Related Research Articles
Lemnos or Limnos is a Greek island in the northern part of the Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean region. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Myrina. At 477.583 square kilometres (184.396 sq mi), it is the 8th-largest island of Greece.
Gattilusio was a powerful Genoese family who controlled a number of possessions in the northern Aegean from 1355 until the mid 15th century. Anthony Luttrell has pointed out that this family had developed close connections to the Byzantine ruling house of the Palaiologos—"four successive generations of Gattilusio married into the Palaiologos family, two to emperors' daughters, one to an emperor, and one to a despot who later became an emperor"—which could explain their repeated involvement in Byzantine affairs. The Gattilusi were Lords of Lesbos from 1355 to 1462 and Lords of Aenus from 1376 to 1456.
Niccolò Gattilusio was the sixth and last Gattilusio lord of Lesbos (1458–1462). He was a younger son of Dorino I Gattilusio and Orietta Doria.
Matthew Asen Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzenus was Byzantine Emperor from 1353 to 1357 and later Despot of the Morea from 1380 to 1383.
Alexios IV Megas Komnenos or Alexius IV, Emperor of Trebizond from 5 March 1417 to October 1429. He was the son of Emperor Manuel III and Gulkhan-Eudokia of Georgia.
Enez is a town and a district of Edirne Province, in Thrace, Turkey. The pre-Turkish name of the town was Ainos, Latinized as Aenus. The mayor is Özkan Günenç (CHP). The population is 10,886 as of 2018.
Andronikos V Palaiologos or Andronicus V Palaeologus was the Byzantine ruler of the city of Thessalonica and surrounding territories from 1403 to his death in 1407, alongside his father John VII Palaiologos. Though they did not control Constantinople, John and Andronikos ruled Thessalonica with the full Byzantine imperial title, recognized by the ruling senior emperor, John VII's uncle Manuel II Palaiologos.
Francesco I Gattilusio was the first member of the Gattilusio family to rule the Aegean island of Lesbos as vassal of the Byzantine emperor.
Francesco II Gattilusio was the second Gattilusio lord of Lesbos, from 1384 to his death. He was the third son of Francesco I Gattilusio and Maria Palaiologina, the sister of the Byzantine emperor John V Palaiologos.
Jacopo Gattilusio was the third Lord of Lesbos. He was the eldest son of Francesco II of Lesbos, whom he succeeded as lord of the island on 26 October 1404.
Dorino Gattilusio was the fourth Gattilusio Lord of Lesbos from 1428 until his death. He ruled Lesbos at a time of increasing Ottoman power, and his last years were preoccupied with maintaining some measure of independence.
Domenico Gattilusio was the fifth Gattilusio lord of Lesbos from 1455 to 1458. He was a son of Dorino I Gattilusio and Orietta Doria.
Caterina Gattilusio was the second wife of Constantine XI, the last Byzantine emperor, while he was still Despot of the Morea.
Giacomo II Crispo (1426–1447) was the thirteenth Duke of the Archipelago, etc., from 1433 to 1447.
Gian Giacomo Crispo (1446–1453) was the fourteenth Duke of the Archipelago, etc., from 1447 to 1453, son of the thirteenth Duke Giacomo II Crispo and Ginevra Gattilusio.
Dorino II Gattilusio was the Lord of Ainos, Samothrace and Imbros from 1455 to January 1456. He was the second son of Palamede Gattilusio.
Palamede Gattilusio was the Lord of Ainos from 1409 to his death, succeeding his great-uncle Niccolò. He was a younger son of Francesco II of Lesbos.
Niccolò Gattilusio was the first member of the Gattilusio family to rule the city of Aenus.
The Castle of Mytilene, also Fortress of Mytilene, is located in Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesbos, North Aegean. It is maintained in good condition and is one of the largest castles in the Mediterranean covering an area of 60 acres. The first castle on the site may have been erected during the time of Justinian I. The 6th-century castle may have been built on top of an already existent fortress. In the late Middle ages, the castle was the residence of Francesco I Gattilusio and his successors, especially the tower known today as the Queen's Tower. There is also strong evidence that the original acropolis on the site may have included a sanctuary to Demeter, Kore and Cybele.
The Ottoman conquest of Lesbos took place in September 1462. The Ottoman Empire, under Sultan Mehmed II, laid siege to the island's capital, Mytilene. After its surrender, the other forts of the island surrendered as well. The event put an end to the semi-independent Genoese lordship that the Gattilusio family had established in the northeastern Aegean since the mid-14th century, and heralded the beginning of the First Ottoman–Venetian War in the following year.
References
- Marek, Miroslav. "Gattilusio family". Genealogy.EU.[ self-published source ][ better source needed ]
  | This article about Greek history is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This biography of an Italian noble is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |