John Asen Zaccaria
Prince of Achaea
Reign1453 - 1454
Titular Prince of Achaea
Reign1454–1469
SuccessorAntonio Zaccaria
Died1469
Italy, Rome
SpouseMagdalene Tocco
IssueAntonio Zaccaria Angelo Zaccaria
HouseZaccaria
FatherCenturione II Zaccaria
MotherPalaiologina Asenina
ReligionRoman Catholic

John Asen Zaccaria or Asanes Zaccaria (Italian: Giovanni Asano Zaccaria; died 1469) was a son of Centurione II Zaccaria and one unknown lady of the great Byzantine family of Asen - Palaiologos.

[1] He was proclaimed Prince of Achaea during the great Morean revolt of 1453-54 and was recognized as such by the Western christian powers of the time. Since then he adopted the paternal name, as "Prince Centurione III". John was the last rulling Prince residing in Morea,[2] before becoming the first titular Prince of Achaea in exile.[3]

Biography

In 1429, Prince Centurione was besieged inside his ancestral castle of Chalandritsa by the forces of Thomas Palaiologos. John sent a messenger with the name John Balotas to Constantine Palaiologos (soon to become the last emperor of the eastern Roman empire) to declare to him that John preferred to hand over Chalandritsa to Theodora Tocco, wife of Constantine, as she was a sister of his spouse Magdalene, thus choosing to hand over the castle to Constantine instead of Thomas. Constantine politely refused the offer stating that this could result in unnecessary fighting between the two Palaiologoi brothers.[4]

In the same year, Centurione was forced to surrender Chalandritsa to Thomas and marry his daughter Catherine Zaccaria to him. Thomas as a husband of Catherine was to inherit all of his lands after his demise. During the arrangements, Centurione made sure that his heir John would at least retain his princely title even only by name.[5] He died in 1432 and the last remnants of the principality passed to the despotate of Morea.

The first attempt of John to revive the Principality of Achaea was at 1446, during the great invasion of Sultan Murad in Morea. It appears John had allies among the Greek nobility of Morea so when a Byzantine magnate rose in rebellion against the Palaiologoi brothers Thomas and Demetrios he proclaimed John as Prince of Achaea. However the rising failed its purpose and John along with his eldest son was imprisoned in the Chlemoutsi castle by the Despot of the Morea, Thomas Palaiologos.[6] Thomas was his brother in law as he was married with Catherine Zaccaria, the sister of John. It was rumoured that Thomas allowed the last men of the Zaccarias dynasty to die of hunger, but against his designs they remained alive and in the year 1453, they managed to escape after persuading their gaoler to release them. They took advantage of a widespread revolt against the Despots and seized the castle of Aetos, which raised the flags of Zaccarias.[7]

The Byzantine contemporary historian George Sphrantzes recorded this renovation of the Principality in the following short passage: "At Morea, the brother in law of Thomas, the son of Prince Centurione, had escaped from the prison of the Chlemoutsi Castle causing disruption to the region, while the Sultan was concentrated against Serbia"[8].

The Venetian Doge Francis Foscari and King Alfonso V of Naples sent congratulation letters to John, recognising him as "Prince Centurione III".[6] The recognition of Johns title by the Crown of Naples was a gesture of great importance since the sovereigns of Naples were the nominal overlords of the Principality of Achaea following the Viterbo treaty of William of Villehardouin and Charles of Anjou at 1267. John also requested from the sultan recogniton as Prince of the Morea but Mehmed supported the Palaiologoi brothers.[9]

John earned the support of many Latins, Greeks and Albanians and with them compromising his army, he besieged the city of Patras that was under the rule of Thomas. However after Turahan Bey invaded in Morea he abandoned the siege and retreated back in Aetos.[10] In 1454, faced with the combined forces of Despot Thomas and his Turkish allies he abandoned the fortress and fled to the Venetian stronghold of Modon. The city of Aetos surrendered and the terms were that it would provide one thousand slaves to the army, weapons, and pack animals.[11]

Exile

In the Venetian-held Modon he remained for two years. At 1456 we find him a pensioner of his ally King Alfonso at Naples. Later at 1457 the Venetian Republic recognising his high political value as titular Prince of Morea granted him an annuity, on the condition John would continue to reside in Modon or wherever else he could be most useful to the designs of Venice. Seven years later, at 1464, after the complete annexation of Morea to the Ottoman empire, we find John moving at Rome where he managed to secure only a monthly pittance from Pope Paul II. He remained in the Papal capital until his death in 1469.[7]

Family

John married a woman named Magdalene. Sphrantzes notes that the wife of John was a sister of Theodora Tocco, wife of Constantine XI Palaiologos, calling the two men as "brothers in law", thus Magdalene was a member of the house Tocco and a daughter of Leonardo II Tocco.[12] She is also attested in a letter addressed to her husband by the King of Naples Alfonso V of Aragon. In this she is mentioned as "the most majestic woman Magdalene Asenina Zaccaria" (having adopted the family names of John) and also receives recognition of her title as Princess of Achaea.[13] Together they had at least three children:[14]

  1. Antonio: the eldest. He was imprisoned along with his parents at the Chlemoutsi fortress and later in 1453 escaped. He participated in the uprising of his father and then followed him in exile.
  2. Angelo.
  3. Unnamed daughter: she was given as wife to the lord of Chlemoutsi. He agreed to release John from prison and joined him in his uprising.[15]

Based on a recently conducted genealogy research about the Agnatic descendants of Martino Zaccaria de Chios e Damalà, John Asen Zaccaria has living descendants to this day.[14] The family of Zaccarias observed Salic Law.[16]

Sources

  • Miller, William (1908). The Latins in the Levant: A History of Frankish Greece (1204–1566). London: John Murray. OCLC 563022439.
  • Topping, Peter (1975). "The Morea, 1364–1460". In Setton, Kenneth M.; Hazard, Harry W. (eds.). A History of the Crusades, Volume III: The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries. Madison and London: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 141–166. ISBN 0-299-06670-3.

References

  1. ↑ Sturdza, Mihail Dimitri (1999). Grandes familles de Grèce: d'Albanie et de Constantinople (in French). p. 373.
  2. ↑ Haberstumpf, Walter (1995). Dinastie europee nel Mediterraneo orientale. Torino: Scriptorium. p. 240.
  3. ↑ Miller, William (1908). The Latins in the Levant, A History of Frankish Greece (1204-1566). EP Dutton & Co. p. 675.
  4. ↑ Sphrantzes, Georgios (2006). Short History (in Greek). Athens: Kanakis. pp. 113, 115. ISBN 960-7420-94-2.
  5. ↑ Thomopoulos, Stephanos. History of the City of Patras, From the Ancient Times Until 1821. Achaean Publications. p. 47. ISBN 960-7960-09-2.
  6. 1 2 Kenneth, Setton (1975). A History of the Crusades, The Fourteenth And Fifteenth Centuries. The University of Wisconsin Press. p. 165.
  7. 1 2 Miller, William (1908). The Latins in the Levant, A History of Frankish Greece (1204-1566). EP Dutton & Co. pp. 429–430.
  8. ↑ Σφραντζής, Γεώργιος (2006). Βραχύ Χρονικό (in Greek). Athens: Κανάκη. p. 217. ISBN 960-7420-94-2.
  9. ↑ Chalkokondyles, Laonikos (2014). The Histories. Harvard University Press. p. 502. ISBN 978-0-674-59919-2.
  10. ↑ Biri, Costas (1997). Αρβανίτες, οι Δωριείς του Νεώτερου Ελληνισμού (in Greek). Μέλισσα. pp. 128–129. ISBN 960-204-031-9.
  11. ↑ Chalkokondyles, Laonikos (2014). The Histories. Harvard University Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-674-59919-2.
  12. ↑ Sphrantzes, Georgios (2006). Short History (in Greek). Athens: Kanakis. p. 113. ISBN 960-7420-94-2.
  13. ↑ Archivio storico per le province napoletane. 1902. p. 834. ISBN 0366670484.
  14. 1 2 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Agnatic_Descendants_of_Martino_Zaccaria.jpg Agnatic descendants of Martino Zaccaria de Chios e Damalà based on the research of Michele Soulli, AGP accredited genealogist, 2023.
  15. ↑ Chalkokondyles, Laonikos (2014). The Histories. Harvard University Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-674-59919-2.
  16. ↑ Schiro, Giuseppe (1975). Cronaca Dei Tocco Di Cephalonia. Roma: Academia Nazionale Dei Lincei. pp. 19–20.
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