Niccolo I. Gattilusio

Niccolo I. Gattilusio (also Niccolo Gattilusio ) (* probably around 1330; † 1409 ) was the first lord of Ainos from 1376 to 1409 .

He came from the respected Genoese patrician family Gattilusio and was the younger brother of Archon Francesco I Gattilusio of Lesbos .

After his brother had received the rule of Lesbos from Emperor John V of Byzantium in 1355 as thanks for his help in arms, the Gattilusio benefited from the progenuesian policy of the Byzantine emperors. Especially with the beginning of the reign of Emperor Andronikos IV , the Gattilusio gained influence. Francesco I brought the city of Ainos on the Maritza River in Thrace under his control in 1376 and left it to the rule of his brother Niccolo, who founded the so-called “Younger Line Gattilusio”. Niccolo I consolidated his rule until 1379 and was recognized by the Byzantine Emperor as Lord of Ainos .

After the death of his brother Francesco I during an earthquake in 1384, Niccolo I supported his underage son Jacopo, known as Francesco II , until 1387 during his reign as the new Archon of Lesbos. From 1403 to 1408 Niccolo I was the guardian of Archon Jacopo Gattilusio, also a minor, of Lesbos.

Since Niccolo was childless, he designated Palamede Gattilusio , a grandson of his brother Francesco I Gattilusio, as heir. After Niccolo's death in 1409, Palamede succeeded him as Lord of Ainos.

predecessor	Office	successor
---	Lord of Ainos 1376-1409	Palamede Gattilusio