Abstract
In the third quarter of the thirteenth century, a strong earthquake hit the Albanian coast, causing heavy damages and many casualties in Durrës/Durazzo. Geophysicists and seismologists have assumed the earthquake also induced a tsunami, but due to the lack of written documentation, whether such a seismic sea wave actually occurred remained questionable. Additionally, based on the known sources, it was impossible to date the earthquake with precision. This article introduces a new source, homily no. 5 of Bishop Serapion of Vladimir, which confirms that the flooding of Durrës took place at that time and narrows the timeframe of when the earthquake and tsunami occurred. The analysis of the known records on this disaster, taking source-related problems into account, ascertains the fact that a tsunami event took place at Durrës in March 1271. The article also discusses the political and social consequences of the disaster, Byzantium’s abandonment of the city, and its occupation by Charles I of Anjou, the King of Sicily and subsequently of Albania. For Charles, the control of Durrës was of strategic importance in his plan to reestablish the Latin Empire of Constantinople.
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