Skorta (, ) was a name used in the 13th and 14th centuries, during the period of Frankish rule in the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

, to designate the mountainous western half of the region of Arcadia, which separated the coastal plains of the western ( Elisian) and southwestern (

Messinia Messenia or Messinia ( ; ) is a regional units of Greece, regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese Administrative regions of Greece, region, in Greece. Until the implementatio ...

from the Arcadian plateau in the interior. The name is found chiefly in the various-language editions of the ''

Chronicle of the Morea ''The Chronicle of Morea'' () is a long 14th-century history text, of which there are four extant versions: in French, Greek (in verse), Italian and Aragonese. More than 9,000 lines long, the ''Chronicle'' narrates events of the Franks' estab ...

''. It also appears as Skodra and Skorda (Σκορδὰ, Σκοδρὰ), in the

chronicle A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events ...

of Pseudo-Dorotheos of Monemvasia. The northern portion of this area, around Akova, was also known by the Greek name Mesarea (Μεσαρέα, a common term in Greece for inland locations, cf. Mesaria); in some cases, when juxtaposed with Mesarea, the term "Skorta" is limited to the southern portion, around

Karytaina Karytaina or Karitaina () is a village and a community in Arcadia, Greece. Karytaina is situated on a hill on the right bank of the river Alpheios, near its confluence with the Lousios. The village dates back to the Middle Ages, but its history ...

. The local population was renowned for its rebellious character, and never fully submitted to the Frankish

Princes of Achaea The Prince of Achaea was the ruler of the Principality of Achaea, one of the crusader states founded in Greece in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade (1202–1204). The principality witnessed various overlords during its more than two centuries o ...

. It frequently rose up, aided by the

Byzantine Greeks The Byzantine Greeks were the Medieval Greek, Greek-speaking Eastern Romans throughout Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. They were the main inhabitants of the lands of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire), of Constantinople and Asia ...

of the province of

Mystras Mystras or Mistras (), also known in the '' Chronicle of the Morea'' as Myzethras or Myzithras (Μυζηθρᾶς), is a fortified town and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Situated on Mount Taygetus, above ancient Sparta, ...

. As a result, two of the most powerful baronies of Achaea were set up to control the region, the

Barony of Akova The Barony of Akova was a medieval Frankish fiefdom of the Principality of Achaea, located in the mountains of eastern Elis in the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece, centred on the fortress of Akova or Mattegrifon (situated near Vyziki in the Tropa ...

in the north and the

Barony of Karytaina The Barony of Karytaina or of Skorta was a medieval Frankokratia, Frankish fiefdom of the Principality of Achaea, located in the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece, centred on the town of Karytaina (; ; ) in the mountainous region known as Skorta. H ...

(or Skorta) in the south.. The region of Skorta rose up in rebellion ca. 1302, when Prince Philip of Savoy raised new taxes on the local Greek gentry. Taking advantage of the absence of the Principality's marshal,

Nicholas III of Saint Omer Nicholas III of Saint-Omer (died 30 January 1314) was one of the most powerful and influential lords of Frankish Greece. He was hereditary Marshal of the Principality of Achaea, lord of one third of Akova and of one half of Thebes. He also served ...

, with many troops on campaign in

Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...

, and with the aid of the Byzantines of

, the rebels took and burned to the ground the castles of Saint Helen and of Crèvecoeur, and laid siege to the castle of Beaufort. When the Prince with the levies from his feudatories moved against the Greeks, however, the latter chose to withdraw, and Frankish rule was swiftly re-established over the region.

References

Sources

* * {{coord missing, Greece Medieval Arcadia Historical regions in Greece