Thomas Preljubović

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Map of the Serbian Empire in 1360 with the territories of the partial princes

Thomas Preljubović or Thomas Komnenos Palaiologos ( Greek Θωμάς Κομνηνός Παλαιολόγος , Serbian Toma Preljubović ; † December 23, 1384 ) ruled as prince in Epirus from 1366 to 1384.

He was born as the son of the Serbian voivod Preljub , one of the most important military leaders of the emperor Stefan Dušan . Irene, a daughter of Stefan Dušan, is quoted as the mother in various sources. Other sources call his mother a Greek.

His father Preljub got the governorship of Thessaly from Stefan Dušan . In Thessaly Thomas Preljubović joined the party of Simeon Uroš Palaiologos and married his daughter Maria. He was appointed governor of Ioannina , which he had to defend against resident and sometimes plundering Albanian tribes. His rigorous action against the local population brought him criticism from local Albanian princes, on whose support he was dependent. Around 1366 Thomas took over the rule in Epirus and made himself de facto independent from his father-in-law Simeon, who ruled in Thessaly. When the pressure of local Albanian princes and tribes increased on his rule, Thomas turned to the Ottomans and recognized their suzerainty. With Ottoman help, he proceeded even more rigorously against the Albanian population, which earned him the nickname Αλβανοκτόνος , Albanian butcher . On December 23, 1384 Thomas Preljubović was finally murdered by his own guard. His wife Maria ruled Epirus with the help of her brother Jovan Uroš until around 1385, after which she married Esau de 'Buondelmonti .

Thomas Preljubović is considered the most tyrannical prince on the eve of the Ottoman conquest and symbolizes the state and social disintegration process of that time.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ John Van Antwerp Fine: The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest . University of Michigan Press, 1994, ISBN 978-0-472-08260-5 , pp. 346 (English, online preview in Google Book Search).
  2. ^ Brendan Osswald: The Ethnic Composition of Medieval Epirus. University of Toulouse
personal data
SURNAME Thomas Preljubović
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Thomas Komnenos Palaiologos; Θωμάς Κομνηνός Παλαιολόγος; Toma Preljubović
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prince in Epirus (1366-1384)
DATE OF BIRTH before 1360
DATE OF DEATH December 23, 1384