Ach warum eigentlich erst 1800. Nehmen wir direkt den ersten Jahrhundert
Roman and Byzantine period
Ethnographic map of the
Epirus region, 1878. Pink - Greek speakers, Blue - Greek and Vlach speakers, Orange - Greek and Albanian speakers, Yellow - Albanian speakers
Christianity first spread in Northern Epirus during the 1st century AD, but prevailed during the 4th century. Notable Epirote martyrs were Saint Donatos, Bishop of Phoenice, Eleftherios of Avlon, and Isavros. The presence of the local bishops in the Ecumenical Synods (already from 381 A.D.) proves that the new religion was well organized and already widely spread inside the Greek world of the Roman and post-Roman period.
[6]
While
Epirus vetus corresponded to the
Ancient Greek region
Epirus Nova corresponded
[7] to a part of
Illyria that was now was partly
Hellenic[8] and partly
Hellenized[9].This Greek
[10] area was the line of division
[11] between the provinces of
Illyricum and Macedonia and its borders was the
Drilon river in modern north
Albania.
When the Roman Empiresplit into East and West, Northern Epirus became part of the
East Roman (Byzantine) Empire; the region witnessed the invasions of several nations:
Visigoths,
Avars,
Slavs,
Normans,
Serbs,
Albanian clans and various
Italian city-states and dynasties (14th century). However the region’s culture remained closely tied to the centers of the Greek world, and retained its Greek character through the medieval period.
In 1204, the region was part of the
Despotate of Epirus, a successor state of the Byzantine Empire. Despot
Michael I found there strong Greek support in order to facilitate his claims for the Empire’s revival. In 1281, a strong Sicilian force that planned to conquer
Constantinople was repelled in
Berat after a series of combined operations by local Epirotes and Byzantine troops. In 1345, the region was invaded by the Serbs of
Stefan Dusan. However, the Serbian rulers retained much of the Byzantine tradition and used Byzantine titles to secure the loyalty of the local population. At the same time Venetians controlled various ports of strategic importance, like Vouthroton, but the
Ottoman presence became more and more intense and finally in the middle of the 15th century the entire area came under Turkish rule.
Und hier direkt noch zur Zeit des osmanischen Reiches
[edit] Ottoman period
Interior of Aghios Nikolaos of Moscopole.
Under Turkish rule, local authorities were exclusively Muslim, whether Albanian or Turkish; these were also the most privileged social group in Ottoman society. However, there were specific parts of Northern Epirus that enjoyed local autonomy (Himara, Drouvian, Voskopoje). In spite of the Ottoman dominance, Christianity prevailed in many areas and became an important reason for preserving the Greek language, which was also the language of trade.
[12]
Inhabitants of the region participated in the
Greek enlightenment. One of the leading figures of that period, the Orthodox missionary
Kosmas, traveled and preached over the country. It is believed that he founded more than 200 Greek schools until his execution by Turkish authorities near Berat.
[13] In addition, the first printing press in the Balkans, after that of Constantinople, was founded in
Moscopole (nicknamed ‘New Athens’) by a local Greek
[14]. From the mid-18th century trade was thriving and a great number of educational facilities and institutions were founded throughout the rural regions and the major urban centers as benefactions by several Epirot entrepreneurs
[15].
Northern Epirus took also part in the
Greek War of Independence (1821-1830): many locals revolted, organized armed groups and joined the revolution. The most distinguished personalities were the engineer
Konstantinos Lagoumitzis[16] from Hormovo and
Michail Spyromilios from Himara. The latter was one of the most active generals of the revolutionaries and participated in several major armed conflicts, such as the
Third Siege of Messolonghi, where Lagoumitzis was the defenders' chief engineer. M. Spyromilios also became a prominent political figure after the creation of the modern
Greek state and discreetly supported the revolt of his compatriots in
Ottoman-occupied Epirus in 1854, during the
Crimean War[17]. In 1881, the
Treaty of Berlin awarded Greece parts of southern Epirus.
Achja und zu guter letzt. Viele Himarioten namen an der griechischen Revolution Teil.
.JPG)
