Carlo I Tocco, ruler of Epirus from 1411 until his death on July 4, 1429. The Despotate of Epirus was one of the medieval Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire, founded in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. ... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... January 10 - Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, founds the European Order of the Golden Fleece February 12 - Battle of Rouvray (or of the Herrings). English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army of William de la Pole, 4th Earl of Suffolk at...

Life

Carlo I was the son of Count Leonardo I Tocco of Cephalonia and Leukas by Maddalena de' Buondelmonti, sister of Esau de' Buondelmonti of Epirus. Leonardo I Tocco (who was count of Cephalonia 1357–1376 and duke of Leukas 1362–1376) was himself the son of Guglielmo II Tocco (governor of Cephalonia 1328–1335) and Margherita Orsini, sister of Nicholas Orsini and John II Orsini, rulers of Epirus and counts of Cephalonia. In this way, Carlo Tocco inherited a claim to Epirus from both the Orsini and the Buondelmonti. Geography The capital of the Cephallonia prefecture is Argostoli. ... Nicholas Orsini (Greek: Νικόλαος Ορσίνι, Nikolaos Orsini, Italian: Niccolò Orsini), was count palatine of Cephalonia from 1317 to 1323 and ruler of Epirus from 1318 to 1323. ... John II Orsini, also John Komnenos Doukas or Comnenus Ducas (Greek: Ιωάννης Κομνηνός Δούκας, IōannÄ“s KomnÄ“nos Doukas, Italian: Giovanni II Orsini), was count palatine of Cephalonia from 1323 to 1324 and ruler of Epirus from 1323 to 1335. ...

Carlo I had succeeded his father Leonardo I as count of Cephalonia and duke of Leukas in 1376. He shared power with his brother Leonardo II, who was invested with the island of Zante as apanage in 1399. The inheritance from his father-in-law Nerio I Acciaiuoli, Duke of Athens gave Carlo a claim on Corinth and Megara in 1395, and he intermittently became involved with the affairs of the Peloponnese, holding parts of Elis from 1402 until 1427. Zakýnthos (Ζάκυνθος, also known as Zante), the third largest of the Ionian Islands, covers an area of 410 square kilometers and its coastline is roughly 123 kilometers in length. ... The system of appanage has greatly influenced the territorial construction of France and explains the flag of many provinces of France. ... // Duchy of Athens A small crusader state which was established after the Sack of Constantinople (1204) by the Crusaders. ... Corinth, or Korinth (Greek: Κόρινθος, Kórinthos; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a Greek city-state, on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece. ... Megara (Greek: Μέγαρα; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is an ancient city in Attica, Greece. ... The Peloponnese or Peloponnesus (Greek: Πελοπόννησος Peloponnesos; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a large peninsula in southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth. ... Elis, or Eleia (Greek, Modern: Ήλιδα Ilida, Ancient/Katharevousa: Ήλις, also Ilis, Doric: Άλις) is an ancient district within the modern prefecture of Ilia. ...

From 1405 Carlo controlled several fortresses on the mainland, including Angelokastron. He was invited as the successor of his uncle Esau de' Buondelmonti in Ioannina after the rejection of the latter's widow and son in February 1411. Nevertheless, he had to overcome the determined opposition of the Albanian clans, and in particular of Maurice Bova Shpata of Arta. Gjirokastër, as seen from the Citadel. ... Ioannina (Greek: Ιωάννινα, often Γιάννενα /yanena/ or Γιάννινα /yanina/; anglicized to Yanina, see also: other names of Ioannina) is a city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a metropolitan population of approximately 100,000. ... Arta may refer to: Djibouti Arta District Arta, Djibouti Greece Arta Prefecture Arta, Greece Italy Piano dArta Ancient People Arta Kamuia or Arta Kamuio This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...

In spite of Maurice's victory over Carlo in 1412, the Albanians failed to take Ioannina. On the contrary, not long after killing Maurice in battle in 1414, Carlo advanced on Arta and obtained its surrender in 1416. Arta was entrusted to Carlo's younger brother Leonardo II, and now the Tocchi controlled all major towns in Epirus. In 1415 he was granted the title despotes by the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos. Apart from his conflict with the Byzantine rulers of Morea (the Peloponnese) over Elis, Carlo spent the remainder of his reign in relative peace. Although he had several illegitimate children, he was succeeded by his nephew Carlo II Tocco, the son of Leonardo II. Despotes (Greek Despotēs, feminine Despoina, Bulgarian and Serbian Despot, feminine Despotica, sometimes Anglicized Despot), is a Byzantine court title, also granted in the Latin Empire, Bulgaria, Serbia, and the Empire of Trebizond. ... This is a list of Byzantine Emperors. ... Half stavraton coin by Manuel. ... The Despotate of Morea was a province of the Byzantine Empire which existed between the mid-14th and mid-15th centuries. ...

Family

Carlo I Tocco had no children from his marriage to Francesca Acciaiuoli, daughter of Nerio I Acciaiuoli, Duke of Athens . By a relationship with an unnamed mistress, Carlo had five illegitimate sons: // Duchy of Athens A small crusader state which was established after the Sack of Constantinople (1204) by the Crusaders. ...

• Memnone of Acarnania
• Ercole
• Turno
• Antonio
• Orlando of Reniassa

Acarnania was a region of ancient central western Greece that lay along the Ionian Sea, west of Aetolia, with the Achelous River for a boundary, and north of the gulf of Calydon, which is the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth. ... The Despotate of Epirus was one of the medieval Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire, founded in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. ...

References

• The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, 1991.
• George C. Soulis, The Serbs and Byzantium, Athens, 1995.
• John V.A. Fine Jr., The Late Medieval Balkans, Ann Arbor, 1987.