Araklovon

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Wall on Mount Minthi , one of the possible locations of the castle.

Araklovon ( Greek Ἀράκλοβον , also: Oreoklovon - Ὀρεόκλοβον; in French : Bucelet ) was a medieval fortress from Byzantine times in what was then the area of Skorta in the southwest of the Peloponnese .

history

The fortress was of particular strategic importance because it was at the entrance to a mountain pass (droungos) that led from the coastal plains of Elis to Skorta and into the interior of the peninsula. The origin of the Greek name is unclear. Many etymologies have been created, including "mountain cage" and echoes of Heracles , although there are no known signs of a corresponding sanctuary in the area. The Franconian name in its various forms (Bucel [l] et, Bucello, Polcellecto, Porcelle, Bucel [l] etto) is similarly indeterminate .

At the time of the Fourth Crusade , Wilhelm I of Champlitte and Gottfried von Villehardouin set out in 1205 to conquer the Peloponnese. Araklovon was under the rule of Doxapatres Boutsaras at that time . The crusaders tried to storm the fortress but failed. In the Aragonese version of the Chronicle of Morea it is reported that they then left part of their troops for siege. This lasted until 1210. The fortress is mentioned then only when the revolt of the inhabitants of Skorta, 1264 and then again in the late 1270ern as Godefroy II. Bruyères the fortress by a stratagem took in trying the legacy of his uncle Godefroy from Briel to conquer. Then he called the Byzantines of Mystras to help, but they were stopped by the Frankish "Captain of Skorta", Simon von Vidoigne. Geoffrey was forced to surrender.

Thereafter, the fortress was in the territory of the Barony of Karytaina and became a princely fief in the early 14th century. As late as 1391, records report that the settlement near the fortress counted 100 hearth fires. At the beginning of the Ottoman – Venetian War (1463–1479) the fortress was conquered by the Venetians , but in 1467 it was again taken by the Ottomans .

Localization

From the 16th century, the fortress disappears from the sources and from the local place names. Since then, various scholars have tried to pinpoint the exact location. The fortress has been identified with Palaiokastro (Sarakini), Platiana (Acumba), Samiko on the coast, or Chrysouli on Mount Minthi and the summit of Mount Smerna. The latter two are most commonly identified with the medieval araklovon.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bon 1969, p. 369
  2. ↑ Bon 1969, p. 370
  3. ↑ Bon 1969, p. 369
  4. ↑ Bon 1969, p. 369
  5. ↑ Bon 1969, pp. 60, 61, 67, 370
  6. ↑ Bon 1969, pp. 148, 352-354, 370-372
  7. ↑ Bon 1969, p. 371
  8. ↑ Bon 1969, pp. 371-377

literature

Coordinates: 37 ° 29 ′ 15 ″  N , 21 ° 46 ′ 57 ″  E