Zenevisi family
| Zenevisi Zenebisi, Zenebishi |
|
|---|---|
| Noble house | |
| Estates | Gjirokastër |
| Founded | 1304 |
| Dissolution | 1460 |
The Zenevisi or Zenebishi (fl. 1304–1460) was a medieval noble family in southern Albania that served the Angevins, Venetians and Ottomans, and at times was also independent. They governed territories in Epirus, centered in Gjirokaster.
John Zenevisi was one of the most notable members of this family. In the period 1373–1414 he controlled Gjirokaster and its surroundings. After the Ottomans captured the region of Epirus, members of this family held high positions within Ottoman hierarchy.
The "Zenevias", probably the Zenevisi, are mentioned in 1304 as one of the families that were granted privileges by the Angevin Philip I, Prince of Taranto. According to Robert Elsie, the family originated from the Zagoria region between Gjirokastra and Përmet, in modern-day southern Albania.
In 1381 and 1384, the Catholic lords of Arta asked the Ottoman troops for protection against the invading Albanians under the Zenevisi; the Ottomans routed the raiders and restored order in Epirus.
John Zenevisi is one of the most notable members of this family. Like many contemporary Balkan rulers who were under the cultural influence of the Byzantine Empire, he adopted a title from the Byzantine court hierarchy for himself, that of sevastokrator. During the Ottoman Interregnum (1402–13) Zenevisi lost territory to the Republic of Venice; most of the mainland territories across from the Venetian possession of Corfu were taken. In 1419, he was killed by the Ottomans.
After a period of initial resistance to the Ottomans, most of the noble families of the region, including the Zenevisi, Arianiti and Muzaka, converted to Islam, and some of their members rose to high positions within the Ottoman military and feudal hierarchy. The territory that the Zenevisi controlled before their submission to the Ottomans was registered in an Ottoman defter (tax register) of 1431 as "the lands of Zenevisi" (Turkish: Zenebisi ili).
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