Leonardo III Tocco

Leonardo III Tocco, last ruler of Epirus from 1448 to 1479.

Contents 1 Life 2 Marriages and children 3 References 4 Sources

Life

Leonardo III Tocco was the son of Carlo II Tocco (count of Cephalonia and Zante, duke of Leukas, and ruler of Epirus) and Ramondina of Ventimiglia. On his father's death in October 1448, Leonardo succeeded as a minor to all his titles and possessions. He reigned as ruler of Epirus from Arta until March 24, 1449, when the city was taken by the Ottoman Turks.

His mainland possessions reduced to three fortresses, Leonardo established himself in Angelokastron. In 1460, this city was also lost to the Turks, leaving only Vonitsa in the possession of Leonardo, who moved to his islands. A new Turkish advance in 1479 captured Vonitsa and then Cephalonia, Leukas, and Zante later the same year. Deprived of both Epirus and the Ionian Islands, Leonardo fled to the Kingdom of Naples, where he was invested with several fiefs by Ferdinand I of Naples. He died in c. 1499.

Marriages and children

On 1 May 1463, Leonardo married his first wife Milica of Serbia. She was a daughter of Lazar Branković and Helena Palaiologina.^[1] Her maternal grandparents were Thomas Palaiologos, Ruler of Morea, and Catherine Zaccaria of the Principality of Achaea. ^[2] Milica died in childbirth in 1464.^[3]

Their only son was Carlo III Tocco (1464–1518). He succeeded his father as titular ruler of Epirus (Arta) and Zakynthos to his death. He married Andronike Arianiti, a daughter of Constantine Komino Arianiti,^[3] titular "Prince of Macedonia" since 1490. Her mother was Fransesca Paleologo, an illegitimate daughter of Boniface III, Marquess of Montferrat (1424–1494).^[4] Constantino was a son of Gjergj Arianit Komneni and his second wife Pietrina Franco. His older, paternal half-sisters Anronike and Angelina were the respective wives of Skanderbeg and Stefan Branković.^[5]

In 1477, Leonardo married his second wife Francesca Marzano. She was a daughter of Mariano Marzano, Prince of Rossano and his wife Leonora of Aragon.^[3] Leonora was an illegitimate daughter of Alfonso V of Aragon and his mistress Giraldona Carlino.^[6] According to "The Latins in the Levant. A History of Frankish Greece (1204-1566)" by William Miller, Leonardo had lost the support of the Republic of Venice by that point. His second marriage was an effort to form family ties with the ruling house of the Kingdom of Naples and secure their support.^[3] Ferdinand I of Naples was another illegitimate of Alfonso V and a half-brother of Leonora. The marriage secured him as an uncle-by-marriage of Leonardo.^[6]

By his second marriage to Francesca Marzano, Leonardo III Tocco had five children. Their order of birth is unknown: Hippolyta Tocco, Leonora Tocco (a nun), Maria Tocco (who married Pietro Talamanca), Pietro Tocco (considered to have died young) and Ramondina Tocco (who married Federigo Pico della Mirandola).^[3]

Leonardo also had an illegitimate son, Ferrante Tocco (d. 1535). According to Miller, Ferrante served as Spanish ambassador to the court of Henry VII of England in 1506. Benet Tocco, a son of Ferrante, became Bishop of Girona from 1572 to 1583. Benet also served as Bishop of Lleida from 1583 to his death in 1585.^[3]

References

Sources

• Fine, John Van Antwerp (1994), The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest, University of Michigan Press, ISBN 978-0472082605, http://books.google.gr/books?id=Hh0Bu8C66TsC 
• Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991), Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6 
• Miller, William (1908), The Latins in the Levant, a History of Frankish Greece (1204–1566), New York: E.P. Dutton and Company 
• Nicol, Donald MacGillivray (2010), The Despotate of Epiros 1267–1479: A Contribution to the History of Greece in the Middle Ages, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521130899, http://books.google.com/books?id=XIj0FfKto9AC 
• Soulis, George Christos (1984), The Serbs and Byzantium during the reign of Tsar Stephen Dušan (1331–1355) and his successors, Dumbarton Oaks, ISBN 0-88402-137-8 

Preceded by Carlo II

Ruler of Epirus 1448–1479

Ottoman conquest

Despots of Epirus Komnenos-Doukas dynasty Michael I Komnenos Doukas‡ · Theodore Komnenos Doukas‡ · Michael II Komnenos Doukas‡ · Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas · Thomas I Komnenos Doukas Orsini dynasty Nicholas Orsini† · John II Orsini† · Nikephoros II Orsini Nemanjić dynasty Simeon Uroš Palaiologos‡ · Thomas (II) Preljubović · Maria Angelina Doukaina Palaiologina Buondelmonti dynasty Esau de' Buondelmonti · Giorgio de' Buondelmonti Tocco dynasty Carlo I Tocco† · Carlo II Tocco† · Leonardo Tocco† ‡Also rulers of Thessaly †Also counts palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos

Persondata
Name	Leonardo 03 Tocco
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death	1499
Place of death