.
  • An unnamed daughter, married John Zenevisi
  • Unclear
    • Maurice Spata (fl. 1399–1414)
    • Yaqub Spata (fl. 1414–16)
• Sgouros (fl. 1399–d. 1403)
  • Paul, Ottoman vassal

Legacy

It was not kin (blood relatives) with the later Bua family.

References

1. Madgearu & Gordon 2008, p. 83.
2. Pipa 1978, p. 53:

   Sufflay speaks of an Albano-Aromunian symbiosis in the Pindus, and the nationality of the rulers of Thessaly and Epirus in the second half of the 14th century (Peter Ljosha, Nicola Bua, Gjin Shpata) has been a moot point. The discussion is ...

3. Hammond 1976, pp. 57. sfn error: no target: CITEREFHammond1976 (help)
4. ^ Hammond 1976, p. 59. sfn error: no target: CITEREFHammond1976 (help)
5. ^ Anthony Luttrell (1982). Latin and Greece: The Hospitallers and the Crusades, 1291-1440. Ashgate Publishing, Limited. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-86078-106-6.
6. Schiro, G. "La genealogia degli Spata tra il xiv e xv sec. e due Bua sconosciuti". Rivista di Studi Bizantini e Neoellenici: 81.

Sources

• Madgearu, Alexandru; Gordon, Martin (2008). The Wars of the Balkan Peninsula: Their Medieval Origins. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5846-6. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

• Spata family