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Материала е доста дълъг, но в общи линии византийската клонка на Асеневци е още жива:
⚔️ JOHN ASEN ZACCARIA, THE STORY OF THE LAST PRINCE OF ACHAEA! ⚔️
We are taken to the shores of the medieval Peloponnese, to the 15th century and the last suffering days of Christian Morea1 before the subjugation of the area by the rising Ottoman Sultanate. The Romans of the Despotate of Morea under the leadership of the Palaiologoi are trying to eradicate the last Latin strongholds of the once great Principality of Achaea (a crusader state that was established after the Fourth Crusade), while House Zaccaria, the last ruling dynasty of Achaea (hailing from Genova) are struggling to maintain their power in the Western Morean provinces.
In 1429, Prince Centurione II Zaccaria was besieged inside the castle of Chalandritsa, by the forces of Thomas Palaiologos. Centurione had resisted for some time but eventually surrendered. After the victory of the Palaiologoi, the fallen prince was forced to wed his daughter Catherine to Thomas. The discussions for this matchmaking were held by Constantine Palaiologos, the elder brother of Thomas. Catherine would inherit the princely title of Achaea along with all the last Zaccaria lands of Morea. The Frankish castles and strongholds passed to Thomas, and house Palaiologos. The Principality of Achaea which lasted more than two centuries was no more, and Morea was again a Greek realm!
Regardless of how these events transpired, this marriage was never the intention of Centurione, but a decision to secure his family's survival. Through this agreement, he was forced to ignore the rights of his firstborn son and heir to the throne of Achaea. The name of this son was John, or Giovanni as we discover him in the Italian sources of the time. House Zaccaria strictly followed the Carolinian-born Salic Law, which meant that only sons and the men of the family could inherit the paternal fortune, establishing male preference even for uncles or cousins over a daughter. The adoption of this legacy by Catherine stood against the centuries of values preserved by this House.
Thomas allowed Centurione to maintain the Barony of Arcadia and its fiefs, and to retire to the Castle of Kyparrisia (still standing today in the homonymous city). The Barony of Arcadia once belonged to the mother of Centurione, Catherine Le Maure, the last member of the Le Maure family, one of the most illustrious Frankish families of the principality. There Centurione lived until 1432 when he passed away. A source notes that Thomas had ordered his feet and hands to be cut off, but the details need greater research. Until the end, Centurione was still vainly hoping for military support from Genoa, his ancestral homeland, but this aid never came.
Centurione was himself married to Zoe, a Greek princess, a lady paternally hailed from the House of Asen-Palaiologos, and maternally from the House of Tzamblakones. Through this genealogy, she descended directly from Michael VIII Palaiologos, the founder of the last Greek dynasty of Constantinople! This marriage had produced at least four children: Giovanni, Catherine, Martino (a son who died young), and a daughter who was married to Olivier Franco (a pirate-adventurist) and for whom nothing else survives.
After the death of Centurione in 1432, Thomas targeted his widow and imprisoned her at the Chlemoutsi Castle, the powerful chateau of the Villehardouins. According to Chalkokondyles, Zoe Asenina-Palaiologina would spend the rest of her days in prison and would fade away from history there. Thomas would accuse his mother-in-law of conspiring against the Palaiologoi to place her son Giovanni on the princely throne of Achaea.
However, neither Thomas nor Catherine ever used the titles of Prince and Princess of Achaea, something that could never have been proven to be legal if they did, and ultimately, the possession of the once Latin lands was enough. Thomas stayed faithful to his Byzantine title of Despot of Morea, while after the heroic end of his elder brother Constantine under the Gate of Romanos, Thomas styled himself as “Basileus of the Romans” claiming to be the only rightful heir of his deceased brother and this is how he marketed himself in the West. The imperial title of Constantinople was always more prestigious for a Greek aristocrat over the latin princely title of Achaea.
Moving to Giovanni, the Greeks knew him as the “Asanes” after the name of his mother, or just “Centurione” offering him the name of his father. The name John was not to be found in the genealogical tree of the Zaccaria family until the time of Centurione II, thus Giovanni was probably baptized with a name coming from his mother's side, as the name John was one of the common names for a Greek noble. In 1424 Giovanni married Magdalena Tocco, daughter of Leonardo Tocco, of the illustrious Italian House that ruled the Despotaste of Epirus from 1416 and the Ioanian Isles since 1357. The wedding of the couple observed the Orthodox rite as the Zaccarias of Morea were heavily influenced due to their marriages with Greek women by the Orthodox dogma and was crafted so to mark the alliance of the Zaccarias and Toccos against the Despots of Morea. Until 1429, Giovanni ruled the Barony of Chalalandritsa and acted as Prince of Achaea, even if his father was still alive. Giovanni was supported by many Greek lords who despised the Palaiologoi, especially Thomas and Demetrios, the last surviving brothers of the family.
Thomas must have allowed Giovanni a degree of freedom, as by 1446 we once more find him ruling Chalandritsa, the castle of his father. In this same year, the Arvanitai of Morea proclaimed their rebellion against Thomas and Demetrios, demanding autonomy and self-governance for their communities. The leader of this revolt was Theodoros Bochalis, hailing from a chief family of the Arvanitai people. At the same time, the Maniates in Laconia are also rising up with Nikephoros Loukakes as their head. Giovanni sees an opportunity, and from Chalandritsa, in the shadow of Mount Erymanthos, he declares the renovation of the Principality of Achaea after 17 years! The Arvanitai of Achaea and Elis join his army as they loved his father Centurione for granting them protection, during the pogroms of House Tocco against the Arvanitai population of Epirus.
Even so, the Palaiologoi were able to defeat all these enemies! Using diplomacy instead of war, Thomas captured, blinded and imprisoned Bochalis, thus depriving the Arvanitai of their leader. Later, the army of the Palaiologoi defeated both Loukakes and Giovanni in battle, capturing them both. As with his mother, Chlemoutsi was used to imprison Giovanni, his wife Magdalene, and their eldest son Antonio Zaccaria5. There he abandoned them to starve to death, choosing a slow and painful death for his brother-in-law and his family.
⛰️ THE SECOND PRINCIPALITY OF ACHAEA OF AETOS
The fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the death of the most qualified Palaiologos, signified an opportunity for the Arvanitai to return to their rebellious movement, and this occurred as Sultan Mehmed was besieging the once Queen of the Cities. Both Thomas and Demetrios were not particularly loved by the common folks. The Lord of Chlemoutsi who was responsible for guarding Giovanni and his family, decided to switch sides. He made a deal with Asanes: he released him and his family from prison but in return, he was given as wife a daughter of Giovanni, thus making him a relative of House Zaccaria. Giovanni escaped to Messinia, to the lands of the Barony of Arcadia. There, the people greeted him well and the castle of Aetos opened its gates to this scion of the Zaccaria, to become his base and provincial capital. Giovanni and Magdalene were acclaimed as Princes of Achaea, and after 24 years, the Principality returned to live its last short epilogue. The golden-red Zaccaria banners waved again in Morea!
The army of Giovanni was assembled by all the races of Morea. Many Latin inhabitants of the peninsula stood behind him. These were the so-called "Gasmouloi", a class of Greco-Franks that were born in Morea after the coming of Crusaders in medieval Greece. Usually, their father was Latin, and their mothers were Greek countryside women. They were excellent warriors and had distinguished themselves in the past as sailors of the imperial navy and pirates. They are recorded as beautiful and courageous, and through the decades they were Hellenized. Giovanni was also supported by many Greeks and Arvanitai too. The time of the Great Morean Revolt was an appropriate one, as the Sultan was fighting the Serbians with his troops being placed far from Morea. George Sphratzes, who was a contemporary of the events and advisor of the Palaiologoi, wrote that the rebellion of Giovanni had unleashed great chaos on Morea
Giovanni as head of a strong army marched from Messenia against Patras, the capital of Thomas, and without encountering any significant resistance by the Palaiologoi, he trapped Thomas inside and besieged the city. All of Thomas' efforts to break the siege failed and the success of the Zaccaria prince is noted by other great powers of the time.
The Venetian Senate that held colonies in Morea (Modon-Coron) officially recognized Giovanni as Prince of Achaea, while Alfonso V, the Aragonese King of Naples, congratulated Giovanni for his victories against the Palaiologoi. Alfonso recognizes him as Prince of Achaea and Magdalene as Princess, giving him the regnal name "Centurione III." He also pledges the dispatching of men to assist him oust the Turks from Peloponesse.
Loukanes who returned to his old ways, led the revolutionaries of Mane and Taygetos against Mystras, the impregnable stronghold of the Despotate, besieging Demetrios inside the great castle-city. The Despots of Morea were shut inside their capitals and everywhere in the countryside it was these forces that ruled the land. The Arvanitai were well accustomed to plundering and unleashed devastating raids in the Morean rural areas. The two prominent leaders of the uprising: Giovanni and Loukanes started discussions on how they would divide Morea as the new overlords of the peninsula.
Yet the greatest player with the force to determine the destiny of Peloponesse was the Ottoman Sultan who possessed Constantinople. A frightened Thomas pleads with the Turks to intervene, but also Giovanni requests his recognition as Prince. Mehmed concludes that a Greek lord is preferable to a man of Latin background who could potentially arouse the Pope or other Western powers to a crusade against the Sultanate, and declares his support for the Palaiologoi. In late 1454, he sent to Morea the old Turahan Bey (a first-class barbarian that rightfully bore the title of the greatest slayer of the Morean people) to bend the rebels. Learning about the coming of the Turkish troops in Corinth, Giovanni dissolves the siege of Patras and retreats to Aetos. Thomas joins the powers of Turahan and by December, the two men appear in front of Aetos hoping to destroy Asanes once and for all.
Giovanni and his son Antonios choose to personally confront them in a battle and after hours of fighting, Giovanni is defeated and the castle is taken by the Turks. However, Thomas couldn’t have Giovanni in chains. Asanes and his family members avoided prison and requested shelter in the Venetian colony of Modon. The city of Aetos, the first fief of the Le Maure family submitted and the terms were that it would provide one thousand slaves to the army, weapons, and pack animals. However, the fate of Aetos was not a fortunate one and later during the years of Turkokratia, the castle would be abandoned. Today nothing survives from this fortress that for almost two years acted as the capital of the short-lived second Principality of Achaea.
⛰️ AN ACHAEAN PRINCE IN EXILE
Giovanni remained in Modon for roughly three years, until late 1457. Venice offered him a yearly revenue, worthy for a Prince of Achaea in exile. Though there was one term for this generosity: he had to remain in Modon or elsewhere, where he could be useful for the political designs of Venice. Many Greeks and Arvanitai Moreans who did not want to live under the Turkish yoke, found sanctuary for their families in Modon or other Venetian-held lands, asking to be enlisted as mercenaries in the armies of the Most Serene Republic of the Adriatic. Giovanni intervened to also secure a position for his followers as Venetian troops.
Even after the fall of the Principality, some Western powers continued to recognize Giovanni as the legitimate Prince of Morea. More precisely King Alfonso of Naples accepted him at his court and endowed him with an honorary pension. In 1458, the Prince returns to his ancient homeland… Genoa, the birthplace of the Zaccaria family, started there as the House of Zaccaria de Castro. He bore with him a magnificent relic of the East that he bestowed to the custody of the city of Genoa.
This was a Byzantine Cross from the city of Phocaea in Asia Minor. Phocaea had been ruled by the Zaccarias for a time. Starting with Benedetto I Zaccaria in 1275, and ending with his grandson Martino Zaccaria, titular King and Despot of Asia Minor by 1329, having greatly protected the region from the Turks. The cross is the epitome of Byzantine luxury. It was originally owned by a man named Bardas who was a relative of a Roman Empress (this unknown Augusta could be Theodora the Paflagonian, the restorer of the icons throughout the empire). Inside the cross, is preserved a piece of the True Cross, that according to the legend belonged to Saint John the Evangelist. To this day, the so-called "Zaccaria Cross" is exhibited in Genoa and has been regarded as one of the most significant relics of the city.
Later in 1464, Giovanni finally moved to Rome, to the court of Pope Pius II. Pius had presented a safe shelter for many exiled Christian princes and princesses of the East who fled the Turks. The Pope granted him a small monthly revenue for his necessities. It was also Thomas and his children who were taken care of by the Papacy in Rome. It's sound to presume that Giovanni would have some sort of contact with the children of his sister Catherine. One of them was Sophia (Zoe) Palaiologina, who later would travel to Moscow to marry Ivan III and become a Grand Duchess of the Russ, establishing the legend of a Third Rome to the North of Constantinople.
Giovanni would die in 1469 in Rome, the date of death of his wife Magdalene Tocco is not recorded. Catherine had passed in 1462 on the island of Corfu. Antonio Zaccaria, the eldest son and heir of John, would move to the Genoese city of Galata, across from Constantinople, now in the hands of the Ottoman Sultanate. There, he would be involved as a prominent landowner, as a result of good fortunes established by his younger brother Angelo during the siege of 1453. In 1476, they would grant land for the establishment of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. Angelo Zaccaria seems to have died at an early age, and has left no children.
⛰️ HOUSE ZACCARIA AFTER 1469...
The claims of the Zaccarias to Morea endured over time, with the Zaccarias never forgetting the Barony of Damalà, their earliest fief in Morea that allowed them to secure power. In time, the name Damalà evolved to become the name of their self-identification and after the establishment of the modern Greek state in 1830, this was Hellenised to a standard contemporary Greek surname… Damalas (plural Damalades).
According to a recently conducted genealogical study, there exist descendants of Giovanni Asen Zaccaria surviving to this day. The senior male member of this genealogical tree is Constantine Zaccaria-Damalà, who is currently the Head of the former ruling House Zaccaria de Damalà. He is the only son of Stephanos Zaccaria-Damalà and Yvonne Baralis.
Constantine is a Greek-American, independent equity trader, and following the family tradition and according to Salic Law (the hereditary succession method of the House since the 10th century), Constantine holds the title of Prince of Achaea in a titular fashion. He is married to an Italian-Canadian social media personality, Brianna Annecca, who was styled Princess of Achaea after her wedding to Prince Constantine on 23.05.2024. The Greek Orthodox ceremony took place at the Church of Our Saviour in Rye, New York, married under gold and bejeweled crowns worthy of the title, and was celebrated at Whitby Castle.
🐞 A good friend of our blog who was a guest at the Zaccaria wedding noted:
"I have never attended such a magnificent wedding, Constantine was really dashing in his Valentino tuxedo, while his Italian wife was radiant in her Kleinfeld dress. I also loved her tiara and sapphire and diamond jewelry, they seemed very appropriate for a Princess I guess. I follow fashion, so naturally, I had to inquire about the details the moment I looked upon the couple. Attending the ceremony and reception carried a sense of royalty, from the opulent crowns, to the castle, to the fine food. It was truly a wonderful experience, I am glad to have been invited! That said, both Constantine and his wife were humble and God-fearing. I could see this by how sincere and dignified they looked during the ceremony."
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