Catalans in Athens
Catalans in Athens? What is this? When? Before F. C.
Barcelona?
This could be the reaction of a modern Greek, if you asked him
what did he know about the Catalan Company, which ruled in Athens
for 76 years. It is a part of our (greek and athenian) history,
which is not usually taught in the school History lessons.
Lets take the things from the beggining.
A fictitious representation of Athens, 14th century
1204: The 4th Crusade forgets its original aim (to expell muslim
arab domination from Palestine) and destroys Byzantine Empire. The
crusaders occupy Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman
Empire.
Eugene Delacroix, The entry of crusaders into Constantinople
As a result, the Empire is cutted into small partitions, some
dominated by byzantine (greek) and some others by western
leaders.
A map of eastern Mediterranean after 1204
One of them was the Duchy of Athens, ruled at first by Frankish
leaders. Its first capital was not Athens but Thebes, in Boeotia.
Later, Athens became the capital of the duchy. In 1311, after the
battle of Halmyros in Boeotia, the Catalan Company seized power in
the duchy.
The Catalan Company in its first years
The Catalan Company of the East (Companyia Catalana d Orient)
was founded by Roger de Flor (or Rutger von Blum, 1266-1306) in
14th century. It was a company of mercenaries, mostly from
Catalonia and Aragon, who stayed unemployed after the Peace of
Caltabellota (1302).
Roger de Flor
In 1303 the emperor of Constantinople Andronicus II (in 1261
Greeks had reconquest Constantinople) called the Catalan Company to
fight against Turks in Asia Minor. Roger de Flor formed an army
with 1.500 knights and 4.000 pedestrians (the famous Almogavars,
hard soldiers who had fought during the spanish reconquista).
Almogavar pedestrian warrior
Andronicus II Palaiologos
Golden coin of Andronicus II
Roger de Flor arrives in Constantinople
The Catalan Company defeated Ottoman Turks several times in Asia
Minor. Thus, they became famous as good warriors. But the new
emperor Michael did not feel comfortable with a so strong western
army inside its territories. So, he called them back to the
european lands of the empire, namely to ensure his interests in
Bulgaria, but in fact to organize the assassination of Roger de
Flor. For this purpose, he used other, German, mercenaries; they
finally assassinated Roger de Flor while he was in Adrianoupolis,
Thrace.
Roger de Flors coat of arms
This fact made the soldiers of Catalan Company furious. For two
years (having, at the same time, many quarrels between them) they
devastated the great regions of Thrace and Macedonia. Byzantine
writers refere to these facts saying that the land became a desert.
This was the catalan revenge and, in the collective greek memory,
for many centuries, the name Catalan meant wild, savage people.
Their behavior was reasonable, because they were strangers in a
foreign country and they should either win or die.
The catalan revenge is described in
Francisco de Moncada, Expedition of Catalonians and Aragonians
against Turks and Greeks (Barcelona, 1623)
Something characteristic:
In late 20th century, the Catalan singer Josep Tero visited the
mountain Athos, which is now an autonomous region inhabited by
monks. But he was astonished when he realized that some monks were
hostile against him, just because he was from Catalonia. It was
unbelievable: 700 years later, they still remembered the Catalan
attack!
Josep Tero and Carles Duarte
So, Josep Tero with his friend Carles Duarte, a writer, begun a
campaign and persuaded the catalan government to make a gesture of
excuse. Thus, as an excuse, but also as an example of the new
european spirit of friendship, the government of Catalonia financed
the restauration of a building in the famous monastery of
Vatopedion in the Holy Mountain Athos.
The monastery of Vatopedion, in the Holy Mountain Athos
(Macedonia, Greece)
Companyia Catalana in Athens
After devasted the northern Greece, the company went to the
south. In 1311 the company defeated other, mostly western, troops
in the battle of Halmyros, near Orchomenos in Boeotia. The duke of
Athens and almost all the Frank (French) nobles were killed.
Thus, the Catalans conquered the Duchy of Athens, formerly
dominated by Franks from Burgundia, a duchy that contained both
Attica and Boeotia, and from time to time other places. Most of the
time, the capital of this state was not Athens but Thebes, in
Boeotia, a city more developped than Athens at those years.
The Duchy of Athens during the catalan domination
The ruins of castle of Livadia, Boeotia
Since they had the hostility of many western kings, the Catalans
asked the protection of Frederic II of Sicily. He accepted and
placed his 5 year old son Manfred head of the Company, whose
vicar-general in Greece was Berenguer Estagniol. After 1316, the
majority of the dukes and vicar-generals lived in the West, and the
duchy was practically rulled by vicegerents.
Later, the Company asked the protection of Peter IV of Aragon.
Peter accepted and sent his own guard on the Acropolis of Athens,
which he discribed as lo dit castell sia la pus richa joya qui al
mont sia. This formule is considered as the first, after a thousand
years, mention made by a western about the aesthetic value of
Acropolis.
Catalans established in the duchy military and administrative
institutions according to their origin. Their constitution (els
Capitols de la Companyia) was written in catalan language and was
accorded with the laws of Barcelona that regulated the public and
private life of its inhabitants. The llengua catalana became
official language of the state, together with latin.The municipal
local system replaced the feudal organization of the Franks. There
were five communities. Each city had its own governor (vicarius)
and the military commander (castellano or capitano). The city had
also separate municipal authorities whth representatives in the
central council.
A coin of the catalan period of Athens
Greek native population, mostly paysants, did not take part in
these conflicts between nobles, greek or foreigners. The change of
power usually did not mean anything for the ordinary life, which
was difficult, anyway. Many of them became immigrants in frankish-
or ventian-ruled places. The others, who preferred not to leave
their country, just hopped that the dominator of the day would
ensure them better living conditions.
Merchants and paysants at the time
It is characteristic that the native greek population did not
help at all the son of the last Frank leader, who,having the
support of the pope and many european leaders, attempted in 1331 to
expell Company from the duchy.
The Catalans were organized in a particularly closed religious
and social group, because they considered that any involvement with
the natives was a menace of their integrity and survival in the
greek lands. Unlike what happened those times in Peloponese, it was
very difficult for native Greeks to have a public authority in the
Duchy of Athens. The Company constituted the social and state
ruling class. Moreover, it was forbidden for a christian orthodox
to mary a catholic woman. It was, also, very difficult for a native
to be a big land owner.
.
The greek translation of a book by Antonio Rubio y Lluch (Els
castelis catalans en Grecia continental, Barcelona, 1910). The book
was immediately translated by G. Mavrakis and edited in Athens at
1912.
A map from the same book
At 1388, the Florentine Nerio Acciaiuoli ended the domination of
the Catalan Company in Athens. Some years later, Ottoman Turks were
going to rule all over the Balkan peninsula.
The Accaiuoli coat of arms
The end!
PAGE 1