Karl Topia
| Karl Topia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prince of Albania | |
| Reign | 1358–1388 |
| Predecessor | Tanusio Topia |
| Successor | George Thopia |
| Spouse | Voislava Balšić |
| Dynasty |
Topia  |
| Father | Andrea Topia |
| Mother | Illegitimate Anjou |
| Born |
1331 Durrës, Kingdom of Albania, Kingdom of Naples (modern day Albania) |
| Died |
1388 (aged 57) Elbasan, Princedom of Albania |
| Burial | St. Jovan Vladimir's Church, Albania |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Karl Topia (Greek: Κάρλας Θεωπίας/Karlas Theopias) was one of the powerful feudal princes and warlord, who between them ruled Albania from the middle of the 14th century until the Ottoman conquest.[1] To the Roman Curia, Karl maintained usually good relations. In 1376 a vacant place became an ore diocese in Durrës, again with a Latin Bishop to be occupied.
Family
The first mention of the Topia is from 1329,[2] when Tanusio Topia was mentioned as one of the counts of Albania.[3] In 1338, Tanusio was mentioned as Count of Matia (conte di Matia).[4] According to Karl Hopf, Tanusio's son or brother Andrea, as told by Gjon Muzaka (fl. 1510), had fallen in love with the daughter of Robert of Naples when her ship, en route to the Principality of the Morea to be wed with the bailli, had stopped at Durazzo where they met. Andrea abducted and married her, and they had two sons, Karl and George. King Robert, enraged, under the pretext of reconciliation had the couple invited to Naples where he had them executed.[5]
Control of Durrës and the Princedom of Albania
The long protracted turmoil of dynastic wars had made germinate in their real victims, the Albanians, the seeds of national sentiment which contained great promise, so that, when after Dušan's death, a descendant of the former Stephen Uroš, returned to the province, the inhabitants rose en masse and, under the leadership of Karl Topia, cut down the pretender and his entire force in the battle of Acheloos.[6]
In 1358, Karl rose against the rule of the Anjou and managed to drive them out of Durrës from Epirus and Albania. He ruled most of modern central Albania from 1358 to 1388 and had the title of Princeps Albaniae.
Since 1362, Karl sought himself to set Durrës, which was in the possession of the Duchess Joanna of Anjou. The first, certainly still unsuccessful siege lasted from April 1362 until May 1363. Then, Topia had to withdraw his troops, who were weakened by an epidemic disease. Only in 1367 could Karl conquer Durrës, who had attained in the meantime the tacit agreement of the Venetians for his project and turn this important port into his residence.
Karl gained control of Durrës in 1368, which was where the Angevins held out due to their Kingdom becoming smaller in size.
Topia ruled over the regions of Durrës, Kruja, Peqin, Elbasan, Mokra and Gora, that is, along both sides of the Via Egnatia as far east as Lake Ohrid.[7]
Rivalry with the Balšići
Balša II made a fourth attempt to conquer Durrës, an important commercial and strategic center, which was ruled by his rival, Karl Topia. In 1382, Balša II started an offensive, capturing Durrës from Karl Topia the following year, and proclaimed himself Duke of Drač (Durrës).[7] Topia called on the Turks for assistance. Murad I gladly sent an army of 40,000 men from Macedonia. In the plain of Savra between Elbasan and Lushnja, Balša II fought the Turks and was defeated and killed.[7]
Venetian alliance
In the last decade of his rule, Karl closely followed the Republic of Venice, particularly with regard to foreign policy. On August 17, 1386, Karl Topia allied himself with Venice and committed himself to participate in all wars of the Republic or pay auxiliary funds and supply grain. In addition, he promised the Venetian buyers protection in his lands. In return, Venice supplied a galley, permitted recruitment of Topia's mercenaries in Venetian areas and instructed the captain of their Adriatic fleet to protect Karl's coasts from the Ottomans. The Ottomans undertook several heavy attacks on Durrës, which also still persisted as Karl died in January 1388. His son, Gjergj, became Karl's successor.
St. Gjon Vladimir's Church
In 1381, Karl built the St. Gjon Vladimir's Church in the proximity of Elbasan, where Gjon Vladimir's remains were held until 1995.[8] He is depicted in the icon of St. Vladimir, painted by Onufri, wearing a crown and standing by the Church of the Saint.
Inscriptions:
- A calligraphic inscription in Greek says: "ΚΑΡΛΑ ΘΕΩΠΙΑC ΚΑΙ ΚΤΗΤΩΡ ΤΗC ΑΓΙΑC ΜΟΝΗC ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ" (Karla Theopias, builder of the Holy Monastery of the Saint).
- Another Greek inscription in the building refers to him as: "... ο πανυψηλώτατος πρώτος Κάρλας Θεωπίας ανεψιός δε και αίματος ρύγας της Φραγγίας... οικοδόμησεν τον πάνσεπτον ναόν τούτον του αγίου Ιωάννου του Βλαδιμήρου ..." (the highest and prime Karlas Theopias, nephew and by blood king of Francia ... built this holy church of St. John Vladimir ... ) dated 1382. This inscription is currently located in the Albanian Historical Museum in Tirana.[9]
- "These signs of a great lord ... Carla Thopea" (ετουτα τα σιμαδηα αυθεντου μεγα ... Καρλα θοπηα).[10]
Issue
Karl married Serbian Voislava Balšić, in c. 1370. The pair had four children:
- George Thopia (fl. 1388–d. 1392), Lord of Durazzo. Married Teodora Branković
- Helena Thopia (fl. 1388–1403), married Venetian count Marco Barbadigo (first marriage) and Serbian lord Konstantin Balšić (second marriage)
- Voislava Thopia, married N. Cursachio (first marriage) and in 1394, Progon Dukagjini, Lord of Lezhë and uncle of Pal Dukagjini[11] (second marriage)
Karl had two more children but the parentage is unknown:
- Maria, married Filippo di Maramonte
- Niketa Thopia, married a daughter of Komnen Arianiti.
- Mara, married Balša III in 1407 (divorced by 1412).
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Serbian Empire |
Lord of Krujë 1355–1388 |
Succeeded by Helena Thopia |
| Preceded by Joanna of Durrës as Duchess of Durrës |
Prince of Albania 1368–1383 |
Succeeded by Balša III |
| Preceded by Balša II |
Prince of Albania 1385–1388 |
Succeeded by Gjergj Topia |
References
- ↑ Gillian Gloyer. Albania. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ↑ Johann Georg von Hahn (1867). Reise durch die Gebiete des Drin und Wardar: im Auftrage der K. Akademie der Wissenschaften unternommen im Jahre 1863. Aus der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Hof- und Staatsdruckerei. p. 282.
- ↑ Émile G. Léonard (1932). Histoire de Jeanne 1re, reine de Naples, comtesse de Provence (1343-1382): La jeunesse de la reine Jeanne. Imprimerie de Monaco. p. 107.
- ↑ Bollettino della Badia Greca di Grottaferrata. Scuola Tipografica Italo-Orientale "S.Nilo". 1978.
- ↑ Carl Hermann Friedrich Johann Hopf (1960). Geschichte Griechenlands vom Beginn des Mittelalters bis auf unsere Zeit. B. Franklin.
darauf in der Hand jenes Tanussio Thopia (1328 — 1338) waren, dem König Robert von Neapel 1338 den Besitz der Grafschaft Mal bestätigte. Des letztem Sohn oder Bruder Andreas war es, der sich mit dem Haufe Eapet verschwägerte. König Robert, so erzählt Musachi, hatte seine natürliche Tochter dem Bailli von Morea — vielleicht dem Bertrand de Baux — zur' Gattin bestimmt und sie nach Durazzo gesandt, wo damals Thopia weilte. Er verliebte sich in sie, entführte und heirathete sie. Zwei Söhne, Karl und Georg, ent« sprossen dieser Ehe. Aber schwer traf die Gatten bald die Rache des erzürnten Vaters; unter dem Scheine der Versöhnung lud er beide zu sich nach Neapel ein und ließ sie dort hinrichten; die Kinder aber, in denen somit wirtlich das Blut der Angiovlnen stoß, wurden gerettet; in der festen Burg Kroja , die er später ausbaute, nicht, wie die Sage meldet , erst gründete "), wuchs Karl auf, entschlossen, den Mord des vaters zu rächen
- ↑ M. Th. Houtsma. E. J. Brill's first encyclopaedia of Islam 1913-1936. p. 456. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Edwin E. Jacques. The Albanians: an ethnic history from prehistoric times to the present. p. 169. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ↑ Anamali, Skënder (2002), Historia e popullit shqiptar në katër vëllime (in Albanian) I, Botimet Toena, p. 294, OCLC 52411919
- ↑ Icons from the Orthodox Communities of Albania, catalog of the exhibition of the collection of icons of the National Museum of Medieval Art of Korce, held in Thessaloniki in 2006. Published by the European Centre of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments - Museum of Byzantine Culture (Greece), p.138.
- ↑ von Hahn Johann Georg, Albanesische studien, vol. 1, pp. 119,120
- ↑ Akademia e Shkencave e Shqipërisë; K. Prifti, Xh. Gjeçovi, M. Korkuti, G. Shpuza, S. Anamali, K. Biçoku, F. Duka, S. Islami, S. Naçi, F. Prendi, S. Pulaha, P. Xhufi (2002). Historia e Popullit Shqiptar. Tirana, Albania: Toena. p. 309. ISBN 99927-1-622-3. Retrieved 2012-04-23.