Yaqub Spata
| Yaqub Spata | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Lord of Arta | |
| Reign | 1414/5 – 1 October 1416 |
| Predecessor | Maurice Spata |
| Died | 1 October 1416 |
| House | Spata |
| Mother | Irene Spata |
| Religion | Islam |
Yaqub Spata or Shpata (Albanian: Jakob Bua Shpata Greek: Γιαγούπης Σπάτας) was the last Lord of Arta, ruling from 1414/15 until 1416, with a brief interval when he was evicted by the local population. His rule ended after his capture and execution by , who proceeded to incorporate Arta to his domains.
Yaqub was a scion of the Albanian Spata family. He was a grandson of John Spata, the first Albanian ruler of Arta, and son of John's daughter Irene and an unknown member of the Spata family. He had one brother, Maurice Spata, and two half-siblings from his mother's second marriage, Charles and Madalena Marchesano.
Yaqub was raised at the Ottoman court of Sultan Mehmed I, where he had converted to Islam and acquired his name. In 1414/5, at the time of his elder brother Maurice's death, he claimed the succession over Arta. With the support of his mother Irene, he was successful in securing control over Arta itself, while his half-brother Charles became ruler of nearby Rogoi.
His Muslim faith, however, soon provoked opposition, as the locals feared that he would deliver them to the Ottomans. The local population rose up, imprisoned him and installed his half-brother Charles Marchesano in his place. Released from prison, Yaqub sought refuge in the Ottoman court. There he secured the Sultan's aid, and backed by an Ottoman army under a certain Ismail he returned to Arta, recovering the city after a brief siege. His half-brother was exiled in turn, while the leading men of the city were executed for their role in his overthrow.
After recovering Arta, Yaqub was confronted with the designs of the ambitious Count palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos, . Carlo had already acquired possession of Ioannina and the northern half of the old Despotate of Epirus a few years previously, posing as the champion of the local Greeks against the Albanian lords who had conquered Epirus, and now set his sights on the southern portions of Epirus around Arta and Aetolia and Acarnania. The chronology of the conflict is somewhat vague, as the main source, the , does not follow a strict chronological order. Nevertheless, it is clear that Carlo, using the fortress of Vobliana as his base, was raiding the Spata domains already before Yaqub's return to power. Yaqub, along with his father-in-law, Maurice, who had defected from Tocco service, tried to capture Vobliana. The Spatas were then heavily defeated by Carlo's brother at Mazoma near ancient Nicopolis, but Carlo's son Torno suffered setbacks against the Albanians.
...
Wikipedia