Battles for Achaea: the Military and Political Situation in the Peloponnese in the 1420s

Abstract

Based on materials from Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman sources the author of this article analyzes the political situation in the Peloponnese in the 1420s. Also, in the framework of this study, an attempt is made to determine the nature of the relationship between the despots of Morea and the Latin rulers in the Peloponnese in the context of the general opposition to Ottoman aggression. The author concludes that the capture of the key fortresses of Achaea, as well as the conclusion of matrimonial unions, allowed the Palaiologos to unite under their rule almost all Byzantine territories in Morea which were lost in the 13th century during the Latin conquest. This fundamentally changed the political situation in the Peloponnese, however, the permanent intervention of the Ottoman state in the affairs of the Byzantines did not allow the despots of Morea to pursue an independent and separate policy on the peninsula, and this greatly impeded the consolidation of the Greek forces and their military potential.